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Glasgow to Mallaig train

Thanks in advance for the ever-helpful advice shared on this forum. We are planning a trip in Sept-Oct beginning in Wales ( full ten days with a 6 day tour) then continuing onward to Scotland.
In Scotland:
We have two days in Wigtown during the book festival and to track down ancestors,
Then onto Glasgow for two days,
Then a three day tour with Rabbies to Mull and Iona.
On the return, we will go to Islay for five days before returning to Glasgow.

Except for renting a car on Islay, we're doing this by tour, train, and bus. I've included this detail to give a sense of where we'll be since I think it might help with advice. At the point we return to Glasgow we will have been on the road for three and a half weeks. We know we want to spend more time in Glasgow and Edinburgh but we also think we should take in the train from Glasgow out to Mallaig. We know we can do this in one day if we really need to but I think we're both feeling that two days would be better. So, now, finally, for my question: has anyone done this trip in one day, is there a reason to do it in two, and if we do it in two, does anyone have a recommendation for where to spend the night? And, except for sitting on the train and taking in the views, are there sights we should not miss (Fort William?) off the train?

Thanks again.

Posted by
1305 posts

You will have seen plenty of spectacular scenery in the other parts of your trip. There are no must see sights in Fort William or Mallaig, especially as you won't have a car. The former is a working town and base for hiking in the Nevis mountain range. The latter is a working fishing port. The train journey from Glasgow passes through great scenery but nothing any more spectacular than you will already have encountered elsewhere. If you have never been to Edinburgh I would plan on the spending the extra 1 or 2 days there.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Posted by
1694 posts

Glasgow to Mallaig is five and a half hours each way on the train. It is one of the country's more spectacular lines, but 11 hours on a train just to go to Mallaig is not my idea of fun.

If a day trip on the train to the Highlands is one you want, Oban is a lot shorter at three hours each way.

Posted by
37 posts

My Mom & I did the trip in one day and I'd do it again that way. I didn't feel the scenery was the same as the train trip to Oban, but maybe it's just because I had more time to enjoy it. And our schedule was already pretty booked up and we didn't want to trade a day or two from anywhere else (I loved Mull & Iona by the way!). I'm sure you would have a lovely time spending the night in Mallaig, but for us, it wasn't a must-do compared to other things. But I still think the train trip is worth it.

Posted by
5678 posts

I am with MC on this. It's like people think that only these tiny little bits of Scotland are beautiful. There is so much beauty to be seen in Scotland. You don't need to spend hours on a train because someone has marketed a particular route. My sister and I did that route back in the 70s. Sadly, it was a dreck and misty day and se saw nothing. But we saw stunning views when we took the train from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh. Since then I've seen stunning views in Loch Lyon in Perthshire. I've been amazed by the beauty of the borders on the Tweed River. I've seen the beauty of Dunkeld and the Tay River. I can remember the quiet beauty of a drive on the backroads from Kingussie to Aviemore. I know that we can get wrapped up in making sure that we see the best, but we all only have so much time and are restricted by budgets as well as time. You can find the beauty of Scotland all over the place. You can make it your own.

Posted by
2320 posts

The Inverness to Kyle line is wonderful - as is the Inverness to Thurso line which has very different scenery.

Posted by
33 posts

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I think since we are doing the three day tour to Oban and Mull and Iona, we will spend the time we have in Glasgow and Edinburgh. There are amazing sights in those cities and we'll have a trip with a good balance of the away-from-it-all and urban energy experiences.