Scotrail train to Mallaig

It's a long day but possible with about 2 1/2 hours at Mallaig. Rather than changing stations across Glasgow you could take a Motherwell to Dalmuir train and change into the West Highland train there.
You leave motherwell at about 0730 and get back at about 1030pm.
I'm not sure you would save any time by driving to Fort William. If you did that you would miss the crossing of Rannoch Moor, one of the really great parts of the West Highland line.
Stirling you would have to come into Glasgow first.

I see you've gotten expert advice.

As an alternative to Maillig, have you considered a day tour from Glasgow? Take a look at Rabbie's Tours. They do small 16 passenger mini coach tours. Oban, Glencoe, Highland Lochs and Castles tour takes you through some spectacular scenery. They depart from the Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow.

When is your trip? The Fort William - Mallaig Jacobite train appears to be booked for this summer.

Leonard, we are talking about the Scotrail service train here, which runs all year over exactly the same tracks as the hugely over priced Jacobite steam train beyond Fort William. It cannot sell out.

isn31c, thank you for correcting my mis-perseption.

Thank you for your replies. We looked at the Rabbie’s tour which has very good reviews. However, it does not do the Fort William to Mallaig leg. What would we be missing by not doing this. I understand this, like Glencoe, is a must see trip. It does go to Oban which looks interesting and different. We will have been in Scotland for a while by this time so might be all castled out.
Advice/suggestions appreciated.

I hope you get some other opinions besides mine.

The road from Ft. William to Maillig basically follows the rail line. It takes you past the Glenfinnan Monument, worthy of a stop IF parking is available. If the lots are full, which happens frequently, you'll be waved on. The drive between Ft. William to Maillig was lovely, but I didn't find it a "must see".

Oban is the seafood capital of Scotland, making it a great lunch stop.

Without knowing where else you will be driving in Scotland, it is difficult to say how it will compare. But. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the drive on the Rabbie's itinerary. There will not be a lack of stunning scenery to enjoy.

The above comment totally exemplifies the problem of people who don't use public transport, or who think Rabbies are the only other way to see the country.
They really aren't, they take you to their own very edited highlights. By car you have parking issues and miss the places only the trains can get to.

If you get off the train at Glenfinnan you dont have a parking problem!!

Glenfinnan is as important in the Jacobite story as is Culloden.

After seeing the monument and visitor centre you could then take the #500 bus to Mallaig. The rail line from Fort William was built not for Harry Potter or indeed really for passengers, but for the then immense fish trade at Mallaig, and you could learn about that in Mallaig.
There were !multiple very heavy fish trains to all over the UK daily over the line.
It still is an important fishing port, just less so than in the past, and the fish now travels by road.
Or you could get back off the bus at Morar if it was a nice day, and visit the glorious silver sand beaches there. Then reboard the train at Morar, as opposed to Mallaig.
I think it is well worth the extension on.
If you wanted to extend to Oban, get off the return train at Fort William and take the bus to Oban. Trains run several times a day from Oban to Glasgow.
If you wanted you can also get off the return train at Fort William and take the evening City link or Ember Bus back to Glasgow through Glencoe.

The road from Ft. William to Maillig basically follows the rail line

I don't feel this is true. I have stayed in Glenfinnan three times and taken the Scotrail train out to Mallaig or Arisaig and back three times and gone on the bus once. The road route misses the beautiful white church and the other loch. The scenery is rather nicer from the train.

I also agree with Stuart that you don't want to miss the majesty of Rannoch Moor, which you will only see from the train.

And if part of your thinking is to give your husband a break from driving, there is no sense driving to Ft William to catch the train there. I have done that route twice by car and once by train, and to be honest I find the driving along part of the A82 stressful - and I don't usually get bothered about driving overseas nor.in Scotland specifically (except for Edinburgh. There, I will be unequivocal: do not drive in Edinburgh.)

The road from Fort William to Mallaig shadow each other, but don't follow each other so have different and often significantly different views from them.

In terms of doing the journey from Motherwell and back in a day, the train or a coach/train combo would be my advice. The West Highland line is considered one of the best in Europe, German Television channel ARD filmed the driver's view of the entire route from Queen Street for 'slow television'. It is 4 1/2 hours!

Though from Motherwell you'd get the train to Dalmuir and change, giving a nice view of the Glasgow commuter lines. Once out of Glasgow's commuter territory it is well worth it. But reservations are vital on this route in summer, especially from experience if you are connecting at Dalmuir, and ensuring you know which bit of the train you are on at the split at Crianlairach is also vital as some carriages go to Oban, some to Fort William and Mallaig.

I'm sorry I've offended the posters here by offering the OP an alternative to seeing lovely scenery without driving and without spending 15 plus hours in transit. I'll certainly try not to make that mistake again.

Judy, I'm sure you'll have a lovely time in Scotland whatever you do. Enjoy your trip!

just remember the Sunday train service on this line is basically unusable for day trips!

And the rest of the week the late afternoon train from Mallaig to Glasgow Queen Street does not call at Dalmuir for the convenient connection straight to Motherwell so you would have to make the short walk to Glasgow Central.

The walk up fare is not cheap (£95 round trip), you can buy tickets Motherwell -Dumbarton Central and Dumbarton Central -Mallaig as DAY RETURNS and save nearly £30 each person. Ask at the ticket desk at Motherwell Station.