NB5025
Member
Has anyone used this website (Highlands by Train)? It seems to be a bit like seat61, a private guide to travelling by train, this one for the Highlands of Scotland written by real people. It seems really detailed.
It got me thinking, having a holiday by train in Britain can be great, especially for cities, and sometimes countryside too. But the Scottish Highlands are pretty sparce on public transport. My initial thoughts were 'you need a car' but reading the site made me think perhaps that's not true. With trains, and also coaches were there isn't a railway it's perfectly possible to get around almost everywhere. But it might even be better. I mean roads are modest and often over loaded with cars and motorhomes in the summer (NC500 for example), and parking is often a really big problem, like Glenfinnan and Urquhart castle. You would think going to the rural highlands would be a drivers dream, but the reality is often stress and not getting to visit places with parking. I heard from someone who worked there that in peak summer season one in ten people get to park (and therefore visit) at Urqhuart castle. So maybe the train is a good idea for holidays in the Scottish Highlands. What do others think?
The website has detailed guides to all the places I would say are the ones most people would want to visit, and then lists accommodation and restaurants that are close to stations, but only lists those that have good reviews, saving time on researching them myself. For us train enthusists there are also route guides and info on preserved railways.
It got me thinking, having a holiday by train in Britain can be great, especially for cities, and sometimes countryside too. But the Scottish Highlands are pretty sparce on public transport. My initial thoughts were 'you need a car' but reading the site made me think perhaps that's not true. With trains, and also coaches were there isn't a railway it's perfectly possible to get around almost everywhere. But it might even be better. I mean roads are modest and often over loaded with cars and motorhomes in the summer (NC500 for example), and parking is often a really big problem, like Glenfinnan and Urquhart castle. You would think going to the rural highlands would be a drivers dream, but the reality is often stress and not getting to visit places with parking. I heard from someone who worked there that in peak summer season one in ten people get to park (and therefore visit) at Urqhuart castle. So maybe the train is a good idea for holidays in the Scottish Highlands. What do others think?
The website has detailed guides to all the places I would say are the ones most people would want to visit, and then lists accommodation and restaurants that are close to stations, but only lists those that have good reviews, saving time on researching them myself. For us train enthusists there are also route guides and info on preserved railways.