Rannoch Station Tearoom

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Introduction

Rannoch Station sits on one of the loneliest stretches of the West Highland Line, out on the eastern edge of Rannoch Moor with not much around it but bog, hill and sky. The station opened in 1894, built on a floating raft of brushwood and ash to stop the tracks sinking into the moor. The tearoom came later. A local family first took on the platform buildings in 1988, tending the gardens as part of the deal, and it's been serving travellers ever since. These days it does fresh soup, a big spread of homemade cakes and scones, dippy eggs with sourdough soldiers, and a list of teas that runs well into double figures. It's licensed too, so a malt by the window is fair game. Getting here is half the point. You can drive the long single-track road in, or better, take the train and step straight off onto the platform. When the tearoom's shut there's an honesty box and a kettle, which tells you everything about the place.

Location

Rannoch Station lies at the end of a long single-track road on the eastern edge of Rannoch Moor, in Highland Perthshire. It's about 40 miles from Pitlochry, the nearest town, and 18 miles west of Kinloch Rannoch. The West Highland Line stops here, with Corrour one stop north.

What's nearby

The short walk down to Loch Laidon is the one to do, a mile or so from the platform to a stretch of pale sandy shore with the moor rolling out behind it. Cross the tracks, follow the signs for Glencoe, and keep an eye out for the deer that live out here. Back at the station, the Moor of Rannoch restaurant is right next door, a remote and rather good spot for lunch or dinner if you're making a day or a night of it. Book ahead. The real treat, though, is the train. Hop on northbound and it's one stop to Corrour, the highest and most remote station in Britain, with no public road in at all. The Caledonian Sleeper also runs through Rannoch on its way between London and Fort William, so you can go to bed in the city and wake up on the moor. East, the road runs back along Loch Rannoch towards Kinloch Rannoch and eventually Pitlochry, roughly 40 miles off and the nearest town of any size.