Trip to Kyle of Lochalsh

[Turbo004]

I have got one long line left in Great Britain to travel on. This is the line to Kyle. I'm planning on making it a short break. I live in the North West of England and am planning to take my 6 year old daughter with me.
The plan I have is day 1 travel to London for day out there. Catch sleeper to Inverness. Day 2 Get early train to Kyle. Rest of day unsure. Any ideas?? End of day catch evening train to somewhere en route to Inverness. Spend night in B and B near a station. Day 3 Catch early train to Inverness and spend day at Loch Ness possibly with boat trip on Loch Ness. Catch sleeper back to Crewe. What do people think? Any ideas?

 

[D6130]

If the weather is fine, on day 2 you could walk across the bridge to Kyleakin* and look for otters, which can frequently be seen in the water and on the rocks below. Kyleakin is a much nicer village than Kyle and has several options for lunch, as well as a small fishing harbour and a ruined castle. Depending on the bus timetable, it may be possible to do a return trip to Portree, the capital of the Isle of Skye....but it will be a lot of travelling for a six year-old. You could also return from Kyleakin by bus, but they're not too frequent. Since the Achnasheen hotel burned down about forty years ago, your best option for that night would probably be Plockton, a lovely village in an almost impossibly beautiful waterside situation with wonderful views. There are a couple of pubs and restaurants and a variety of hotel and B&B accommodation options. The disadvantage of staying there is that it's only a few miles from Kyle and therefore you would have an early start in the morning. Other overnight options would be Strathcarron or Garve (one hotel each)....or the much larger town of Dingwall, which has lots of accommodation, eating and shopping options.

* - A word to the wise (to avoid any misunderstandings with bus drivers and others), Kyleakin is pronounced 'Ky-lark-in' and not 'Ky-leek-in', as English people often say it.

 

[davetheguard]

I very much second D6130's comments about Plockton. Both village pubs, the Plockton Hotel & the Plockton Inn are in the 2022 Good Beer Guide. A couple of pictures of Plockton below to whet your appetite.

My other suggestion would be getting the bus from Kyle to Eilean Donan castle (on the "A" road a few miles east of Kyle) if the current bus timetable allows a suitable visit.

 

[SouthernR]

Local (wild life spotting) boat trips are available at Plocton and Kyle / Kyleakin.
Kyleakin has a curry house about 200m west of roundabout

 

[Turbo004]

Thank you for the responses. I visited Plockton as a child and have fond memories. Staying at Plockton sounds a good idea and my daughter would love going out on a boat looking for seals and dolphins. I'm beginning to think a longer stay may be more suitable with all the ideas! Also some things don't seem to open until April so it may be best to wait until then.

 

[SouthernR]

Also, on the train, look out for otters on Loch Carron shore, and for deer. Best to sit on the right when travelling west.
There was (and still is?) a small museum at Kyle station. A volunteer on the train would sell guides to the line. (This was probably dependent on season and time of day.)

 

[Hadders]

Have you considered the Skye Circular?

Get the bus from Kyle to Armadale, then ferry to Mallaig. Train from Mallaig to Fort William then sleeper south. You can stay overnight in any of Kyle, Armadale or Mallaig.

 

[Turbo004]

Thanks for the ideas. I've got down to two alternative plans. Thanks for the tip of sitting on right towards Kyle.