I had a few days off work this week so I decided to carry out some unfinished business on the railway. I have always wanted to do a SailRail trip and I also wanted to do the Skye circular. I had plans to do the trip via Skye last year when I did an ALR but the derailed goods train on the West Highland Line scuppered my plans.
Day 1, Monday. I intended to catch the 0807 from Stevenage to Kings Cross but ended up getting the delayed 0759 due to over running engineering works at Hitchin. This was a 12 carriage train full and standing. Arrived at Kings Cross just after 0830 and took a brief stroll across to Euston in time to catch the 0910 departure to Holyhead.
This was a doubled up super-voyager, and I took a seat in an almost empty coach C. The journey to Holyhead was uneventful, arriving bang on time at 1250. I would estimate that around 50-100 passengers made their way to the ferry check in at Holyhead. I was booked onto the 1350 Stena sailing and I was surprised at how few people were showing rail tickets when checking on for the ferry. I wonder how many people are aware that excellent value for money SailRail tickets exist, and Im sure that many paid far more for their journey than they needed to. I couldn't see any publicity at the ferry terminal for SailRail at all which is a great shame and makes me wonder how long it will be before the ferry companies and TOCs try to withdraw SailRail tickets due to lack of demand.
I found the ferry journey a most civilised way to cross the Irish Sea. On arrival at Dublin I took the bus from the port to Connolly railway station which cost EUR2.50. I had just over an hour to wait for my 1900 departure to Belfast Central so I wandered into the city centre and stocked up on some supplies for the journey.
This was the first time I had been on an Irish Rail train. I found the journey well loaded but comfortable, arriving into Belfast on time at 2115 where a 10 minute walk took me to the Premier Inn where I was staying for the night.
Day 2, Tuesday. I took the 1130 ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan. I discovered that I could get the number 96 bus from the city centre to the ferry terminal which was far cheaper than getting a taxi. Following another relaxing ferry crossing I boarded the SailRail connecting coach at Cairnryan which would take me to Ayr for onward connection by rail. There were 15 of us in total on the coach which was in Scotrail SailRail livery. I was hoping the coach would arrive early enough for me to get the 1524 from Ayr to Glasgow Central but rather annoyingly I missed it by less than 20 seconds. Had I made this unofficial connection then I could have connected into the Highland Chieftain at Perth and arrived into Inverness an hour earlier than planned. No harm done, I got the 1536 into Glasgow Central and a short walk got me to Queen Street in plenty of time to get the 1741 to Perth.
I often see questions on the forum enquiring about the cheapest ticket on the network. On the train into Glasgow I noticed a discarded undiscounted adult Anytime Day Single from Prestwick Atrain to Troon which cost £1.00. I've no idea if this is the cheapest adult ticket on the network but if it isn't it must be pretty close!
I witnessed some great service from the guard on the Glasgow-Perth train. When he checked my ticket (which was an anytime day single from Belfast to Kyle of Lochalsh) he looked a bit surprised and exclaimed you wont get there tonight. No problem Im stopping overnight in Inverness, I replied. A few minutes later the guard made a PA announcement for the passenger travelling to Kyle of Lochalsh confirming the departure and arrival times from Inverness the following morning. Of course I already knew this but I made a point of finding the guard to thank him as I changed trains at Perth.
I arrived into Inverness at 2101 and decided to catch the bus from the rail station to the Travelodge where I had a room booked for the night. There are two Travelodges in Inverness and I was in the one near to the retail park. I find the quality of Travelodges can vary considerably but I found this one to be clean and in good repair.
Day 3, Wednesday. I got the bus back into Inverness from the Travelodge in plenty of time to get the 0900 departure for Kyle of Lochalsh. I hadn't got a seat reservation so I wanted to be one of the first to board the two car service and get a decent window seat. The train was very busy throughout and given the age profile of passengers I suspect most were taking advantage of Scotrails Club 55 promotion. I was slightly apprehensive when the guard came round checking tickets as my anytime day single was dated for the previous day. I had print outs from Scotrails website showing my journey as a valid itinerary and I was prepared for a robust conversation but I needn't have worried as the guard simply looked, clipped my ticket and moved on. We arrived into Kyle five minutes behind schedule. This was the first time Id done the Kyle line and the scenery was spectacular.
I had a couple of hours to wait in Kyle before my bus to Armadale on the Isle of Skye so I used the time to have a look round and stock up on supplies for later on. I also wrote a couple of postcards to some friends who live near London who were amazed to receive them the next day. Its good to know that 1st class post can deliver next day over such a huge distance, and all for just 60p!
I made my way to the bus stop in Kyle in good time for the 1335 Stagecoach 51A service to Armadale. This was a coach with 3+2 seating and absolutely no leg room although as I was the only passenger finding a seat where I could spread out was not an issue! A handful of tourists joined the bus at Broadford but I was surprised that there weren't more of us although it does seem that the bus times in the area change regularly and are heavily influenced by the local school routes. It was disappointing to note that the 51A was not advertised at all on the Kyle bus stop.
The bus arrived at Armadale in time to catch the 1440 ferry to Mallaig. I decided to let that one go and catch the 1600 sailing instead as I had plenty of time to spare before my 1815 departure from Mallaig. The ferry crossing itself takes 30 minutes and as it was a nice day a number of passengers stood on the outside deck to take in the views.
Mallaig is a quaint little town and was quite busy with tourists, many of whom I suspect had just arrived on the Jacobite steam service from Fort William. I made it to Mallaig just in time to see the engine run round ready for its departure back to Fort William.
I was booked onto the 1815 departure to Fort William. This service was lightly loaded and I had no problem getting a decent window seat. Words cannot do justice to the scenery on this line but I am totally amazed that someone managed to build a railway line through such challenging terrain over 100 years ago!
The train arrived at Fort William at 1938 and a quick shuffle across the platform found me in the seated portion of the 1950 Caledonian Sleeper service. Whilst it is always nice to take a sleeper service all the way on this occasion I was only going as far as Edinburgh as I had booked a Travelodge there for the night. My original plan was to stay overnight in Glasgow but every hotel I tried was fully booked. I later found out that this was due to a Robbie Williams concert in Glasgow that evening.
The seated portion of the sleeper is very comfortable, basically its a declassified 1st class carriage with 2+1 seating, although Im not sure Id want to go all the way to London in seated accommodation. One advantage of making this journey in June is the fact that it doesn't get dark until almost 11pm, affording ample opportunity to take in the beautiful views as the train made its was towards Edinburgh.
Earlier in the day I had phoned the Haymarket Travelodge to let them know I wouldn't be arriving until 1am. Good job I did, as they were overbooked and would have put me down as a no show and given my room to someone else. I would definitely recommend phoning ahead to confirm any late arrival with Travelodge as their business model appears to rely on over booking. The Travelodge itself was satisfactory; its an old building that could have been maintained better. Certainly not the worst I have stayed in, but not the best either. I chose it based in price and its proximity to Haymarket station although after booking it I found out that the sleeper doesn't call at Haymarket so I ended up getting a taxi from Waverley.
Day 4, Thursday. A late start given that I didn't arrive at the Travelodge until 1am! I took a walk to Haymarket station and caught a train to Edinburgh Waverley in time to get the 1130 southbound Highland Chieftain service as far as York where a simple cross platform change onto the 1401 departure gave me an arrival back into Stevenage at 1557.
A most enjoyable few days!
Day 1, Monday. I intended to catch the 0807 from Stevenage to Kings Cross but ended up getting the delayed 0759 due to over running engineering works at Hitchin. This was a 12 carriage train full and standing. Arrived at Kings Cross just after 0830 and took a brief stroll across to Euston in time to catch the 0910 departure to Holyhead.
This was a doubled up super-voyager, and I took a seat in an almost empty coach C. The journey to Holyhead was uneventful, arriving bang on time at 1250. I would estimate that around 50-100 passengers made their way to the ferry check in at Holyhead. I was booked onto the 1350 Stena sailing and I was surprised at how few people were showing rail tickets when checking on for the ferry. I wonder how many people are aware that excellent value for money SailRail tickets exist, and Im sure that many paid far more for their journey than they needed to. I couldn't see any publicity at the ferry terminal for SailRail at all which is a great shame and makes me wonder how long it will be before the ferry companies and TOCs try to withdraw SailRail tickets due to lack of demand.
I found the ferry journey a most civilised way to cross the Irish Sea. On arrival at Dublin I took the bus from the port to Connolly railway station which cost EUR2.50. I had just over an hour to wait for my 1900 departure to Belfast Central so I wandered into the city centre and stocked up on some supplies for the journey.
This was the first time I had been on an Irish Rail train. I found the journey well loaded but comfortable, arriving into Belfast on time at 2115 where a 10 minute walk took me to the Premier Inn where I was staying for the night.
Day 2, Tuesday. I took the 1130 ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan. I discovered that I could get the number 96 bus from the city centre to the ferry terminal which was far cheaper than getting a taxi. Following another relaxing ferry crossing I boarded the SailRail connecting coach at Cairnryan which would take me to Ayr for onward connection by rail. There were 15 of us in total on the coach which was in Scotrail SailRail livery. I was hoping the coach would arrive early enough for me to get the 1524 from Ayr to Glasgow Central but rather annoyingly I missed it by less than 20 seconds. Had I made this unofficial connection then I could have connected into the Highland Chieftain at Perth and arrived into Inverness an hour earlier than planned. No harm done, I got the 1536 into Glasgow Central and a short walk got me to Queen Street in plenty of time to get the 1741 to Perth.
I often see questions on the forum enquiring about the cheapest ticket on the network. On the train into Glasgow I noticed a discarded undiscounted adult Anytime Day Single from Prestwick Atrain to Troon which cost £1.00. I've no idea if this is the cheapest adult ticket on the network but if it isn't it must be pretty close!
I witnessed some great service from the guard on the Glasgow-Perth train. When he checked my ticket (which was an anytime day single from Belfast to Kyle of Lochalsh) he looked a bit surprised and exclaimed you wont get there tonight. No problem Im stopping overnight in Inverness, I replied. A few minutes later the guard made a PA announcement for the passenger travelling to Kyle of Lochalsh confirming the departure and arrival times from Inverness the following morning. Of course I already knew this but I made a point of finding the guard to thank him as I changed trains at Perth.
I arrived into Inverness at 2101 and decided to catch the bus from the rail station to the Travelodge where I had a room booked for the night. There are two Travelodges in Inverness and I was in the one near to the retail park. I find the quality of Travelodges can vary considerably but I found this one to be clean and in good repair.
Day 3, Wednesday. I got the bus back into Inverness from the Travelodge in plenty of time to get the 0900 departure for Kyle of Lochalsh. I hadn't got a seat reservation so I wanted to be one of the first to board the two car service and get a decent window seat. The train was very busy throughout and given the age profile of passengers I suspect most were taking advantage of Scotrails Club 55 promotion. I was slightly apprehensive when the guard came round checking tickets as my anytime day single was dated for the previous day. I had print outs from Scotrails website showing my journey as a valid itinerary and I was prepared for a robust conversation but I needn't have worried as the guard simply looked, clipped my ticket and moved on. We arrived into Kyle five minutes behind schedule. This was the first time Id done the Kyle line and the scenery was spectacular.
I had a couple of hours to wait in Kyle before my bus to Armadale on the Isle of Skye so I used the time to have a look round and stock up on supplies for later on. I also wrote a couple of postcards to some friends who live near London who were amazed to receive them the next day. Its good to know that 1st class post can deliver next day over such a huge distance, and all for just 60p!
I made my way to the bus stop in Kyle in good time for the 1335 Stagecoach 51A service to Armadale. This was a coach with 3+2 seating and absolutely no leg room although as I was the only passenger finding a seat where I could spread out was not an issue! A handful of tourists joined the bus at Broadford but I was surprised that there weren't more of us although it does seem that the bus times in the area change regularly and are heavily influenced by the local school routes. It was disappointing to note that the 51A was not advertised at all on the Kyle bus stop.
The bus arrived at Armadale in time to catch the 1440 ferry to Mallaig. I decided to let that one go and catch the 1600 sailing instead as I had plenty of time to spare before my 1815 departure from Mallaig. The ferry crossing itself takes 30 minutes and as it was a nice day a number of passengers stood on the outside deck to take in the views.
Mallaig is a quaint little town and was quite busy with tourists, many of whom I suspect had just arrived on the Jacobite steam service from Fort William. I made it to Mallaig just in time to see the engine run round ready for its departure back to Fort William.
I was booked onto the 1815 departure to Fort William. This service was lightly loaded and I had no problem getting a decent window seat. Words cannot do justice to the scenery on this line but I am totally amazed that someone managed to build a railway line through such challenging terrain over 100 years ago!
The train arrived at Fort William at 1938 and a quick shuffle across the platform found me in the seated portion of the 1950 Caledonian Sleeper service. Whilst it is always nice to take a sleeper service all the way on this occasion I was only going as far as Edinburgh as I had booked a Travelodge there for the night. My original plan was to stay overnight in Glasgow but every hotel I tried was fully booked. I later found out that this was due to a Robbie Williams concert in Glasgow that evening.
The seated portion of the sleeper is very comfortable, basically its a declassified 1st class carriage with 2+1 seating, although Im not sure Id want to go all the way to London in seated accommodation. One advantage of making this journey in June is the fact that it doesn't get dark until almost 11pm, affording ample opportunity to take in the beautiful views as the train made its was towards Edinburgh.
Earlier in the day I had phoned the Haymarket Travelodge to let them know I wouldn't be arriving until 1am. Good job I did, as they were overbooked and would have put me down as a no show and given my room to someone else. I would definitely recommend phoning ahead to confirm any late arrival with Travelodge as their business model appears to rely on over booking. The Travelodge itself was satisfactory; its an old building that could have been maintained better. Certainly not the worst I have stayed in, but not the best either. I chose it based in price and its proximity to Haymarket station although after booking it I found out that the sleeper doesn't call at Haymarket so I ended up getting a taxi from Waverley.
Day 4, Thursday. A late start given that I didn't arrive at the Travelodge until 1am! I took a walk to Haymarket station and caught a train to Edinburgh Waverley in time to get the 1130 southbound Highland Chieftain service as far as York where a simple cross platform change onto the 1401 departure gave me an arrival back into Stevenage at 1557.
A most enjoyable few days!
