Suggested Tours By Rail from Inverness
Tour 6 - Attadale Gardens, Eilean Donan Castle, Glenelg Brochs and over the Sea to Skye
See below for Alternative Tour
Starting from the railway station at Strathcarron, we travel a short distance to visit the renowned Attadale Gardens - see below.
Continuing Tour 5 after our visit to Attadale, the road closely follows the shore of Loch Carron with views of its namesake, Lochcarron vilage, on the opposite shore. The road then climbs quite high before dropping down to Auchtertyre where we turn left towards Eilean Donan Castle, our next port of call. The castle originally dates back to the 13th century but, after being partially destroyed in 1719 during a Jacobite uprising, it remained a ruin for nearly 200 years until a 20-year restoration was begun in 1911.
After our stop at Eilean Donan, we continue Tour 5 following the road alongside Loch Duich to Shiel Bridge from where we take the old military road to Glenelg. This road climbs up high via Mam Ratagan and there are fine views of Loch Duich and the Five Sisters of Kintail from the viewpoint near the top - see below.
Copyright © James Mould
Having reached the top of Mam Ratagan, the road descends gently down the other side towards Glenelg where we reach our next point of interest, the 2,000 year old Iron Age brochs - Dun Telve and Dun Troddan. These are both well preserved and set in beautiful surroundings.
Copyright © James Mould
After leaving the brochs we return through Glenelg village heading for the Skye Ferry which runs from Glenelg to Kylerhea on Skye. This is the last manually operated turntable vehicle ferry in Scotland (in fact, it is believed to be the last of its kind in the world) and has become very popular with visitors since the opening of the Skye Bridge as it provides a more traditional method of crossing the sea to Skye.
Copyright © James Mould
Once on Skye, we continue Tour 5 via the small unclassified mountain road which climbs high and then drops down to the A87 between Broadford and Kyle of Lochalsh. From there we head back towards Kyle of Lochalsh, crossing back to the mainland via the spectacular Skye Bridge.
Copyright © James Mould
If time permits, we can call in at the pretty little village of Plockton where there is a railway station at which you can catch your return train to Inverness. Otherwise, we will return from Kyle of Lochalsh direct to Strathcarron to catch your return train.
Alternative Tour
For those who are not interested in visiting Attadale Gardens and who prefer to take the full railway journey from Inverness right through to Kyle of Lochalsh, John will meet you at Kyle of Lochalsh railway station.
The tour then follows the same route as above, visiting Eilean Donan Castle, Glenelg Brochs and the Skye Ferry, either returning you to Kyle of Lochalsh Station or taking you for a visit to Plockton if you prefer. (back)
Photo credit: Eglos / Foter / CC BY-NC
