For anyone who's traveling to Glenfinnan next year, either on the "Harry Potter" or "Outlander" trail, here's an article from yesterday's P&J. I don't know whether the link will work - you may have to copy and paste.
So be extra careful on the A830, and try to avoid parking on the verges!
Mike (Auchterless)
p.s.: It's ironic that at the end of the article, there is an add on naming the five best reasons to visit Glenfinnan!
I drove past on my way to Fort William the week before Christmas and the car park was full. Unprecedented numbers of visitors now even in winter.
Yes it would be good if visitors avoided parking on the verges. It's dangerous for all concerned.
I visited a couple of years ago, when we wanted to see the visitor centre and the monument. It was very busy. I have less than zero interest in all things Harry Potter, yet the car park was full of people hoping to see a steam train pass over the viaduct, despite not having done any research on google, as if they had, they would have known there were no steam services that day. Few people bothered to visit the monument.
You are meant to pay to park there, yet less than 10% had done so. Judging by the length of queue for the toilets, people were happy to use these facilities for free. Parking on verges damages the ground and people should be towed away that park there.
Would I be correct that what we in Indiana USA call the "shoulder" of the roadway is what you refer to as the verges?
Hi, Jarrardd,
You're correct in assuming that the verge of the road is the shoulder; however, most Scottish roads in the Highlands and Islands aren't wide enough to have a paved shoulder, so in this case, the "verge" means up on the grass alongside the road. That's why people (especially locals) are upset about cars parking on the verge.
Hope that helps.
Mike (Auchterless)
I was there this summer - spent a few nights in Glenfinnan, which I can highly recommend -- but it was clear that most people were indeed driving through, hoping to stop for a little while to see the steam train (which, as it was summer, at least it was running!) and then going on. People were parked all over the place, obviously in not real spaces, and I was happy I was just strolling up from my hotel, but I did worry about anyone else getting out. Then as I went to the "easy" viewing space for the train (we had hiked up the big hill and around a couple of days before, which was majestic), it seemed I was surrounded by people who had been dropped off by a member of their party because they were STILL searching for parking -- now they were calling to say there was nowhere to leave the car so they wouldn't make the viewing "party" for the train's passage. It definitely is a mess.
My favorite way I saw the steam train (besides being on it!) was from a cruise out on the lake on Loch Shiel Cruises. they time a morning cruise so they pick you up and basically position the boat at the head of the loch to watch for the train coming "round the bend." It's a wonderful way to see it and helps you understand the topography of the line in that section.
Yes, I can imagine if one were trying to live or work there, this would be VERY worrying, as people simply aren't being considerate at all, and it's a small place, easily overwhelmed.
