Walking from the West Highland Railway

Feature
Rois Bheinn in the background
as the train steams out from
the Beasdale bank tunnel
Walking
from
the West
Highland
Railway
Photo: Norman McNab
Part 2
www.mcofs.org.uk
Scottish Mountaineer
7
Feature
The Iron Road to the Isles
The classic view from Glenfinnan
Tim Woods continues his car-free journeys allowing the
railway to take the strain of getting out to the stunning
sea and mountainscapes of The Road to the Isles…
All photos by the author unless credited
T
Enjoying breakfast
he most northerly section of
Scotland’s West Highland Railway
runs from Fort William to Mallaig.
Leaving behind the UK’s highest
mountain, the train weaves its way
through this beautiful corner of Britain,
arriving at Mallaig and the boats to Skye
and the Small Isles of Canna, Eigg, Rum
and Muck.
Day trippers love this journey, enjoying
the exhilarating mix of mountain, lochs
and sea through the window on the
way to lunch in Mallaig. Walkers with a
few days to spare can explore the region
more intimately, with fantastic walks from
the stations along the way. As ever in
Scotland, there’s plenty to choose from.
Glenfinnan
I can be quite picky when it comes to
accommodation. I expect a tranquil rural
setting, a roaring log fire, hot drinks on
tap and the chance for a bit of wildlife
watching. And I don’t want to pay a
penny for it. Corryhully Bothy is perfect for
demanding cheapskates like me.
Grizzly-Adams types may consider it a
bit of a soft option – it even has an electric
kettle – but no one can deny it’s in a great
spot. The old gamekeeper’s cottage sits on
the banks of the River Finnan, overlooked
by the Glenfinnan hills on all sides with the
shooting lodge perched on the hill behind.
It’s only an hour’s walk from Glenfinnan
Station, and you don’t even need to leave
the fireside to spot wildlife – a mouse
8
Scottish Mountaineer
scurries about beneath the bunks.
Corryhully is also the perfect place to
make an early start on the Glenfinnan
Horseshoe. This fine walk heads over
Sgurr nan Coireachan and Sgurr Thuilm,
the two Munros that sit at either end of
the corrie wall of Coire Thollaidh.
Along the ridge between the two,
my eyes were drawn north. Here lies
Knoydart, a wilderness of near-mythical
appeal to all walkers whose hearts belong
in Scotland. Looking east from the ridge,
the sharp slopes of Streap cascaded
down into the Gleann a’ Chaorainn. But
even amid all this stiff competition, the
Glenfinnan Munros do not look out of
place and offer a solid day out.
Back at the bothy, I perused the visitor’s
book while waiting for the kettle to boil.
Several passers-by stop at Corryhully on
their way in to Knoydart, and on the way
out it seems. The collection of grumbles
and moans – often decorated with some
highly creative swearing – suggest many
don’t make it far before being forced to
retrace their steps, usually thwarted by
an impassable river thumping past and
blocking their way. I hope they at least
enjoyed the comforts of a kettle-boiled
cuppa on the way back.
Having misjudged my supplies, Sgurr
Thuilm being a three-flapjack trip rather
than the one I had expected, I took the
last train of the day from Glenfinnan to
Arisaig to restock (supermarkets are a bit
sparse round here).
www.mcofs.org.uk
Feature
Glenfinnan Viaduct (made famous
in the Harry Potter films)
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
Sgurr nan Coireachan (956m) and
Sgurr Thuilm (963m)
Leave Corryhully and follow the path
heading northeast along the burn.
After 20 minutes, a wooden sign points
the way to Sgurr nan Coireachan. It’s a
steady ascent along the inner curve of
the corrie to the spur of Sgurr a’ Choire
Riabhaic, and a final push to the first
Munro. From Sgurr nan Coireachan,
disused fence posts line the ridge all
the way to Sgurr Thuilm. Drop down
the grassy shoulder of Druim Coire a’
Bheithe back to the bothy.
On the path to the Glenfinnan
hills from Corryhully Bothy
Corryhully Bothy
Maps
OS Explorer 398 – Loch Morar and
Mallaig
Sleeping
There is a bunkhouse at Glenfinnan
Station; bookings via the Glenfinnan
Dining Car (see below).
Eating and drinking
The Glenfinnan Dining Car, just by
the station, is a great place to fuel up
before or after your walk. It opens from
9.00-16.30 in the summer months;
check for opening hours at other times
(0139 772230; glenfinnandiningcar@
hotmail.com). The Glenfinnan House
Hotel, on the shore of Loch Sheil, does
good food and beer, and there’s also a
café at the National Trust visitor centre
in Glenfinnan village.
Been there, done that…
Streap (909m), across Gleann a’
Chaorainn from the Glenfinnan
Horseshoe, can also be reached from
Corryhully.
Coire Thollaidh from
Drum Coire a’ Bheithe
www.mcofs.org.uk
Scottish Mountaineer
9
Feature
Port nam Murrach
As you head west towards the coast, the
hills taper down towards sea level. Nothing
to tempt walkers? Think again; the scenery
around Arisaig is some of the finest in
Britain, and the hills play their part in this.
A board outside Arisaig’s tiny visitor centre
suggests several local walks around the
region – including long routes out towards
Loch Morar – but I opted for a coastal
walk and set off for the small beach at Port
nam Murrach.
The beach sits in the southeast corner of
the low-lying Rhue peninsula, an area of
pathless heather-coated moors between
Loch nan Ceall and the Sound of Arisaig.
Following the empty coastal road for
the first couple of kilometres – eyes peeled
for otters among the seaweed-clad rocks
– I turned off at Ruemach Hill, the highest
point at 104m, and headed through the
heather to the beach below.
Port nam Murrach beach is a beautiful
place. Turquoise waters lap at two halfmoons of white sand, a captivating scene
that would hold its own in the Caribbean
(although the highland cattle might look a
bit odd).
The rocks around the bay provided
excellent vantage points to sit and gaze at
Rum and Eigg out to sea, and southeast,
the Rois-Bheinn hills glistened in the
sunshine across the Sound of Arisiag.
Mountains often look at their finest
from a lower altitude – my brother claims
they all look best from the height of a
beer-garden table – and they provided
the perfect backdrop as I explored the
secluded bays and coves on the way back
to Arisaig.
Loch Doire a’ Ghearrain, Ardnish
The stunning secluded beach
of Port nam Murrach
Photo: Norman NcNab
West Coast Railway’s train (the Jacobite)
heads towards Morar Station with cloud
enveloping the South Morar hills
10
Scottish Mountaineer
www.mcofs.org.uk
Feature
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
Arisaig to Port nam Murrach
From Arisaig, follow the coastal road
that starts behind the visitor centre.
Turn off at Ruemach Hill and continue
south to the beach. Return crosscountry along the southern coast, or
via Rhue Cottage and the road.
Maps
OS Explorer 398 – Loch Morar and
Mallaig
Sleeping
There are lots of good campsites on
the coast just north of Arisaig, and
hotels and B & B’s in the town itself – a
full list at www.road-to-the-isles.org.
uk/arisaig.html.
Eating and drinking
Arisaig has a supermarket, and a pub
(in the hotel) and some cheerful cafes
along the seafront.
Been there, done that…
Head for Carn a’ Mhadaidh-ruaidh
(503m) in the Morar Hills, returning to
Beasdale Station.
The Isles of Eigg and Rum beyond
Ruemach Hill taken from Ardnich
www.mcofs.org.uk
Scottish Mountaineer
11
Feature
Ardnish
Local knowledge can be handy. As I
enjoyed a coffee in a café in Arisaig
before catching the train, a farmer
started telling me about the best nearby
walks. His huge size suggested he
wasn’t speaking from recent experience
– a giant of a man, in both height and
girth – but he assured me the walk to
Peanmeanach, on the Ardnish peninsula,
was a local highlight. Before I could press
him for more details, he was interrupted
by the chef, berating him for the quality
of the carrots he’d supplied that week. It
looked like it could turn nasty – the chef
had a cleaver in hand – so I scurried off
towards Lochailort.
My plan had been the Rois-Bheinn
hills, but as I stepped off the train, their
tops were submerged in thick low cloud,
with the forecast rain thumping down in
12
Scottish Mountaineer
earnest. I decided to heed the farmer’s
advice and set off along the track over
Beinn a’ Chamais Dhrisich for Polnish, on
the edge of Ardnish. There are actually
two places marked ‘Polnish’ on the OS
map, either side of Loch Dubh; either
one very dispersed hamlet, or the locals
of old were running a bit thin of names
by the time they reached this outpost of
Scotland.
How best to describe Ardnish? Wet.
Damp. Boggy. Swamp-like. Saturated.
Very wet. Yet another ferocious
downpour took up the cause as I crossed
the mire south of Lochan a’Ghobhainn.
My plan to pass the morning practising
micro-navigation skills across the
southern side of Ardnish was quickly
dropped – I took a bearing, retightened
my hood and started stomping. Three
deer watched me from an outcrop a few
metres above and, while the tendency to
anthropomorphise animals shouldn’t be
encouraged, I promise their expressions
said ‘what is he doing out here?’
Finally I reached Peanmeanach, a
deserted fishing and crofting village.
A line of ruined buildings lie just back
from the beach, and nearby is another
deserted settlement, Glasnacardoch. The
reasons for the desertions are unclear.
One theory – that the residents were
victims of the highland clearances in
the 1800s – cannot fully explain their
complete desertion; they were inhabited
to some extent up until the 1940s.
Another theory lays the blame at the
railways – before the Fort William to
Mallaig line opened in the late 19th
century, boats around the coast were
the main mode of travel. But with
the railway, the communities became
www.mcofs.org.uk
Feature
Rum’s mountains tower above the idyllic
Saideal na Ceapaich anchorage, Arisaig
Peanmeanach Bothy
on Ardnish
Bothy Nights
Rois-Bheinn hills from Ru Arisaig
www.mcofs.org.uk
Scottish Mountaineer
13
Feature
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
The Jacobite steams away
from Fort William with Ben
Nevis in the mist behind
The Ardnish peninsula
From Polnish (east of Loch Dubh), drop
down to the shore of Loch Ailort from
the small car park by the main road. Pass
a couple of cottages and then climb the
banks of the first burn you reach. From
here, it’s time to practice your navigation
skills by aiming for Lochan a’ Bhealaich,
Lochan a’ Ghobhainn and Loch Doire
a’ Gherrain – you won’t see them until
you reach them. Just beyond a patch of
woodland on the southern side of Loch
Doire a’ Gherrain, look for the gap in the
hills; beyond this, the land flattens out
towards Peanmeanach. To return, follow
the clear track on the northern side of
Ardnish via Cruach an Fhearainn Duibh.
Maps
OS Explorer 398 – Loch Morar and
Mallaig
Sleeping
Wild camping around Lochailort; very
reasonable rooms at the Lochailort Inn
www.lochailortinn.co.uk
Eating and drinking
Your best (and only) option is to eat at
the Lochailort Inn; luckily the food is
great and so is the beer.
Been there, done that…
If the weather’s good, the Rois-Bheinn
hills are a fine day out (OS Explorer 390
– Ardnamurchan).
Further Information
Travelling by train
Trains between Fort William and
Mallaig stop at Glenfinnan, Lochailort
and Arisaig. Some stations are request
stops; it’s worth telling the conductor
where you want to get off. For times,
visit www.nationalrail.co.uk or ring
‘Traveline’ on 0870 608 2608. To travel
in style, take the steam train which runs
once a day from Fort William.
isolated as boat transport declined, and
eventually everyone left.
In the centre of the ruins stands the
one intact building, a cottage managed
by the Mountain Bothies Association
that now serves as a popular overnight
stay. Arriving at lunchtime meant I
missed most of the overnight crowd, and
numbers can swell here.
It’s popular with first-timers – the log
book is filled with people who’ve spend
their first bothy night here – and they all
picked a good one. Another wonderful
setting, just twenty metres from the
beach, and while there’s no kettle,
there is free food – an overnight visitor,
heading out as I arrived, told me he had
feasted the night before on fresh mussels
picked from the beds exposed at low
tide. The piles of shells behind the bothy
suggested he wasn’t the first to do this.
Either that or the otters that live in the
bay are very tidy.
The sun was finally out as I headed
along the more commonly used path
to Polnish along the northern side of
Ardnish, but not in sufficient strength to
dry out my saturated boots. At Lochailort
Station I joined the day-trippers on the
train returning from fish and chips in
Mallaig, attracting some disgusted looks
as the aroma of wet boots and threeday-old socks started to fill the carriage.
More kindly passengers gave me more
sympathetic looks, but still mirroring the
bewilderment of the deer from earlier. I
smiled smugly back; I’m sure Mallaig has
its attractions, but I knew which of us
had had the better few days in the far
Western Highlands.
ScotRail Offer
The MCofS is teaming up with ScotRail to offer
our members a great new deal in the cold
winter months of January, February and March.
Car Free Walks
Tim Woods runs Car
Free Walks (www.
carfreewalks.org), a
website of walks in
England, Scotland and
Wales that can be reached using public
transport. You can also add your own
car-free routes to the database.
Special offer from ScotRail for MCofS members
Scotland’s bothies
For more information about staying
in bothies, visit:
www.mountainbothies.org.uk
Check out the MCofS website from December onwards
for details of this special offer. Then start planning a winter
trip to the hills using the train.
14
Scottish Mountaineer
Winter Warmers
www.mcofs.org.uk