Altnabreac Station

[gbzraj]

For sale - good opportunity for someone!

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30524007.html

 

[Gathursty]

I would buy it if I had the cash. I had a bit of a peer through the windows last July but it looked deserted tbh and in a bit of a state. Still, an epic place to live if you like no local conveniences, no phone signal, no neighbours but public transport next door.

 

[Journeyman]

Altnabreac has to be one of my favourite stations. I went and did a bit of hiking around there back in 2009 - one of my other hobbies is Geocaching, and there's a cache hidden four miles from the station. Practically the entire area is devoid of humans - you'd need to be particularly resilient to cope with living there, I think, although it's pretty spectacular. I'm guessing you could be snowed in for pretty long periods of time if the weather got really bad. It's all forest tracks for miles around.

Has anyone read Tiny Stations by Dixe Wills? It's a travelogue around a selection of the UK's request-only stations. The chapter on Altnabreac involves an encounter with a terrifyingly weird guy who lives nearby and is an absolute classic.

 

[Altnabreac]

Even I wouldn't choose to live there year round

It is a beautiful peaceful place though. The cottage was inhabited last time I was up there in around November 2012 (going by the generator being on, although I didn't meet anyone to chat to) but it isn't the most picturesque building in Scotland.

 

[waterlooroader]

A quick scan of the Electoral Roll suggests that there are 9 dwellings with "Altnabreac" in the address, of which only 5 are currently occupied.

Sounds like the place to go if you enjoy your own company!

I do find it amazing that the station is still in use to be honest, given it's tiny catchment area. Although bizarely it isn't the least used station on the Far North Line (That honour goes to Kildonan)

 

[marks87]

Is "wild and unspoilt landscape" estate agent-speak for "bleak"?

There's no question that a lot of the Highland scenery is breathtaking, but around those parts (and a fair chunk of the Far North Line to be honest) it does start to feel desolate as opposed to picturesque.

 

[davetheguard]

Altnabreac has to be one of my favourite stations. I went and did a bit of hiking around there back in 2009 - one of my other hobbies is Geocaching, and there's a cache hidden four miles from the station. Practically the entire area is devoid of humans - you'd need to be particularly resilient to cope with living there, I think, although it's pretty spectacular. I'm guessing you could be snowed in for pretty long periods of time if the weather got really bad. It's all forest tracks for miles around.

Has anyone read Tiny Stations by Dixe Wills? It's a travelogue around a selection of the UK's request-only stations. The chapter on Altnabreac involves an encounter with a terrifyingly weird guy who lives nearby and is an absolute classic.

Thanks for the tip about the book "Tiny Stations".

I can't afford the real thing (Altnabreac), so I've ordered the book!

 

[Hebden Bridger]

Is "wild and unspoilt landscape" estate agent-speak for "bleak"?

There's no question that a lot of the Highland scenery is breathtaking, but around those parts (and a fair chunk of the Far North Line to be honest) it does start to feel desolate as opposed to picturesque.

The scenery around Altnabreac is far from breathtaking. Its in the middle of a boring conifer plantation, on the edge of the Flow Country, supposedly the largest blanket bog in Europe.

You do get occasional glimpses of Morven, an attractive pointy mountain shaped hill from the forest tracks though.

I passed through about 10 years ago, like I guess most of its visitors walking from Lands End to John O'Groats and desperate to avoid having to walk along the A9 for the final stage of the journey. Its very different from anywhere else I visited on the way, I suppose is the best I can say for it.

 

[Johnuk123]

The scenery around Altnabreac is far from breathtaking. Its in the middle of a boring conifer plantation, on the edge of the Flow Country, supposedly the largest blanket bog in Europe.

You do get occasional glimpses of Morven, an attractive pointy mountain shaped hill from the forest tracks though.

I passed through about 10 years ago, like I guess most of its visitors walking from Lands End to John O'Groats and desperate to avoid having to walk along the A9 for the final stage of the journey. Its very different from anywhere else I visited on the way, I suppose is the best I can say for it.

You're right about the scenery, certainly what you would call "away from it all" but a long way from the real breathtaking scenery in Rosshire and the west coast.

North of Inverness there is quite a dramatic difference in the scenery between west and east coasts.

 

[Hebden Bridger]

Has anyone read Tiny Stations by Dixe Wills? It's a travelogue around a selection of the UK's request-only stations. The chapter on Altnabreac involves an encounter with a terrifyingly weird guy who lives nearby and is an absolute classic.

When I visited there was a very small but aggressive dog at the station, who spent a hour or so barking at me whilst waiting for the train in the evening and then followed me yapping away for about 5 miles the next day. He was quite famous amongst lejogers, but I had heard he'd been replaced by a more scary human nutter.

 

[overtonchris]

The scenery around Altnabreac is far from breathtaking. Its in the middle of a boring conifer plantation, on the edge of the Flow Country, supposedly the largest blanket bog in Europe.

You do get occasional glimpses of Morven, an attractive pointy mountain shaped hill from the forest tracks though.

I passed through about 10 years ago, like I guess most of its visitors walking from Lands End to John O'Groats and desperate to avoid having to walk along the A9 for the final stage of the journey. Its very different from anywhere else I visited on the way, I suppose is the best I can say for it.

I've never visited the "East Lump" of the Far North of Scotland simply because I understood that the general area was less than exciting, especially compared to the really beautiful areas to the west. ( I must still do the Inverness - Thurso train though - bucket list, blah, blah). Google-mapped the immediate area and it didn't look great - not surprisingly street view was not playing!!

The idea of the isolation / peace and being in a railway station may appeal to romantics (and me normally) but there?.... Summer - rain, midges, boredom? - Winter?......Washed out roads, white stuff and more boredom? Please correct me if my assumption is incorrect....I like to learn....

All said and done though, couldn't get a freakin' shed in my area for that price!!!!

 

[merlodlliw]

The estate agent gives little on services.I presume

Water from a well (No water rates)

Septic tank (no sewage rates)

No mains electric (Generator red diesel is pricey now)

No telephone

out of range of mobile?

Looks like a 1960s rebuild,the roof looks OK,first thing I check when looking at property,

Ill bet if an offer far less than £110K was offered, it would be sold.

To think a beach hut in the Llyn fetches £250K.

 

[BestWestern]

Curious to see the agent is one Mr Alastair Campbell - was he banished to this remote corner of the empire when it all came tumbling down!?

On a more serious note, I would think perhaps the best use of this place would be hiring it out as some sort of accomodation for groups seeking holidays in the wilds?

 

[Hebden Bridger]

The estate agent gives little on services.I presume

Water from a well (No water rates)

Septic tank (no sewage rates)

No mains electric (Generator red diesel is pricey now)

No telephone

out of range of mobile?

Looks like a 1960s rebuild,the roof looks OK,first thing I check when looking at property,

Ill bet if an offer far less than £110K was offered, it would be sold.

To think a beach hut in the Llyn fetches £250K.

There certainly was a phone on the station 10 years ago. The station is less than a mile from Lochdu Lodge, so may have some other mains services.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Google-mapped the immediate area and it didn't look great - not surprisingly street view was not playing!!

Altnabreac station, indeed the whole area, is only served by gated estate tracks, so I'd be very surprised if Streetview ever gets access. Immaculately maintained though - the small lochs are popular with fishermen. Plenty of photos at http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=49165098

 

[Starmill]

I had a night in Wick over an Easter break in Scotland.

That part of the country, and that town and quite unlike anywhere else I have ever been. Until you get into Wetherspoons, which looks like every other Wetherspoons ever and you could almost forget where you are! :P Now there is the value of branding!

One day I'd like to use Altnabreac station, but I'm just not sure how. I took this picture about a minute after we passed through the station:

 

[Gathursty]

I can't believe I didn't spot the Lochdhu Lodge when I was up there, although saying that the walk from the gate 5 miles away knackered me out so I just recuperated for an hour lounging on the station bench before walking back the way I came. That lodge looks unspoilt.

 

[Urban Gateline]

I went to Altnabreac with a friend towards end March 2014, I must admit I enjoy desolate and rarely used stations especially in the countryside in the middle of nowhere so it's a place I've always wanted to see! We were lucky as the weather was good so we went for a walk, actually only a little bit further past Lochdhu Lodge! There's definitely an eery feeling about that Lodge, the colours of it and the fact that it seemed deserted, not sure I'd want to spend a night there!

The house by the station definitely looks uninhabited, although we passed someone else walking about the area and also spotted people on 2 further occasions so it doesn't seem that desolate!

Other posters were right in pointing out that the Land isn't that stunning, most of it is made up of forests, rather than fields, although the Lochs are pretty, I can imagine them being lovely fishing spots or even for swimming in the summer!

As there are only a handful of trains a day to and from Altnabreac that dictates what you can do there really as me and my friend "only" had 3hrs there so we had to keep an eye on the time and not wander off too far! Definitely a good idea to bring supplies (food and drink mainly!) as there's really nothing there.

Also I think the Guard on the Scotrail service was genuinely surprised when we asked him to arrange for the train to stop there!

 

[Kite159]

We are now approaching Altnabreac, this is a request stop.

Far North line is so beautiful, some parts are a bit bleak and less beautiful in comparison to the part which runs along the sea.