Scotrail services: metro, trains, bus, coaches and ferries
For my round trip of Scotland in April 2019, I decided to buy the Highland Rover card: For me it was the card that made the more sense during this trip, as I was going to travel all around the country using all of their public transport types. If I was planning this correctly then this concept would be enough for each day.
In this article you’ll be able read how much I used the Scotrail services and how well it helped my journey.
Edinburgh to Fort William
The first day, Scotrail took me from Edinburgh to Glasgow with it’s metro, which was a quite easy ride.
Then, I hopped on the West Highland Railway Line for a beautiful journey to Oban. This train took me through the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, a really scenic train ride that I truly recommend in itself. Over the 3 hours I was transfixed by the scenery and the views from the train, to the point where I was completely unaware how time was passing.
After an amazing lunch, the bus 918 took me to Fort William where I spent the night in one of the great hostels run by Hostelling Scotland. This drive was super pleasant, along the Loch and the woods, but full of young students coming back home after school and full of energy and things to talk about!
From Fort William to Inverness
The next day I went to visit Mallaig with the idea of passing Viaduct from Harry Potter, also known as the Glenfinnan Viaduct. After that I took the exact same train on the return journey to Fort William. This ride is still part of the West Highland Railway Line and as beautiful as expected. The only regret is that I should have stopped when I saw the viaduct to be able to walk to it and admire it closer.
Once at Fort William, I took the bus 919 towards Inverness. It was quite an eventful drive, but those coaches are extremely comfortable and this one wasn’t full so I had the luxury of being able to stretch my legs and get a little sleep. Yet again, the bus took us through dark forests, large plains, lochs, I didn’t know where to look anymore, I even changed seat!
From Inverness to Ullapool
The bus 961 was completely full! But the drive was pleasant. To be honest, with all the activities and action of the trip, I gained the ability to sleep just about anywhere; the comfortable seats of the bus were certainly no exception.
Ferry rides between the main land, Orkney and Shetland islands.
Frankly, the ferry rides in between Orkney and Shetland as well as the one between Shetland and Aberdeen were some of the worst experiences of my life. Those very long crossings were meant for me to spend the night in between two places and gain some time in the whole journey. Unfortunately, the freezing temperatures and the very choppy sea made it almost impossible. Before embarking in the ferry, several people gave us the tips to sleep in the “movie room” where the temperature is bearable and the lights able to be turned off. I can honestly say that the nights were terrible no matter what.
Despite these last experiences, I must say that Scotrail services were on point. Each transport left and arrived on time, combined with my Highland Rover card, this made the whole trip so much easier.
