Sleeper to Ft William, Jacobite to Mallaig, then Holyhead!

[afriedl]

I have a bit over a day free in my UK/Ireland trip that I'd like to spend in the Highlands. My plan is to take the Sleeper from London to Ft. William, then the Jacobite to Mallaig the next day. The morning departure is too close to the Sleeper's arrival, so my schedule looks like this:

Arrv FTW (sleeper) 9:55
FTW to Mallaig (Jacobite) 14:30
Mallaig to FTW 18:15 (normal Scotrail train), arrive FTW 19:37
Depart FTW (sleeper) 19:50, then change at Crewe the next morning and on to Holyhead for the ferry.

Is the timing too tight for the train from Mallaig and transfer to the Sleeper, do you think? That's the only part I'm really nervous about; I'll be in real trouble if I miss that transfer. Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[Thomas6187]

It's a booked connection, plus I think the guard who works from Mallaig, works the sleeper to Rannoch

 

[afriedl]

plus I think the guard who works from Mallaig, works the sleeper to Rannoch

That's good news! Thanks very much for the info. Now all I have to worry about is waking up at 4 am Eastern Time this Friday to get bargain berths for the London to Ft. William sleeper.
(Too bad they don't offer them for Ft. William to Crewe; this post convinced me that it was a bad idea to try to get a BB to London and chance being forced to pay for a full-price day-of fare when I get off at Crewe.)

 

[CallySleeper]

Not sure re: guard workings, though the guard who works from Mal may not physically work the sleeper. But they may pass on the sleeper as far as Rannoch to then take the last Glasgow train back to Mallaig.

Connection wise, Fort William is minimum 5 minutes. You would even be able to make the morning connection if you wanted, though
a) not sure if you miss it whether you'd be able to use your ticket on the afternoon trip and
b) I guess 25 minutes for photos etc beforehand might not be enough for you.

 

[afriedl]

Connection wise, Fort William is minimum 5 minutes. You would even be able to make the morning connection if you wanted, though
a) not sure if you miss it whether you'd be able to use your ticket on the afternoon trip and
b) I guess 25 minutes for photos etc beforehand might not be enough for you.

a) was the concern for me, since the Jacobite isn't part of National Rail (so it's on me if I miss it, no guarantee of ticket use on the next train, and their FAQ makes it clear that if you miss the train, it's your problem.) That plus the fact that I'd like to get a chance to shower at FTW before I set out and who knows how long the line'll be for the showers. (Also, just checked and the morning Jacobite run on 22/7 is sold out anyway.)

 

[Hadders]

I've done the connection at Fort William three times in the last 6 months.

The guard off the Mallaig to Fort William works the sleeper as far as Rannoch. It's a cross platform connection so plenty of time to make it!