Judy wanted to do the train trip up the west coast of Scotland to Mallaig as she had been told it was spectacular. The old steam train The Jacobite which runs from Fort William to Malliag does not commence until May. This section has been described by some as the greatest railway journey in the world. The approx. 50 mile trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes. Starting near the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis, it visits Britain’s most westerly mainland railway station, Arisaig; passes close by the deepest freshwater loch in Britain, Loch Morar and the shortest river in Britain, River Morar, finally arriving next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe, Loch Nevis! It includes the viaduct that features in many ads and utube postings.
We tried to find a way to fit in a regular train trip up there but we would have needed to stay overnight. That was too costly as many places were booked out (it still being school holidays did not help) so in the end we decided to compromise and do a day trip to Oban, which travels along the same track from Glasgow to Crianlarich. So we set at 9am and it was 7C according to the sign on the top of our hotel as we waited for the “6A bus” to the city. It dropped us at George Square and we had a short walk to the Queen Street Station for the 10.37am trip to Oban.
This was my first rail journey this trip in the UK so I paid 30 pound for a Seniors Railway Pass, which will get me a one third discount (as long as I don’t travel in peak times on major routes) for all my rail travel in UK. It saved me 10 pounds on that first day for my return trip to Oban, so I don’t think it will be long before it has paid for itself. I love travelling by train, you get to see the countryside, can get up and stretch your legs as and when you need to, can have a snooze if so inclined, usually get free ‘wifi’ these days so can check emails if you have the laptop out, and best of all you can ‘people watch’ which is a favourite pursuit of mine.
It was just a two carriage train – more like one of our Railmotors, but with the modern seats – some with tables – which we managed to get one of. Had a trolley selling food and drink that came around a couple of times but the very friendly chap said we would find him “either at the end of this carriage or the far end of the next one so if you want something come and see me.” It also had a ‘loo’ at the far end of the other carriage, naturally – they are always at the far end of the next carriage or right beside me and I still can’t decide which is the better situation. Most importantly for me it had big windows and they were clean so I could take photo’s as we went.
The two ladies in the next door compartment had the conductor tearing his hair. One looked about 60 and she had a dog on a lead with her, who sat quietly at her feet the entire way. The other one was a deal older – well in her 80’s I think – with a walking stick she did not seem to use so much to walk, as to wave and shake in the air when talking to people. I had noticed her on the platform before we boarded. Anyway, when the conductor asked to see their tickets the younger one pulled out a Seniors ticket (like I had just bought). He then asked to see her Seniors Railway Pass (like the one I had just paid 30 quid for) which entitles you to the seniors ticket. (It says on the Pass you have to carry it at all times and be prepared to produce it when asked or pay full fare.) She says “I don’t have one – she does and she bought the ticket” nodding in the direction of her companion. So then he says to the older one, “So you bought her ticket using your Senior Railway Pass is that right?” The lady says it is. So then he says “ But that pass is just for you to buy your ticket, not for you to buy tickets for others”. So then she says something to the effect that ”well, she is coming with me today ‘cause I can’t go on me own, and she can’t afford to come, and I am paying her way so as I am entitled to the ticket why can’t I buy one for her the same way.” This “debate” - with lots of stick waving - goes back and forth for several minutes with my listening interrupted by the trolley coming by and me getting a coffee. By the time I tune back in, he is getting very frustrated with her – and getting nowhere with his demand that she should pay the difference between the senior fare and the full fare for her friend - who it seems is not yet 65 so not entitled to it. THEN he asks to see her Seniors Railway Pass and after much searching through bags, purses and pockets (accompanied by much muttering and suggestions from her friend as to where she may have put it) she eventually produces one and shows it to him. He takes it from her, turns it over and sees that she has never signed it (another condition) but also – wait for it – it is 3 years out of date! The look on his face was classic! He is struggling hard to remain cool and polite but he is standing there shaking his head in amazement and says (it seemed through gritted teeth but I could be mistaken!) “You have never signed it, you need to sign it to validate it AND this is 3 years out of date. Where is the latest one? You should have renewed it. They write to you every year and tell you when you have to renew it, so you must have a more recent one and I need the latest one.” By this time he is getting quite loud and a bit flushed in the face. “Well I didn’t know that now did I” she says. “I don’t remember getting a letter so how should I know” He then says – shoving it under her nose - “Look it says here ‘current till’ and the date is 2014. So that should tell you for a start”. “Well” she says “How can I be expected to see that, I lost me glasses about then, and am still on the list to get new ones. I can’t be expected to know everything and in any case no-one at the counter ever looks closely when I buys me ticket so I don’t see why you have to get all snooty about it.” About then he throws his hands in the air and walks away. I noticed them in the next car when I went to the ‘loo’ on the return journey and have no idea what that conductor did or even what the original one ended up doing – if anything. Sometimes real life events are so much better than any script you could write. But to get back to the trip….
Within 20 minutes of leaving Glasgow Queen Street Station we were traveling alongside the Clyde River. It was low tide and the tide goes out a long way in some parts. There were a lot of boats resting on the mud and many of them had been there a long time as they were totally rusted/rotted out. Some of them were quite large and had possibly been fishing vessels or passenger ferries. Others were small, often rowboats.
For the record this train stopped at Dalmuir, Dumbarton Central, Helensburgh Upper, Garelochhead, Arrochar and Tarbet,, Ardlui, Crianlarich, Tyndrum Lower, Dalmally, Loch Awe, Falls of Crauchan, Taynuilt, Connell Ferry and Oban. The first 2 are more or less suburbs of Glasgow, although we did not stop at many other stations we went through.
The Station at Garelochhead was above the cutest little village around a loch. Tall trees prevented any useable photo’s. Later we went through areas of plantation forest where they had felled a lot and replanted lots as well. Was interesting to see the different stages of growth – and clearing. When first the trees are felled and the logs transported out there is a lot of mess left but they seem to just leave it there and plant around and between it. I guess it provides mulch and fertiliser for the new ones as it rots. In some places the pines were planted up to within 4 or 5 metres of the tracks. The day had started quite grey and heavy (or dreer as the locals called it except they say it “dreee” ) and cold (did I mention it was cold?) but by now the sun was breaking through especially on the tops of the mountains and they looked quite lovely.
In some places you can see the road, others you can see the hiking tracks. There are a few well-known (and used) ones in the area we went through. We also noted there were lots of Golf Courses – many private or exclusive but not all. These were mostly at the southern end of the journey rather than in the more hilly areas. But everywhere there is water. There are creeks and streams and rivers and the melting snow, and big and small lochs and dams and weirs and sea lochs and firths and I got totally confused as to what we were looking at or travelling beside most of the time. And also lots of hills and mountains and we seemed to spend much of the time in the glen between them, so had lovely mountain views either side. I noticed the sheep are marked as we saw in Ireland for when they go up into the hills so each farmer can easily identify his. I also noted that none seemed to have lambs yet because they have still had cold weather as opposed to when we were in Ireland. There were also lots of cages where they breed salmon in the larger areas of water.
Shortly after that we travelled along Loch Lomond on the other side of the train. At this stage the ‘interesting’ scenery changed from being 90% on one side of the train to being 90% on the other side. Loch Lomond is quite a long loch and we passed all sorts of activities being conducted on it, in different parts: loch cruises, canoeing, kayaks, swimming and hiking. Then we went further up into the Highlands and the scenery was stunning on both sides of the train so you were hard pressed to know which way to look. I was amazed at how many daffodils were growing wild in the middle of nowhere. We got used to seeing them in and around the villages but these did not seem to be near any buildings – just in the middle of a paddock or on the side of the hill. Judy was thrilled we went past Arrochar which is the seat of the Macfarlanes – her Mum’s family. We had quite good views of it down in the glen and alongside a small loch, as we went past. It is a very picturesque little place. The township of Tarbet is in the next glen and beside Loch Lomond, and the Station of “Arrochar and Tarbet” seems to be on the hill between the two.
North of Crianlarich we came into a very pretty area with lots of little streams coming down off the hills wending their way through pine forests. We seemed to be crossing a bridge or culvert every few metres for a couple of miles.
There are interesting ruins of a Castle on the end of Loch Awe and some wonderfully imposing homes – many right beside one or another of the lochs. We noted there was still snow on top of some of the mountains. Sometimes I was hopping from one side of the carriage to the other to try to get shots of the scenery between gaps in the trees. Other times I was saying “Wow” on one side of the carriage and Judy was saying “Oh look at that” from the other. We had been told it was a lovely rail journey and it certainly was that. Was not always possible to get good photo’s of much of it though but I did my best.
We arrived in Oban about 1.45pm. We checked the return train and it was 4.11pm. We figured we would be back by 4 at the latest to make sure we got a good seat.
The railway station is the most conveniently positioned of any I have ever seen I reckon. The train comes in beside the Ferry terminal and port facility, and 20m away from the start of the city centre, the taxi rank, and Tourist Information Centre. On the wharf are bars, restaurants and a few places where you can buy fresh seafood. (I was like a pig in the proverbial you know what.) I started snapping photo’s of the harbour and the boats – including a trawler alongside called the ‘Girl Alison’. I was taken by the high prows of the boats in comparison with those in Australia. I saw a ferry coming in from one of the islands and was fascinated to see her bow opening upwards even before she berthed, to allow the vehicles off. The local ferries are operated by Caledonian MacBrayne and some of their ferry times are included on the railway train times brochure we got at Queen Street Station in Glasgow. They appear to be co-ordinated with the train times so people can travel with little delay. One goes to Castlebay and Lochboisdale, another to Craignure, Lismore and Colonsay, and a third goes to Coll and Tiree. It is one of the biggest Ferry Hubs, especially for the Hebrides, and is often said to be the “Gateway to the Isles”.
Oban in Gaelic means The Little Bay. It is on the Firth of Lorn and the horseshoe shaped harbour is protected by the island of Kerrara and behind it the larger Island of Mull. During the war it played a key roll in the Battle of the Atlantic as one of the important ports. By the end of the war there was a signal station, an anti-submarine indicator loop station, and a controlled minefield in Kerrera Sound. A Sector Operations Room was built near the airfield which, after the war, become the Royal Observer Corps Group HQ. There were Flying Boat bases at Ganavan (the beach) and Kerrera and they built an airfield at nearby North Connel. During the Cold War it played an important role too – as the Transatlantic Telephone Cable came ashore at Gallanach Bay and it carried the “Hot Line’ between Washington and Moscow! The locals are very proud of the important and significant role they played in it all.
Judy browsed and bought postcards while I took photo’s and chatted to a couple of locals, then we went wandering along the foreshore and into the town area. It is a delightful town – very popular with the tourists we noticed right away. There were busloads of them the day we were there and it is not yet summer - which is their peak time. We had thought at one time to go and stay overnight but the few accommodation places listed on both bookings.com and lastminute.com were very highly priced (eg we could stay for 3 nights in Glasgow with breakfast, for less than what we could get one night for in Oban) so we had concluded it must be small with only a few places to stay. So what a surprise to find a sizable town with lots of pubs, Hotels, B & B’s and Guesthouses, not to mention a plethora of restaurants, cafes, eateries, gift shops, fashion stores – and whisky places. I had to put my nose in the door of the Oban Distillery Visitors Centre need I tell you, but was very restrained and decided I “would souvenir it one dram at a time” rather than buy any in bulk. I did take some photo’s though. (Had I realised we would have longer here than originally intended the story may have been different!) I might add we had Oban at both our Singapore Hotel and in Amiens as they were the only single malts on offer and we did not fancy any of the ‘blends’ they had. We had enjoyed them immensely both times.
After strolling around a bit and enjoying the sun that had broken through by then, the flowering pots and gardens, and the entertainers on the strand, we found a café for a quick bite. Very pleasant and nice to be out of the cold, but nothing to write home about as far as the food was concerned. I then thought I would do my usual ‘trick’ and get one of the taxi drivers to show us some of the local spots and take us up to the top of the hill. We found “Paul” who has a Volvo as his taxi. (Being a former Volvo owner myself we could chat about what a wonderful vehicle they are.) He suggested that before he took us up the hill he would take us down to Ganavan which is the beach not far out of town. He stopped a couple of times so I could get photo’s and identified some of the islands for us, pointed out the ruins of Castle Dunollie (has been fortified since the bronze age apparently) before taking us up to the top of the Hill to McCaig’s Tower which is regarded as being ‘the Crown of Oban’. It is a circular structure which apparently visiting Italians refer to as the “Colosseum” because though not nearly as big it does resemble it a bit. Inside are lovely gardens and from the lookout at the front you get great views of the town and harbour. I was in seventh heaven and could easily have spent twice as much time (or more) there than I did. Judy had given Paul instructions not to let us be there too long, so as I was coming back (at her urging I might add) we met him coming up to find us. He delivered us back right to the door at the Railway Station with about 5 minutes to spare before the train left. It was at that point we discovered that train just did a school run down the line to a few villages and then back to Oban. The next train for Glasgow did not leave until 6.11pm. The railway guys were highly amused and it seems we are not the first to misread the timetable – it only goes back to Glasgow at 4.11pm on Saturday! So what to do in a situation like this – well you find the nearest pub and order a double Oban of course!!! I wandered outside to get a photo of where we had taken refuge, and as it was on the wharf naturally I took a couple more of the harbour. Different tide, different sky and sun position, different boats about all make for a different photo – and why come home with 10 or a dozen when you can just as easily have 2 or 3 dozen as any keen photographer will tell you! How I love digital cameras – are a lot easier on the purse when you love to take photos than the film cameras were.
THEN I noticed the green shack beside the fuel depot, which said “Local Shellfish”, so I wandered over. Seems Oban is considered to be the “Seafood capital of the north” and this was one of several outlets on or near the wharf. They had a wonderful display. As well as the usual choices, they sold sandwiches with prawns or crab or lobster on them, they sold mussels by the dozen raw or grilled – and they did this, as you watched, on a stand out the front of the shop. They also had whole crabs (cooked or raw) or you could just buy the cooked crab claws. They are ‘brown crabs’ they told me, not as big as the Muddies from home but still a good size with lots of meat. So guess who had to buy 4 claws (for 3.75 pounds so under a quid each) and then I stood outside, at the timber slab “eating bench” they provide, and ate them. They had cracked them for me and given me a fork and a spare bag for the shells and a couple of serviettes. I had left my camera in the pub when I went in to ask Judy if she wanted anything (she didn’t) so I took a ‘selfie’ on my phone. Discovered it is not so easy to hold a crab claw in one hand, make sure the meat does not fall off while you are fooling around, and take a ‘selfie’ with the other hand. (Not sure that a selfie stick would make it any easier and have no intention of finding out.)
Then I went back to finish my Oban and get a refill and look around the hotel we had taken refuge in. It had some interesting slogans on the wall – designed to appeal to mariners - the co-ordinates for Jura on the ceiling in the bar area, and an assortment of old pots above the main entry. In the beer garden area (which no-one was using except when they ducked out for a fag) they have old barrels done up as garden pots with a spring look about them and small pots of flowering plants on each of the tables.
It seemed no time at all before it was time to board the train. We had barely found a seat when the train headed out. We noted almost right away a sea mist was headed in. I found it hard to get photo’s but once we got inland a bit it lightened and I got some good photo’s right up till past Crianlarich where we were joined to the end of the train from Mallaig and Fort William for the run to Glasgow. We were thoroughly entertained for the entire nearly 3 hour trip by the young lass in the seat opposite – travelling with her very pregnant Mum. She was a toddler, blue-eyed blond, with little language, but LOTS of energy. Her Mum put her in her pyjamas soon after we left Oban but if she thought she would settle down and go to sleep she was greatly mistaken. She kept trying to ‘escape’ and explore the carriage and the things she did, and the ways her Mum had to go about circumventing her, kept us amused for the entire trip. We got a taxi home to the Hotel as it was past 9.30pm by then and more than 12 hours since we set off. Had not warmed up any though and was still cold except when we were inside the train or a shop. Another interesting and beautiful day with lots of lovely scenery and experiences, so we were very happy we had taken the train to Oban.