The West Highland Line has a character of its own, quite unlike any other. It has been voted the world’s most scenic railway.
Trains take a leisurely journey through the rural west Highlands, connecting many small communities along the way.
There are stations where the train only stops on request, and to a greater extent the railway retains the atmosphere of the perhaps more simple days in which it was first constructed.
For most of the route, the line passes through rugged hill scapes with lochs and moors appearing almost constantly. For those wishing to ‘get away from it all’ there can be no better escape within Britain.
As well as the communities along the line there are several connections to Scottish islands from stations at the end of the routes.
Top destinations: Oban, Glenfinnan, Mallaig
Oban Promenade and McCaig's Tower
The line splits at Crianlarich, with one section continuing to Oban, and the other section continuing to Fort William. From Fort William there is an additional section to Mallaig.
This guide covers the Fort William to Mallaig section when travelling on the normal train, which gives access to all the stations and more freedom over timings. See our separate guide for visiting on the Jacobite Steam Train.
If you are travelling with cycles, skis or other large items of sporting equipment, there is a Highland Explorer service on this line consisting of special active travel carriages with extra space. This runs twice a day to Oban and once a day to Fort William and Mallaig (not Sundays).
Request stops on this line are marked with an x on timetables. However, we have noticed that current timetables do not appear to be marking them.
These are the stops that we believe to be request stops: Oban Route – Falls of Cruachan; Fort William to Mallaig Extensions - Locheilside, Lochailort, and Beasdale.
By train
Daytime trains to Glasgow from Edinburgh, Aberdeen and many places in England.
Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston, Birmingham International (from 15 January 2026), Crewe, Preston, Edinburgh or Glasgow Queen Street which stops at Edinburgh, Glasgow Queen Street, Dalmuir, Dumbarton Central, Helensburgh Upper, Garelochhead, Arrochar & Tarbet, Ardlui, Crianlarich, Upper Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy, Rannoch, Corrour, Tulloch, Roy Bridge, Spean Bridge and Fort William, though some of these stops are early in the morning!
By coach
Citylink from Edinburgh to Glasgow.
FlixBus from major cities in England to Glasgow.
National Express from major cities in England to Glasgow.
Megabus from major cities in England to Glasgow.
By plane
Glasgow Airport from Belfast City, Belfast International, Birmingham, Bristol, Cork, Derry Londonderry, Donegal, Dublin, Jersey, London City, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Luton, London Stansted, Newquay and Southampton. Internationally from a large number of countries.
From Glasgow Airport you can take the Glasgow Airport Express Service 500 to the city centre.
By coach from Glasgow or Edinburgh
It is also possible to explore parts of this route by coach.
From Edinburgh to Oban and Fort William. The stops at locations where the train stops are: Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Dalmally, Loch Awe, Cruachan, Taynuilt, Connel, Dunbeg, Oban, Bridge of Orchy and Fort William.
From Glasgow to Oban. The stops at locations where the train stops are: Dumbarton, Arrochar, Tarbet, Ardlui, Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Dalmally, Cruachan, Taynuilt, Connel, Dunbeg and Oban.
From Glasgow to Fort William. The stops at locations where the train stops are: Dumbarton, Tarbet, Ardlui, Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy and Fort William.
From Edinburgh to Fort William. The stops at locations where the train stops are: Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy and Fort William.
From Glasgow to Fort William. The stops at locations where the train stops are: Dumbarton, Tarbet, Ardlui, Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy and Fort William.
From Fort William to Mallaig. The stops at locations where the train stops are: Glenfinnan, Lochailort, Arisaig, Morar and Mallaig.
Popular small town previously a Victorian holiday resort. Home of Charles Rennie MacKintosh’s Hill House and the Submarine Centre.
Photo credit: “Helensburgh Town Centre 1” by Derek Rankine, CC BY 2.0
Four villages with stunning mountain and forest walks, plus boat trips and watersports on Loch Lomond
Photo credit: “IMGP8751” by Matt Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0
Five villages with mountain and woodland walks, lochs, and architecturally interesting churches, plus a hollow mountain!
Popular resort town known as the seafood capital of Scotland, with 'Gateway to the Isles' ferry port, and nearby castles
Five villages or hamlets with mountain, moorland and forest walks, including the highest mainland station in the UK which is not accessible by road
Busy Highland town used as a base for exploring Ben Nevis, Loch Linnhe and the Jacobite Steam Train
Photo credit: “Ben Nevis and Fort William” by Ian Gratton, CC BY 2.0
Five villages including an eight lock staircase, shipwrecked vessels, the hugely popular Glenfinnan, boat and ferry trips, and sandy beaches
Busy fishing port with boat trips, Heritage Centre, and ferries to the Isle of Skye and the Small Isles
West Highland Line near Mallaig
See our Scenic and Historic Guide to the West Highland Line if you would like a detailed description of the line to read either before or during your journey.
Page last updated 09 October 2025