I am recently back from my journey to northern England and Scotland. I booked my flight about two months in advance so there really wasn’t a lot of time for planning and getting the accommodations I would have liked, but it all worked out. My travel style won’t match everyone’s- yes there was a whole lot of driving- but I’m pleased with the places I got to see. I appreciate those who responded to my inquiries, plus the authors of trip reports that inspired some of my choices.

This was by far the most expensive trip I have ever taken thanks to outrageous airfare and rental car prices. I prefer to travel low season but my work prevented that this year and I didn’t want to wait until fall. I’ll look at my pictures to remind myself of the trip’s worth when the credit card bill arrives next week!! This is destined to be a lengthy trip report so bear with me!

Air carrier: Delta

Route: Houston – Atlanta- Edinburgh

Car company: Alamo

Flight out of Atlanta was more than 1.5 hours late and that, combined with slow luggage delivery and disorganized car rental lot, meant that my itinerary for the afternoon of my arrival was squashed. I had planned to drive immediately to Holy Island but with the tide schedules, I wasn’t going to be able to get there and do anything and get out before the tide came in. Further, my idea of visiting Bamburgh castle was off for the day because I would have gotten there too late to fully enjoy the property before it closed up. I decided to just head to my hotel in Alnwick, the Premier Inn. I had originally hoped to stay in B&Bs on this trip but I was too late in booking to find anything available in my price range. The Premier was perfectly fine and actually well situated for my day trips.

After checking in, I went to Barter Books, a well-regarded used books store. This place is located in a former train station. It has neat rooms, a model train that travels around above the stacks and they have a nice café. I had a tasty dinner of a sausage sandwich and some chips.

I decided to scout the outside of Alnwick Castle which was to be my first destination the following morning. I took lots of pictures of the outside and wandered the streets of the town. Everything besides taverns pretty much close up early in the town. Alnwick does have several supermarkets that are open later so I picked up things like bottled water and snacks for the days ahead.

Day 2: I got up to find a glorious weather day and drove to Marks and Spencer to get a pastry for breakfast before setting off for the day’s sightseeing. First up was Alnwick Castle. Full of history, but the property is more recognized now as the filming site for scenes from the Harry Potter movie franchise. This castle was fun to visit but it was quite pricey at $25 USD. Honestly, I don’t even remember the inside more than a week later. The exterior and grounds are more memorable. It does have a campy attraction, Dragon Quest I believe it is called. It is kind of like a maze of mirrors and then a goofy dragon at the end. I was expecting something more advanced but it was fun enough. I didn’t participate in the broom flying lesson but sat and watched most of it. It is really geared for kids 4-9 in my opinion. The staff leading it were really good with the kids so if you have kids who like Harry Potter, do it.

It didn’t work out for me to see the inside of St. Michael’s church due to the limited opening hours but I did walk the grounds. It’s lovely with the old headstones and flowers.

Next up was a short drive to the town of Warkworth. This is a pleasant town with a great castle and beautiful church. I used the castle carpark which is £3 for all day I believe.

Warkworth Castle proved to be one of my favorites of the trip. It’s basically a maintained ruin with a lot to explore and plenty of stairs to climb (I love castle stairwells). I spent a good amount of time here making sure I saw everything. Then I walked to the opposite end of the town to visit the St. Lawrence Church. This lovely church has wonderful stained glass windows.

Neither the castle nor the church had many visitors while I was there. It was nice to mostly have the places to myself.

I decided to then drive up to Bamburgh Castle, this was driving out of the way but there was nothing to be done about it since it didn’t work out the day before. I can thank Mai Tai Tom and one of his reports for me visiting Bamburgh and Holy Island. I knew I wanted to go to Alnwick and Warkworth from the start but when I started researching for my trip, I found a report of his that made it clear I needed to be sure to hit Holy Island and Bamburgh.

Bamburgh Castle is huge and a bit of a hike up a hill. I used the castle car park at £4 because I was feeling lazy.

The castle is a fun ramble and has some beautiful furnishings, particularly clocks. There’s a throne you can sit on a la “Last Kingdom”. The castle actually has apartments that can be rented! Regular rentals, not holiday homes. Talk about nice ocean front property!

It was about 5 pm by the time I was done at the castle. I decided to drive to Seahouses to look into the possibility of a puffin cruise. Billy Shiel’s outfit had availability on the 7 pm sunset cruise so I booked. I wandered around the town, got a snack and just chilled out until boarding time. Let me tell you this is a great outfit to pick! I and 8 other passengers had the pleasure of the captain and his grandson providing a fantastic voyage. It’s quite accurate for me to say I am obsessed with puffins. I saw some in Newfoundland several years ago and they are such charming and fun birds to observe. It was a priority of mine to see puffins on this trip as I knew it was the right season. Fairly soon into our journey, we saw some dolphins. The Captain made a point of slowing down and trying to get his passengers better views of them. He also took us to see some seals. The cruise goes by a couple of lovely light houses. Light houses have a special appeal, don’t they? We got to spend a lot of time observing puffins and guillemots. Thousands of them! First the puffins could be seen bobbing around in the water and flying around and then we came to the island where most of them hang out. I honestly would love to charter a boat and just anchor there for a long time to observe them. I so enjoy watching these charismatic birds. Regarding the chatty guillemots, friends seeing my pictures say “the UK has penguins?”

The cruise was very leisurely and relaxed. It seemed clear to me that the captain and his grandson really enjoy showing tourists the sights and talking to them. The cruise includes swinging by Bamburgh castle as the sun is setting. Absolutely gorgeous! In total, the cruise was over 2.5 hours long. Note for anyone considering the cruise: even though it was a mild day, it is freezing on the boat. Smarter passengers had on puffy coats and hats. I didn’t think I would be booking that night so I wasn’t fully prepared. I honestly could have used gloves! You do have the option of going inside the cabin for a break from the breeze and the views are of course still great.

By the time I got back to Alnwick, my dining venue of choice, Hog’s Head Inn, was no longer serving food. Sadly, that pretty much left me going to McD’s directly next door. I really had no choice because it was 10 pm and I had nearly nothing to eat the whole day (breakfast pastry and a candy bar). I needed a meal. A scoundrel of an employee denied me use of my credit card saying an American card wouldn’t work (lies!). I whipped out cash and he tried to cheat me shortchanging me. Of course I caught it and got my proper change back. This experience was very disappointing and unexpected. Shame on that employee.

Next installment: Holy Island and Dunstanburgh Castle.

So glad that you enjoyed Northumberland despite the disappointing start. I split my time between Northumberland and Buckinghamshire and have to remember to have an additional layer of clothing much of the time. It can be chill particularly on the coast in the evening even in the height of summer. I hope you got the opportunity to try the fish and chips somewhere. They are really fresh and tasty. In fact there is a well known fish and chips takeaway in Seahouses. I mention it for future visitors reference.

Looking forward to your report.

I'm obsessed with puffins too 🐧 (that's a penguin but the closest I could find ) Best puffin trip I ever took was a boat trip from Anstruther out to the Isle of May where one gets more than an hour on the island and can walk among the puffins and get quite close up.

Thanks for reading uktravelover and janisj. Janisj that isle sounds great. The Farne and other islands in the area were off limits this year due to bird flu.
I'll upload some pictures this weekend.

Day 3 – After a late night, the next day I had a leisurely beginning. Again, I went to M&S for breakfast pastry plus a baguette for later. First destination was to be Holy Island and the safe crossing wasn’t until 11 am or 12 pm (can’t remember). It was fun driving across the causeway. I parked in the big carpark on the outskirts of the village. It’s maybe a 15 minute walk to the castle. This island was kind of like Disneyland. The most crowds I saw during my travels were here, with everyone heading to Lindisfarne Castle. It was a Saturday and the skies were a gorgeous blue. I was blessed with outstanding weather for the majority of my trip. In fact, it was unseasonably warm, with the locals talking about the heat wave. Their heat wave in the 70s is lovely compared to the 100s occurring in my home state of Texas right now. I enjoyed wandering around the castle as well as the fine views from the top. There’s a small garden next to the castle that is pleasant.

The priory is a short walk away and is neat in its own right plus there are great views of the castle. Next door is St. Mary’s. There was a choir rehearsal underway which was a delightful surprise. I sat and enjoyed a few songs before they took a break. I also popped into a former church that is now a community center for seniors. I met a nice gentleman and he told me about the repurposed church.

There were a few places that looked like they would be nice for a meal but I didn’t stop. I had my baguette waiting for me in the car. When I travel alone, I tend to miss a lot of meals. I wanted to get a move on so I could make it to Dunstanburgh castle. These castles have strict “last entry” times. I have had enough experience to know that even if a person knows they could get in and out before official closing time, they won’t let you in after “last entry”. Visiting Dunstanburgh means parking in Craster and walking about 1.5 miles across a pasture and uphill. I walked the fastest I have ever walked on vacation to get there with just minutes to spare. This very ruined castle still has some climbing and exploring to be had. The views are wonderful too.

After I exited the castle, I was able to have a more comfortable walk back to the village, taking in the views and sheep that were snacking in the fields.

Back in Alnwick for my final night there, I had a snack at Barter Books again (best chips), walked around the beautiful cemetery across the road from my hotel as well as walked around a park and Alnwick castle one last time.

Day 4: Time to say goodbye to England and head to Scotland. There was a light rain. I had seen signs for Preston tower and the grandson of the boat captain said it was a really nice place so I decided to stop along my way north. What a gem! I wish I had known about it further in advance and factored it into my itinerary to spend more time there. This privately owned tower is open during daylight hours and is only £2 paid into an honesty box. You get to explore different rooms in the tower and go up to the top for great views. There are some nice walks but it was drizzly and I wanted to get on the road again. I highly recommend taking in this easy to access site if you find yourself in the area.

Ok, so driving around the greater Edinburgh area is no fun. I thought with it being a Sunday, it wouldn’t be too busy but the traffic was horrendous!!! It was a lot worse than the day I arrived which was a Thursday. I really was astounded by the volume of cars on the road and the backups. In my opinion, if a roundabout has to have traffic lights within the roundabout, it’s a failure. Some of the big roundabouts got severely backed up.

It was a relief to finally get clear of the busy road networks as I made my way towards Glamis Castle.

I almost skipped Glamis because I had learned the Stathmore Highland Games were taking place the same day and I was concerned it would be a mob scene. I went ahead and I am so glad I did. Yes, it was busier than it would have normally been without the games, but the castle carpark was separate from the games parking. Glamis is by guided tours only. I waited about 15 minutes for the next tour. Glamis is a gorgeous, regal, huge place! I was so excited to be at this marvelous place.

The castle was the childhood home of the Queen Mother. It’s very much a livable castle with comfy, realistic furnishings. Don’t get me wrong, the dining room was huge and glamorous, but it wasn’t a sterile museum like place.

I took a ton of pictures of the outside as it is so beautiful. The gardens are wonderful. This castle was cheaper to visit than Alnwick and offered so much more in my opinion. I was there at least three hours and had to tear myself away. The castle itself was closed by the time I was done with the gardens and it meant far fewer people wandering around outside so I was able to get some pictures free of people.

Thankfully they keep the restrooms and shop open later. I was hitting the road to continue my journey north. My next two nights were to be based in Stonehaven. My hotel was the Station Hotel. After checking in, I had dinner downstairs and then headed to Dunnottar Castle. It was a gorgeous night and I wanted to get a head start on my photography of the castle. Other people had the same idea of seeing the castle for sunset, but just a few. It’s so magical! The castle ruins are amazing with a stunning position on the cliffs. It made me think a bit about Tintagel, a favorite place of mine. It is very peaceful in the after hours and the place lived up to my expectations. This castle was the biggest inspiration for my trip. I of course always wanted to return to Scotland, having only been to Edinburgh before, but when I saw an image of Dunnottar, I had to go. I took a bunch of photos from various angles and also just enjoyed the atmosphere from the comfort of a bench. If you travel to Scotland, you must go here!

The Station Hotel was perfectly adequate for my needs. I was concerned about noise being above a restaurant but it was quiet after 10:30 pm.

Day 5: The hotel includes breakfast. My first morning I ordered eggs, sausage and potatoes and received a huge meal! The portions of eggs and potatoes went well beyond what I could eat. I felt bad that I couldn’t finish it. Had there been a refrigerator and microwave in the room, I would have taken my leftovers.

Unlike other castles throughout my journey, Dunnottar actually opens at 9 am which is much appreciated. I was there shortly after opening. There is a lot to explore within the property and the views of the coast are fantastic.

Next destination was Crathes Castle, about 25 easy minutes away. This small castle is fun to explore and they have a great garden.

A short distance away was Castle Fraser. This was one of my favorites. There’s a lot to see inside and you get to go all the way to the top of the tower. The gift shop has a cardboard cut out of Jamie from Outlander and the shopkeeper offered to take it out into the courtyard and take my picture with it. I think this picture was the biggest hit with my friends on my photostream.

When studying the map of the area I noticed a Costco so I thought it would be fun to go inside to see if they had anything unique to the UK, particularly in the candy department. They did have big boxes of Malteasers and Cadbury bars, but I didn’t buy anything. I then popped into a M&S for a baguette and lemonade for dinner and then drove back to Stonehaven. I went into the harbor area to walk along the boardwalk and then drove back to Dunnottar to enjoy the sunset over the castle again. It really is beautiful and I was sorry to leave.

St. Lawrence, Warkworth

St. Lawrence, Warkworth

St.Lawrence

Alnwick Castle

Warkworth Castle




Alnwick

Barter Books

Barter Books

Sunset cruise out of Seahouses


Lindisfarne castle

Holy Island flowers

Dunstanburgh castle

My puffin pal!

Puffins, or as like to call them, puffies!

Puffins - Farne Islands

I love these birds!

Flight of the puffin

Following along on your wonderful report.

We recently returned from Scotland and we absolutely love Scotland! Such a beautiful country.

We skipped Dunnotar castle because I read there are 200 steps down to the castle and of course 200 back up to the car park. We are in our 70’s and I thought it might be too much for us. Now I wish I included it in our itinerary. Sounds wonderful!

I plan on writing a trip report when we return from Texas where we are visiting our grandchildren. And it is very hot here in Texas!
We were probably in Scotland around the same time. Their heat wave is mid 70’s.

Hi Karen,
There are indeed a lot of stairs at Dunnottar. My journey seemed to have a ton of stairs. I will be on the lookout for your report. I would recommend to anyone visiting the area, even if not up for doing all the stairs, you can still admire the castle.
My time there was from June 8-18. It went by so quickly. Enjoy your time in TX and stay inside!

Dunnottar

Some of the stairs at Dunnottar

Dunnottar

View from Dunnottar

Just before entry gate at Dunnottar

Dunnottar

No stairs needed for this beautiful view of Dunnottar

Sunset at Dunnottar. No stairs needed for this view.

Enjoyable report and lovely photos. We live in the North of England and visit Northumberland regularly. We once sheltered from an almighty thunderstorm in Dunstanburgh Castle - very dramatic!
Agree that Barter Books do the best chips ever. Triple cooked apparently. I could happily live in that place!

Your photos are spectacular! We were in Scotland last August and had the same gorgeous weather that you did.

I appreciate everyone following along and the kind comments. I’m working on the next installment. Here’s another batch of photos.


Glamis

Glamis

Crathes

Crathes

Fraser

Delicious cake in a jar from M&S.


Fraser - love being able to go to top of tower and go outside


Preston Tower - worthy stop close to Alnwick

Day 6: Another beautiful day! The original plan was to hit three castles enroute to Inverness but I decided to be more leisurely and dropped Drum Castle. My first official stop was Huntly Castle (thank you, Janisj). After paying for admission, upon nearing the castle, I met the dashing master of the castle, Buster. Buster is a handsome cat, always dressed formally in a tuxedo. He was actually having a siesta but honored me by welcoming a brief chat and a pat on the head before I went inside. This place is a shell but there’s enough to explore (like the spiral stone stairs I love) and some fine architectural details to merit the stop between the east coast and Inverness. Upon exiting the castle, I saw Buster a bit of a way off and called to him, expecting to be ignored. I wish I had video rolling because he raced to greet me as fast as he could. So sweet! He is a charming fellow, rubbed against my legs and then proceeded to roll around the ground at my feet. I enjoyed my interaction with Buster as much as exploring the castle! It’s the more simple things in life that can make my day 😊 As I type this report on my couch, I am supported by a cat on each side of me.

Next up was Elgin Cathedral. This is a ruin but it’s still beautiful and worth the stop.

My next stop was to be Cawdor Castle but I saw signs for Brodie Castle so I made the turn. It looks nicer in person than photographs, but I just took a quick photo before proceeding to Cawdor, another recommendation by more than one Fodorite. I had paid my admission and just stepped inside the castle when the power went off. Boo. They ushered everyone out of the castle. People lingered for a while and then were told it would be hours before the blown transformer would be fixed. I was very disappointed because this was going to be my only opportunity to see it. I should have visited Drum after all, but oh well.

I proceeded on to Inverness. My lodging was to be an Airbnb because I couldn’t find anything in my price range for a b&b or hotel. This place turned out to be great. It was like an efficiency apartment attached to the back of an old Victorian home in a very nice neighborhood. The hosts were very warm and kind, and even let me use the garden hose to clean my car after it was the victim of a nasty assault by the most enormous seagulls. Scotland has the biggest pigeons and seagulls I have ever seen, and they can decimate a vehicle when nature calls. I am not kidding!

I was to stay here for four nights. My thinking was that it would be nice to have a home base and do day trips. I know some of you commented on my itinerary about the driving and you were right, but it was too late for me to find lodging elsewhere to match my needs. If I could go back and change things, I would have only stayed two nights. In addition to the backtracking I was to do, I underestimated the density and size of the city and overestimated the charm. Inverness is a perfectly fine, livable city, but from my tourist perspective for this particular trip, it is very busy and dense and a bit of a concrete jungle. It just didn’t match what I had been expecting or wanting for this trip. Sometimes I am all about a bustling city, and other times I’m more in the market for a more soothing environment.

After unloading my stuff, I drove into city centre to explore. I parked in the Eastgate garage which was expensive and creepy. It was dark and empty at that time of day. I didn’t know until I got there that it was a mall and everything was closed.

I wandered the streets and found most shops were closed on a Tuesday evening. I don’t know if they stay open later on other nights of the week since I never made it back. I crossed the river and walked alongside it. The city has some handsome churches and buildings. The pedestrian bridge I used to cross back was very bouncy. I was hungry, having not had lunch, so I picked the Caledonian, a sports bar type place, for dinner. It was reasonable and I felt comfortable there as a solo diner.

Day 7: A beautiful weather day and lovely scenery, but a bit of a poor use of a day. I had thought it would be great fun to take the train from Ft. William to Mallaig. In the end, it was unproductive and the only unsatisfactory day of my trip. The itinerary had 2.5 hours in Mallaig which was way too much time for such a small town. I had lunch and went into every shop in under an hour. It was a hot and sunny day and I just wanted to get out of there but I was stuck until my 4 pm train. I really wanted to see the famous viaduct and monument and I should have just driven there so I could have continued with sightseeing. Mallaig is beautifully situated and relaxed, perfect for a chill place to rest if you had accommodations. By the time I got back to Fort William, I was too tired to do anything other than make the drive back to Inverness. I thought I would find the train journey restorative, but it actually left me tired. Ft. William, around the train station, seems like a fun place to wander around but I just wasn’t up for it since I still had the drive to make back to Inverness. Dinner was a baguette and apple I had picked up from the Ft. Williams M&S.

Tip: if you arrive at the car park just outside the train station and find it full, do not be alarmed. There is plentiful parking just a short distance away. The walk to the station from the long stay parking lot is just a five minute walk. Look for the Lidl and you will see the public parking lots.

The sun sets really late in Scotland in summer and I found it hard to settle down each night.

Day 8: Time for some more castles and the Isle of Skye! It was the most beautiful of weather days. Just plain glorious. First up, Urquhart Castle. I had purchased a ticket in advance for the first time slot. You don’t have to book in advance but the website recommended it. I was mostly concerned about parking and at the start of the day there was no issue. Urquhart is beautifully situated on Lock Ness. With the amazing clear skies, it was wonderful. The castle is a ruin, but there is some stair climbing and gorgeous lake views and I enjoyed it. What I didn’t enjoy was that the ladies restroom was out of order. There was only the handicap/baby changing standalone loo that was open and a huge line of women waiting.

They have a café but I didn’t find anything to entice me to delay my onward journey. I did pick up a nice shirt to bring back for my mom.

Next was Eilean Donan castle. I know this place incites debate. It is a castle that is not original, having been rebuilt in the early 20th century, but it is still the iconic castle image of Scotland. I was not going to go to Scotland and not fully visit this place. It is extremely photogenic. And the interior is fun to explore. I’m glad I devoted about an hour to visit this site, take lots of pictures, etc.

Onward to Skye! I found the day’s driving to be very enjoyable. The scenery is outstanding. I was pretty much mesmerized from Eilean Donan onward. Skye is gorgeous!

As a tip for those making the drive to Skye, just before you get to the town of Portree, on the outskirts you will find a candle store that makes for a great restroom and dining stop.

Portree is a very scenic and fun town. I wish I had stayed there for a night or two.

My fellow Fodorites frowned on this day’s agenda and I did cut Dunvegan Castle from the itinerary. I went to the Storr to do the hike to the Old Man of Storr. It’s of course very beautiful here, but with the warm and dry days, it was not the mystical place I was expecting because it wasn’t a lush green. Much of Skye and the North Coast are looking a bit crunchy from the low rainfall.

With the strong sun, warm temps and steep incline, I found the hike to be tougher than I expected. I fully admit to have taken multiple breaks to lower my heart rate. I trained on the treadmill in advance of the trip, but my treadmill maxes out at a 10% incline. That just didn’t cut it! I went up via the more moderate trail (which was still plenty steep and sweat inducing) and came back by way of the steep trail. One does have to be cautious going down with all the loose rocks.

I found the roads to be in great shape. Road crews had been recently through patching pot holes and some stretches of roadway were freshly repaved. There were roadworks throughout the western highlands that had stretches of lane closures. Traffic lights controlled those stretches and never caused much of a delay.

Still to come: north coast, Glencoe, Kilchurn, Doune and Dunblane.

The Glenfinnan viaduct as photographed from the train. I should have driven to it instead, timing it to see the steam train.

Mallaig

Huntly

Huntly fancy fireplace

Huntly

Buster, the handsome and charismatic baron of Huntly Castle.

Elgin Cathedral

Elgin

Brodie

Cawdor

Invergarry ruin

Eilean Donan



Urquhart castle

Eilean Donan

The hike to the Storr

The Storr

What kind of bird? He was at Cawdor.

Sweet little bird, anyone know name? He was at Dunnottar.

My petite friend who I christened Henrietta.

Skye - view from the Storr hike

Still reading but some initial comments. Great photos.

Glad you included Huntly -- know you were concerned about much of it being inaccessible but your pix indicate most parts were till open.

Your thoughts about Inverness are spot on -- which is why I try to convince folks who have a car to stay somewhere else in the countryside or a nearby village. I definitely wouldn't mind living ther because there are so many services/shopping etc but for tourists - not so nice. And no, shops wouldn't be open later if it had been another night. 5:30/6 PM is about as late as you'll find except supermarkets

Sorry you were lured onto the Ft William > Mallaig train. It really is a day killer isn't it. Hard to imagine that a train trip through such glorious scenery could end up so boring/tiring.

Now back to reading . . .

Great report and photos, thanks for posting. We've been to a few of the ones you covered, but not all. Nice work!

FWIW, we took the train from Fort William to Mallaig, but only one way, then we continued on the ferry to Skye. So that was actually a nice day, which I mention in case others are considering it. But I could see why round trip would not be a good use of time. (Also, a kindly conductor told me when we would cross the bridge so I could be positioned to get the classic photo just as you rounded the curve.)

Your first bird is definitely a swallow. I have pictures of a swallow nest at Cawdor. Your second is probably a bunting called a Yellowhammer. This I learned through Google.
https://ebird.org/species/yellow2

Too bad about the power going out at Cawdor.

Janis, I’m sorry if my writing made it seem like the train was boring. It was not. It was beautiful. I was totally enthralled on the way out and it’s just the long stay in hot Mallaig wore me out as I like to be on the move.

Nelson, thanks for the bird assistance!

We loved the Elgin Cathedral ruins and the Urquhart Castle ruins. I love ruins, and the location of Urquhart is stunning.

Too bad you weren’t able to see Cawdor Castle. Were you able to tour the gardens? They are spectacular, and we enjoyed the castle very much, too.

At Janis’s advice, we stayed in Nairn instead of Inverness, and we loved our stay there. The Sunny Brae B&B was our favorite accommodation of all the places we stayed.

Enjoying hearing about the castles we didn’t visit.

We didn’t take the Harry Potter train but I believe we saw the same scenery while driving. We did see the train cross the viaduct at Glenfinnan quite by accident. We stopped there for a quick lunch before continuing on to Glen Coe, saw the timetable, and realized the train would be coming by in about 20 minutes. So it was a nice surprise.

Oh -- I didn't mean you said it was boring. I meant that one way its is a glorious journey - but retracing/backtracking the entire route while one is running out of steam (so to speak ) even the pretty scenery can get tiresome. Just too long a day and too long on the train with no 'there there' in the middle. Didi it once R-T all the way from Helensburgh -- now THAT was a loooooong day, 4.5 hours each way plus the stop in Mallaig.