Hogwarts Express, Glenfinnan, Scotland (August 7)

Thursday, August 7, 2025

Starting:  #7 Seabeds Luxury Lookouts, Woodlands, Glencoe, Scotland
Ending:  #7 Seabeds Luxury Lookouts, Woodlands, Glencoe, Scotland
Highlights: Jacobite Steam Train (Hogwarts Express), Glenfinnan Viaduct

After waking up at 08:00, I took a shower, shaved, and dressed. I noticed that our breakfast basket had already been delivered to our room. The basket contained one plain croissant, one pain au chocolat, slices of bread, raspberry jam, cheddar cheese, and two glass containers of yogurt with granola. 

I made coffee in the room's Nespresso coffee machine, and we enjoyed the yogurt (which was excellent) and the bread. The croissants were mediocre (not as delicious as the ones in Edinburgh). 

After we finished breakfast, at around 09:30, we started our drive from Glencoe, Balluchulish to Glenfinnan (32 miles away / one hour drive time). We had decided to see the Jacobite Steam Train (aka Hogwarts Express) and the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct. 

The drive was quite scenic, as the road followed the curves of Loch Leven and Loch Eil, along A82 and A830. We saw lots of available Bed & Breakfasts along the way, realizing that this area must be very popular.

When we reached Glenfinnan, we hoped to park at the Glenfinnan Visitor Center, but its parking lot was full. We kept driving, hoping to find another parking spot, but all the other nearby lots were full. We noticed many people had pulled off the road and were waiting to photograph the Jacobite Steam Train. We had not anticipated the popularity of this attraction. The Jacobite Steam Train had been running for over 100 years, so we would have expected its popularity to have been somewhat diminished. Not so!

We found a muddy spot on the grass and parked our car there (the road had no shoulder). I got my new Canon R8 mirrorless camera with the 28-70 f/2.8 lens out and followed Inna, who had climbed over a large rock, for a perfect view of the train tracks. 

As we waited, it had started to lightly drizzle, with the rain increasing in intensity. I decided to return to the car to get Inna's rain jacket and returned in time. The Jacobite Steam Train was running late, and we were quite tired of waiting. Eventually, at 11:25, it finally showed up, and we took multiple photos. Like all days in Scotland, there were periods of drizzle, rain, and sunshine - all within the same hour.

We decided to return to Glenfinnan Visitor Center, but had difficulty finding a place to turn around. There were no roundabouts or turnouts. Eventually, I found a parking space where I could complete a full U-turn. On the way back to Glenfinnan, we found parking at the Glenfinnan Visitor Center (parking costs 5 GBP ).

After parking our car, we walked to the nearby Visitor Center to use the restrooms and to check out the cafeteria and gift shop. We did not find anything worthwhile, so we walked back to the parking lot, noticing another small cafe selling coffee and nachos. We ordered two cappuccinos and nachos, and sat down at an outdoor table (hoping that the weather would stay dry).

Finishing nachos, we walked to the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is used by the Jacobite Steam Train. There was a nice hill overlooking the Viaduct from where photos would be best, and decided to climb and wait for the next train. There were hundreds of people there already, and we found a convenient spot for ourselves. We were still quite amazed at the number of people there. It felt like Disneyland all over again.

We waited until 13:30 for the next train to show up, steaming on top of the Viaduct, and we took dozens of photos. We walked around the area and returned to our car. We thought about getting lunch nearby, but many restaurants were not available. We had the following places in mind:

• Silly Goose at the Lime Tree in Fort William
• Ben Nevis Inn in Fort William
• Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe

We decided to drive to the Kingshouse Hotel and explore the area there (maybe do some hiking if the weather stayed dry). Inna made reservations for 15:00, but we had to change it to 15:15 due to heavy traffic in Glenfinnan. After arriving there, we ordered the following items from the menu:

• Boris: Climber's Pie of the Day (GBP 19.00)
• Inna: Wild Mushroom Risotto (GBP 19.00)

Both the Pie and the Risotto were decent, but nothing to write home about. We should have skipped the Kingshouse Hotel and returned directly to Glencoe.

After lunch, we decided to stop at Ballachulish Medical Practice, as Inna had developed a hot rash on her right arm (she said that she might have pulled out a hair, and perhaps it had become infected). We thought that, like U.S. urgent care, someone who prescribe an antibiotic or equivalent treatment. I tried calling there to make an appointment, but no one picked up the phone.

We drove to Ballachulish Medical Practice, which is conveniently located near the Co-op Food store in Ballachulich (where we needed to stop by anyway). When we entered the Ballachulish Medical Practice, the receptionist told us that no doctor was available. However, she was helpful and recommended seeing a pharmacist, who could diagnose and prescribe treatments. The closest one was far away in Fort Willian. 

When we stopped by the Co-Op Food store, Inna found an antibacterial cleaner, and we started treating her rash with it. Hopefully, it will help to heal the rash.

We returned home and rested a bit, eating some Scottish cookies and drinking hot tea. We decided to skip bike rentals (as it was too cold, windy, and rainy) and instead hike around the property.

We hiked around for 15 minutes, taking photos, and then stopped by the Ballachulish Hotel to inquire about dinner. The hotel had just set up tables for two large groups of tourists that had arrived on large tour buses and did not have any availability until 19:30. We made the reservations and decided to walk back to our Woodlands Glencoe reception area, which also included tables for dining and had a working nearby food truck operating from 17:00 - 20:00.

We decided to order some food (to avoid eating a late dinner). We ordered the following:

• Drinks: Apple Cider (GBP 5.00)
• Boris: Beef Guinness Casserole Dumpling
• Inna: Beef Burger with Salad

My beef casserole was not bad, and Inna's burger was excellent.

After dinner, we returned to our SeaBed unit #7. I made some hot tea, and we enjoyed it with a chocolate bar. Inna turned on the built-in movie projector, and we continued watching Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire.

Day Report  (August 7)

Highlights

• Seeing the Jacobite Steam Train steam on the Glenfinnan Viaduct

Lowlights

• Could not find parking in the Glenfinnan Visitor Center
• Crazy crowds in Glenfinnan (for the Jacobite Steam Train)
• Drizzly weather