Travel advice West Highlands

[LaBelleSauvage123]

LaBelleSauvage123

Put this in Travel but no replies as yet, so hoping for some local knowledge.

I am planning to take DH on a short break at the end of April, flying to Glasgow on a Thurs evening, staying overnight and then taking the West Highland Line to Mallaig on Friday. We have a number of options: do the whole rail journey in one day and stay in Fort William and/or Mallaig on Friday and Sat nights, returning to Glasgow for our flight home on Sunday evening ( this might be a bit hairy if train is delayed though). Or we could stay in Mallaig on the Fri night and return to Glasgow for Sat night. Or we could stop off somewhere en route on the way up or back. A search on MN has suggested that Arisaig is lovely. Any recommendations, advice or ideas very welcome! We’re not hiring a car so everything needs to be near the railway line.

Personally I'd stay in Mallaig for 2 nights. The train journey is long so I'd prefer a day in the middle. I don't think Arisaig is on the trainline and would need a car to get to it. Plenty of walks round Mallaig though.

NB: it's pronounced Mall-ig NOT Mall Aig (to rhyme with The Hague). Huge brownie points with the locals for getting this right.

It'll depend in your train times though.

Thanks for the tip - I’d always thought it was Mall - ague. Arisaig station is on the West Highland Line - about 8 mins walk from the village according to Google maps.

I would stay 2 nights in Mallaig. Great walks around Arisaig and Morar. If you time it right you can use the train to get to Arisaig. I have stayed at the West Highland Hotel. Would recommend it - good food and nice bar.

Doesn’t the line call at Arisaig just before Mallaig though?

Oh I see what you mean! 😳. Sorry!

Arisaig is beautiful but not a lot to do. Not much more to do in Mallaig either but the journey is fantastic, especially if you are a Harry Potter fan. The Glasgow to Fort William is supposed to be one of the most beautiful in the country across Rannoch Moor. Fort William is a typical town and home to Britain's highest mountain.

We don’t have much time, so walking, scenery and some good food will be enough.

If you're staying in Mallig for it might be worth going over to Knoydart for a night. You can visit the most remote pub in mainland Britain which (when I went 9 years ago) does excellent seafood.

Knoydart is fantastic

Just read some stuff about Knoydart - it looks amazing. Thanks for the recommendation.

Be prepared for interesting weather.

If you do stop over in Ft William (aka 'The Fort' to us locals) it's very hard to get lost. The main drag is under the underpass from the station and the best coffee is at the Wildcat vegan cafe on the Right as you walk away from the station and no I have no financial interest) The Highland Museum (on the left) is free and worth a poke about.

I’ve done the Fort William - Mallaig train before ( about 100 years ago) and the train broke down for two hours in the snow - they had to send for another engine. It was freezing but exciting as I remember - pretty wild weather. Whether my late middle aged self would feel the same, I’m not sure!