A trip on the Jacobite Steam Train is described as the greatest railway journey in the world, and I can see why!

The 84 mile round trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes. It starts near the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis in Fort William.  The Jacobite 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, before finally arriving next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe, Loch Nevis in Mallaig.

You cross the awe inspiring 21-arched, 30m high Glenfinnan viaduct which was built in the 1890s.  It overlooks Loch Shiel and the Jacobite monument.

The locomotive for any train buffs is the ‘Black 5’ No 45407, ‘The Lancashire Fusilier’ & for the film buffs, the filming of the second and third Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Chambers of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban took place in this area with the Hogwarts Express calling at Glenfinnan.

The Glenfinnan Station Museum is well worth a visit.  I was surprised there was no one else on the station watching the train come through – lucky me as there were hoards at the viaduct and I had a clear platform all to myself!