SCOTLAND - Walking to Rannoch

The original plan for today was to go up to Nevis Range and take the cable car up Aonach Mor. However, cloudless skies were forcasted for today with temperatures nudging 20 degrees and I figured that it was probably going to end up being a bit crowded. 

I also received news yesterday that the landslip had been fixed and that the trains would be running through to Crianlarich again from yesterday evening. With that news and good weather there was only one thing to do today - head back to Corrour for some serious social distancing!

I was therefore up early for the first train at 07:44 and when we got to Corrour, me and 12 others - some with mountain bikes - got off the train.

Loch Ossian is looking fantastic today

I think I had better explain why there is a station at Corrour. In days gone by it was a "Block Post", a passing place high up on the moors on the single track West Highland Line and so had a signal box and accommodation for the signalling staff. To serve the Corrour Estate and the hunting, shooting and fishing fraternity a station was built.

These days the passing loop is not used and the signalling is all in the train cab via radio but its healthy passenger figures means it stays open. Believe me there are many villages out there that would love 1400 people a year to use their railway stations let alone 14,000.

The plan for today was to walk the 11 or so miles across the moor to the next station down the line - Rannoch. Easy enough as long as I remembered that I had to be there in time for the 15:12 train as after that its a 6 hour wait for the next one!

So after a quick bacon butty at the Corrour Station House I was off. The skies were blue, the sun shining and it was a lovely walk.

Wild open moorland

Be prepared to get your feet wet at the fords

Social Distancing - Keep 2 MILES apart !!!

Rannoch station is another remote one but is quite cosmopolitan compared with Corrour because it has a road! It sits at the end of the B846 (yes the road finishes at the station) but is around 35 miles from the nearest A road - the A9. The road means that the Station Tea Rooms that are in the station building are busy with non travellers but also probably accounts for the fact its usage figures are much lower than Corrour's at around 8800 people a year - its just not so special.

I got to there with a hour to spare for the train, so was able to have lunch from the tea rooms, sitting in the sunshine on the station platform.