Overview

Departing Fort William, use the main A830 route for a 17 mile drive to reach the famous GLENFINNAN viaduct, it will take about 30 minutes. It’s one of those spots regarded as a must see, especially as you are so close to it. However, you must bear in mind that you will need to do the return journey towards Forr William, so as to continue on our tour towards the Isle of Skye, but it’s well worth the detour. OUR PHOTO OF THE MAP will be useful. The viaduct is regarded as one of the best, certainly well known, and built between 1897 and 1901, at a cost of some £18,904. It stands at the top of Loch Shiel, in the region of Inverness-shire. The viaduct though was able to be used from 1897 to transport materials across the valley, as the railway line continued to be built towards Mallaig, and the full line was in operation from 1st April 1901. The viaduct used mass concrete to build, with 21 semicircular spans, and is the longest concrete rail bridge in Scotland, crossing over the river Finnan 100 feet below. It Is built on a curve, which helps to make the view of approaching trains quite outstanding, especially the famous Jacobite steam train as it steams across. Today, it is known for the four Harry Potter films that use the viaduct in some of its views, but of course other films have used the location as well. We suggest that you now take a look at some of the website below to get an overview of the viaduct with some excellent photos on these website. www.theheritageguide.com www.wikipedia/glenfinnan. www.nts.org.uk/glenfinnanmonument.

Transport & Parking

The route will offer you a view of the viaduct, although we were disappointed by what you can actually see while using one of the holiday coach trips, as they stop just for a few minutes at the visitor centre. There are toilets here, a small cafe ( but reports are that it’s far to expensive and food of a poor standard) and a gift shop If you are using your own car though, then you may have time to walk towards the viaduct for a far better view.

Access

It’s reasonable flat for you, chairs can move around quite comfortably, the view is not too bad, long distant photos will help you see the viaduct itself from some of the viewpoints.

Toilets

There is an accessible toilet, so so, with grab rail and pull cord.

Staff

To busy at times, so may not be to happy to stop and chat.

Photos