Hi All,
I am putting final touches on our itinerary in mid-May, and there ARE still tickets available on the Jacobite train on the day I need them. What I cannot figure out from their timetables is IF it is possible to START the round trip from Mallaig (ferry from Skye) TO Ft. William and then be able to return to Mallaig to pick up the rental car for next leg of journey. Any info is welcome!
TIA,
Love2travl
I would not think so. However, regular trains run on this same line. So could you take the Jacobite Mallaig to,Fort William and then the regular train back? I have not looked at timetables and they would be booked separately. Ok, I looked at a random date in early March and I see a 4:19 pm and a 10:12 pm leaving Fort William.
Alternatively could you rent the car in Fort William instead?
No you can not book Jacobite tickets for journeys originating in Mallaig, and it is impossible to do a round steam train trip from Mallaig.
Furthermore the company are selling tickets for trains which they are currently legally prohibited from operating.
They may get the ban lifted, but all you are doing at the moment is giving them an interest free loan and setting yourself up for disappointment.
Use the normal diesel train at either just after 10am, or late afternoon.
Or Shiel Buses to FW on the parallel road and the late afternoon diesel train back.
TexasTravelmom - You can't book a one way trip on the Jacobite - it has to be a return.
Good to know - thanks!
Thank you for clarifying, everyone; I didn’t see a way to make it happen, so now I know why! I was also unaware of the “ban”, so that is certainly good to know as well. I think we will go for the lookout option instead. Love this forum - and hey Gwynn!
I don't know anything about a ban but when I tried to book last week there were plenty of dates in October but yesterday and today there was no option to get dates or buy tickets. So I guess the time for interest-free loans to the company has passed.
Yes, I'm afraid that they have been on the "naughty step" for some time. I reported on their situation when they got into trouble.
Hey, there! I missed who I was replying to! Good to know you are headed to such a wonderful destination!
The experts may need to correct my info again; but if you want the scenery, looking at ScotRail and checking mid-Feb, it looks like you could do a return trip on the regular train and have several hours in Fort William to eat/walk down to the water/ quick stroll down the Main Street. Obviously if you want the Jacobite, you are out of luck.
I will be in your neighborhood for a concert mid-February. :)
It would be useful in all this to know what time you arrive into Mallaig from Skye, and what time you have to pick the car up. I would have thought anywhere in Mallaig doing car rental would be keeping strictly business hours (are you using Morar Motors?). So even the train that gets back to Mallaig at 5.45pm might be too late.
I always encourage anyone with an hour or two to spare in Fort William to have a look in the West Highland Museum, which happens to be free entry.
My gut instinct is to pick up the car when you land at Mallaig, drive to Fort William with stops at the Silver Sands of Morar and at Glenfinnan. Then do the afternoon diesel train return (gives you 30 minutes in Mallaig, back to FW at 1937 and see the Deerstalker Express sleeper to Euston out 13 minutes later) then drive off to wherever your night's stay is
Just to clarify my plans in light of feedback & recommendations - we are picking up the car in Glasgow and driving to stay on Skye for several nights; given the feedback, I think we will shoot for simply driving to the overlook of the Jacobite, & not try to ride it- sometimes things just become tooo complex, and I have learned to let that go- smile.
Thanks again everyone- hope to have an awesome trip report after trip in May.
Love2travl
If you really want to ride the Jacobite (and it actually runs) you can take a one-way conventional train from Mallaig then pay for a round trip on the Jacobite and only use the Ft. William to Mallaig leg. The conventional train and the Jacobite pass each other enroute, so maybe that's the best way to see it. If it's not running, it will likely be on the platform in Fort William where you can at least admire it.
We were traveling as a group of four, and two took the Jacobite and two took the rental car, stopping at Glenfinnan to see the train and wave at our companions. We all thought we each got the best experience.
If it's not running, it will likely be on the platform in Fort William where you can at least admire it.
That is a very strange, and unlikely speculation.
The locomotives and train cars are based at West Coast Railways depot at Carnforth in North West England (where they are now).
They are transferred to and from Fort William before and after each season.
If the ban on operation holds it is, in my view, very unlikely indeed that the train will be brought up from Carnforth, train crew paid to be based at Fort William, the money paid to have one locomotive in steam each day, and the track access charges paid to Network Rail to use the platform as a static exhibition, when there is little or no revenue to be obtained from such an expensive exercise.
It is actually unclear if the train cars can even be moved empty on the National Rail Network under the ban (from Carnforth to Fort William), given the uncertainty over the safety of the car doors- the reason for the ban.
