Day 18 - Tuesday 17th October 2023

This morning we woke to a cold day (1C), blue sky and the view of a pretty fog over the lake.

Today we were booked to go on the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig. This is also known as the Hogwarts Express because it was used in the Harry Potter series.

The train was due to depart from Fort William railway station at 10:15am and we were advised to be there 20 minutes before that. So we headed off from our B&B at 9:30 and walked down the long steep path down to the main street and then along to the station.

When we got there, the train was already waiting at the platform and there were already lots of passengers on the platform and on board the train. It's a long train and we found our carriage about halfway along.

I then got off and walked all the way up to the front to take photos of the steam engine. This engine (45407) is known as the Lancashire Fusilier.

There was steam coming from the engine and there was steam billowing from carriages along the train. On the platform, there was salt which must have been used to eliminate snow.

The train left the station right on time at 10:15.

Each carriage has groups of four seats with a table in between on each side of the carriage. As it turned out, we were sitting opposite an Australian man from Canberra. We had a lot in common. He was a graduate from Sydney University (a couple of years after us) in mechanical engineering before spending most of his career in computing.

He was travelling alone because his wife does not like travel. He travels a lot and we had plenty to talk about. He was good company.

The scenery along the way was better than I had expected and so there were plenty of photo opportunities. Apart from forests and hills, we saw lakes and paddocks with sheep and cattle. Luckily we were on the right side of the carriage for the best views.

Taking photos from a train or a bus is always a challenge. You have to be quick to get a photo in the gap between trees etc. Reflection off the window glass can be a problem. Today we had the extra problem of the windows fogging up.

About 20 minutes into the journey, we crossed the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct which is more than 300m long, has 21 arches and dates back to 1898. Although the viaduct is curved, it was hard to get a photo of it from the train.

Shortly after this, we stopped at Glenfinnan Station for about 20 minutes, Apart from giving us the opportunity to stretch our legs, there was a museum at the station.

During the trip, staff on the train came through with trolleys. One was for souvenirs such as Harry Potter items and another was for drinks including whiskies.

At a table near us there was a French family including two children both of whom dressed up in Harry Potter costumes. Elsewhere other children wore costumes too such as the school uniforms.

It was interesting that many people brought their dogs on the train. Near us, there was a large dog that blocked the aisle mainly because he wanted you to pat him. It must be common because there was a sign asking people not to let their dogs onto the seats.

The train arrived at Mallaig at about 12:30pm and we set off to find somewhere for lunch. We were surprised to find that the first three or four cafes we went to only accepted cash. We didn't have any cash and so we kept moving until we reached the Bakehouse that does accept cards.

We ate our lunch on the balcony outside the Bakehouse overlooking the harbour. It's a pretty location. On the harbour, there are moored boats. Further on, there are larger vessels such as a car ferry and on the other side of the harbour, there are hills and quaint housing.

Mind you, it was still chilly (8C) with a gentle breeze - especially out of the sunshine. Then again, there was plenty of sunshine because there was hardly a cloud in the sky. We were lucky with the weather. Lots of blue sky and no rain.

The train left on time at 2:15pm for the return trip to Fort William. This time we were on the other side of the carriage so that people got to share the view. The steam engine had moved to the front of the train but, although it was pulling the train, it was facing backwards.

We reached Fort William on time just before 4pm. It was a great outing.

Suzy had booked to have her nails done tomorrow morning (whatever that means) and so she wanted to find the salon in High Street. We eventually found it because Google Maps got it wrong.

We climbed back up the long steep pathway back up the hill to our B&B. We got thee at about 4:45pm.

For dinner, we'd booked at the Garrison West Restaurant for 6:30pm. It was a very nice meal. They specialise in seafood. Suzy particularly liked the affogato dessert.

We caught a taxi back up the hill to our B&B. The driver said he only took cash which was a problem because we didn't have any. Eventually he found he had an app to accept Mastercard and it worked.

We were back in the B&B at about 8:15pm. Another great day.