Skye to Inverness: Saturday train service from Kyle?

I don't know what date you are looking at, but exactly the same service runs from the Kyle to Inverness as on a Monday to Friday.
If you tell us the date this can be investigated.
It may be that there is booked engineering work and that details of replacement coach services have not been posted yet.

The ticket office is closed on a Sunday, but the station platform is open.

Our date of travel is Saturday, 3 June. I checked every Saturday prior to then and got the same message-"This Journey is not Available".

I have been looking and the last Saturday on sale is 20 May. That Saturday has an enigmatic note about engineering works not yet confirmed.
The summer timetable change is on Sunday 21 May, and there seem to be no trains yet uploaded into the system after 21 May on either line north of Inverness.
So it looks as if it is just awaiting timetable issue and confirmation of potential engineering work, although nothing about engineering is yet posted on National Rail.
If that happens two coaches run- a fast to Inverness and an all stations. Both follow the railway line so it is a totally different route from Citylink. In my personal experience the fast bus is normally faster than the train would be.
They will leave at the same time as the trains would have.
I would hang fire until timetables are confirmed, as Citylink won't sell out until very close to the date, if then.
This is the normal booked timetable-
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/20230123/hJvrfzmLUTtkem-w_sDkgOAlcfv6HbxokNWS3zVYwzc/sr376_north_highlands_6feb-v2.pdf

I have put this thread on to tracking mode for you, and will update in due course.

Thank you for this excellent information.We will hold off before making a move. A bus ride is not a problem, but since there is a bit of time before we have to take action, the best move is to cool our jets for now.

Chuck,

As noted above I have had this on tracking- the train (and it is a train throughout) is now open for booking- an open single is now available at £27. The advance fares, which are £15.20, are not open anywhere on the Scotrail network, beyond the 21 May timetable change. But its not a huge saving in the big scheme of things, so if you want to book the train now then you can.
If something goes wrong on Skye and you miss the 1208 then you can catch the 1346 or any later train that day, whereas an advance would tie you to one train.

Yes, I see that Anytime tickets are now available. However, the Citylink bus site shows service from Broadford to Inverness for £1 single senior rate and travel time of 2 hours 29 minutes, which is a bit faster and far cheaper than the train. Can this price be correct? I will talk to my travel buddies about this, but see no reason to not use the bus service. We're likely to see different scenery and people on the bus. Thanks for your help on this. You cleared up my misconceptions.

In a word, that fare is not correct.

It is only available to holders of Scottish National Entitlement Cards- anyone living full time in Scotland who is over 60.

English people don't even qualify to be NEC holders, just as Scottish people do not qualify for the English seniors scheme- which starts at age 65, rising to age 67.

You can't buy it as you are required to enter your NEC card number in at point of sale. If you by chance put a fake one in, in the right format, you will be refused travel or required to buy a new full fare ticket.

Well, that is certainly good to know. That makes the train and the bus basically the same price for our journey.

The Senior Railcard can be purchased and used by non-UK residents over age 60, correct?

Correct, as a digital product, if you wish before travel, or as a physical product here in the UK

Thanks for all your help. This is what makes this forum so valuable to travelers.

Chuck, I’ve never done this route so you can certainly take this with a grain of salt, but they say that the train ride from Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness is one of the most scenic in Europe. I have no idea how closely the bus ride mirrors the train ride, but if it’s anything like the line from Fort William to Mallaig, there are indeed places where the rail and the road diverge quite enough so that it matters for scenery.

If I didn't find significant schedule/time or price differences, I feel pretty sure I would take the train. But again as I said, I’ve not done this particular leg via either mode of transport.

Thanks Kim,

That is my point. That Citylink and the train route are totally different. The coach dips a long way south and comes in to Inverness from the south coming on the main roads along Loch Ness.
The train line is a much wilder and remote landscape, very scenic.
The train follows a hugely more northerly route arriving in to Inverness from the north. The "parallel" road to the railway has no regular scheduled bus service for most of it's length, and in fact at the Kyle End is at times well away from the railway. East of Achnasheen towards Inverness that road is part of the NC500.
Although the road is now rebuilt, at Stromeferry, the road has a history of rockfalls and there was a stage, some years ago, when the road had to be diverted along the railway line (not when trains were due obviously) in a very unusual arrangement. The only bus services along that road are when railway reliefs have to be run.

Given all said here, I am going with the train. I may not have this chance again to see these sights, so it makes sense to go with the train route.

Thanks for the confirmation (and the wonderfully vivid description) isn31c. Chuck I think taking the train if you at all have the opportunity is the way to go !