The Inverness To Kyle Of Lochalsh Railway, Inverness

This is a journey through varied and beautiful scenery on a line that was difficult to create. There is even a local group who are fighting to preserve the line, which for some time has been under threat of closure.

For most people the trip will start from Inverness station and if your time is limited you will have to plan carefully to ensure that there is a return journey available within a reasonable timescale.

Within a couple of minutes of leaving Inverness the train crosses over the river Ness which flows throught the centre of the city. The line follows the south side of the Beauly Firth, offering good views over the water to the Black Isle, where the rare Red Kite birds can be found.

Soon the train stops at the market town of Dingwall. This is where the Kyle line -as it's known - branches off Westwards and slowly climbs up a valley, giving views down to the spa town of Strathpeffer. As the journey continues westwards the scenery opens out, giving views over open moorland with the Liathach & Torridon mountains in the distance. Those mountains are the home or rare wildlife such as the Ptarmigan and wildcats.

It's not at all unusual to see deer close to the line at all times of the year and various birds of prey circling above.

As the line approaches the west coast it drops down to sea level again at Strathcarron. The line closely follows the southeast side of Loch Carron, sometimes seeming to cling to the side of the hillsides and at one point it passes through a protective tunnel shielding it (and the road nearby) from falling rockslides. This is a particularly scenic part of the route with good views over the loch, which is a very popular area for mooring of yachts & other pleasure craft.

Soon the train passes by a request stop at Duncraig, no more than a tiny platform serving a former school and more recently the private residence of an extended family who moved here from England and were the subject of a TV documentary. A couple of miles further on is Plockton - which also has a TV connection. It was the location of the TV series "Hamish Macbeth" which followed the fictional escapades of the local "bobby". The village is a very popular stop for tourists as it is very picturesque.

From here to the terminus at Kyle of Lochalsh the line snakes round headlands and bays. As you near the end of the journey it gives a good view of the famous Skye Bridge which for a time was the most expensive bridge crossing in Europe at more than £5 for a car. More recently the toll was a abolished, much to the delight of the locals.

The town of Kyle of Lochalsh is well worth a look round before taking the return journey. The best views from the train are from the right side westbound and on the left side heading back to Inverness.