Scotland Part 2 - Loch Lomond and Fort William - More than Golf

Updated: Nov 23, 2022

Another castle, of course it is. This is Scotland and there are a lot of castles here.

Balloch Castle Country Park, Loch Lomond, Scotland

When traveling on an unguided road-trip there are always unplanned stops. Ballachulish was one.

Ballachulish, Scotland

We only had 2 weeks in Scotland and had so much we wanted to see. Our list included some historic sites, some natural monuments, birding hotspots and of course Outlander and Harry Potter filming locations. One of the things we heard to do was to take a ride on the Jacobite Train. When we went to reserve a seat online, we discovered two facts. First, it was listed as one of the best train rides in the world. Second, there was a 3 month lead for tickets because of fact one. Not willing to accept defeat so readily, we stopped at the nearby station. The nice station agent informed us that some tickets are usually available due to “no-shows” and suggested arriving early. The first train was at 10:15. We decided to go to the train station at 8 am. A queue (we were in a British state of mind here) had already formed. We were fifth in line but were able to get aboard. Tip: If what you’re planning to do is one of the most popular things in the world, book well ahead. Duh.

It is no wonder that the Jacobite train gained fame as the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter series. As I looked out the window, it appeared as if a giant hand was grabbing the Glenfinnan viaduct.

Giant hand grabbing the viaduct

Hogwarts Express - I mean Jacobite Train

A scheduled stop in Mallaig gave us time for a boat ride around the Loch where we saw dolphins.

Dolphin jumping out of the water

Back on the train….

Is that a man coming out of the train, so that he can get a better view? Or was the movie Ghost based on a true story?

Definitely Hogwarts Express

Tunnel into Fort William’s Downtown

Fort William Gondola

Cow in Kilt advertising Ice Cream

Enjoying a Seafood platter

In 1911, Henry Alexander Jr, drove a Ford Model T up and down Mt Ben Nevis. The statue in the photograph below commemorates this feat. Wonder how soon it will be before he is decried as having driven the first stake in the heart of the climate in these parts?

Statue of Henry Alexander in Model T

There are fiberglass cows all over the place, each major city and some small towns have at least one.

Cow on the Square - Coo # 18 - Turadah - Cameron Square, Fort William

View of Loch from hotel

When we were riding in the Jacobite Train we noticed hundreds of people at the viaduct waiting for us to drive by, so the next day we decided to be spectators.