Lochaber railway journey steams into world top 10
The West Highland Line has been named in a top 10 of ‘the world’s most incredible rail journeys’ by multi-national news company CNN.
CNN described the scenic journey as a ‘greatest hits’ of the best landscapes Scotland has to offer, adding: ‘Running for about 193 kilometers (120 miles) from Glasgow to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis – the UK’s highest mountain – it delivers an ever-changing panorama of lochs and glens, desolate moors and brooding mountains.
‘Not content with this, the line extends for a further 41 unforgettable miles (66 kilometers) to the west coast port of Mallaig, taking in some of the country’s most beautiful lochs and the stunning curved viaduct at Glenfinnan, as featured in the Harry Potter movies.’
It goes on: ‘The line can be enjoyed via the comfortable Caledonian Sleeper night train from London to Fort William, with the last stretch of the journey, across lonely Rannoch Moor, accompanied by breakfast.
‘Between April and October, the sleeper also connects with another famous train, the daily Jacobite steam train running from Fort William to Mallaig and back, offering the chance to enjoy the scenery at a leisurely pace on a beautifully restored piece of railway history.’
Other world train routes to feature in the list included the The TranzAlpine, New Zealand, Qinghai-Tibet Railway in China, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in India and the Oslo-Bergen Railway, Norway.