The Jacobite – Steam to Mallaig over the Glenfinnan Viaduct
A day, from Fort William station and back.
The route
The Jacobite is a steam train that runs from Fort William to Mallaig and back, 84 miles of lochs, mountains and sea, over the Glenfinnan Viaduct on the way.
There's time in Mallaig for lunch and a look at the fishing boats before the train turns for home.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Woodlands Glencoe, 10 miles away. Sleeps 2.
Book the Jacobite's morning train on West Coast Railways' website before travelling, as seats are few and it runs only until Friday 23 October 2026: a standard day return is £76 for an adult and £43 for a child of 16 or under at the time of writing, plus a booking fee of at least £3.75, and children travel only with a paying adult.
The day
Fort William to Mallaig
Steam and whistles at the platform, the great curve of the viaduct, white sands and islands out of the window, then fish and chips in a harbour village before the long ride home.
About six hours
Jacobite Steam Train
An attraction
The Jacobite leaves Fort William station at 10.15am every day from June until its last run of 2026, on Friday 23 October; it doesn't run in winter. Book seats ahead on West Coast Railways' website, as there aren't many. A standard day return is £76 for an adult and £43 for a child of 16 or under at the time of writing, plus a booking fee, and children travel only with a paying adult. If you drive in, park in one of the town's car parks near the station, where the signs show how long you can park, never in the supermarket's, and allow at least 20 minutes to park and collect your tickets. On the way west, the train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct, 21 arches high above the River Finnan, and slows on it when time allows: it's the bridge children know from the films. Where the timetable allows, it stops at Glenfinnan station long enough to stretch your legs. Further on, look out for the white sands at Morar and, on a clear day, Rum, Eigg and the tip of Skye out to sea. The carriages date from the 1950s and 60s, with narrow doorways to the seats and toilets and no room for a wheelchair, so leave the pushchair behind and bring a sling for a baby. There's a buffet carriage, and you can bring your own food.
2 min on foot
The Tea Garden, Mallaig
Lunch
It's two hours and ten minutes by train to Mallaig, arriving at 12.25pm, then 2 minutes' walk along Station Road to the Tea Garden, a café with flowers all round its terrace and a coal fire inside. Go straight there, as it serves lunch only from noon to 2pm: fish and chips, Mallaig kippers, prawn rolls, pints of prawns, baked potatoes and filled rolls, with fresh fish off the boats every day. Dogs are welcome, and there are steps up to the door. It's shut on Sundays, so on a Sunday bring a picnic to eat by the harbour or buy something from the buffet carriage.
3 min on foot
Mallaig
An attraction
After lunch, it's 3 minutes' walk to the harbour, a working fishing port where the boats land their catch and the ferries leave for Skye, the Small Isles and Knoydart. Keep to the public quays, and keep children close at the edge. The train back leaves Mallaig at 2.10pm, so be on the platform by 2pm; it reaches Fort William at 4.03pm. The times are printed on your ticket, so check them there.
If it rains
Most of the day is under a roof on the train; in Mallaig the Tea Garden has seats inside by the fire, and the harbour can wait for a dry spell or be cut short.
