Scotland Tour 2019: Crossing to the Mainland and the Harry Potter Train

As we left Armadale, our fingers were crossed that the CalMac ferry (Caledonia-MacBrayne Ferry) would be open for business. Not that any of us wanted to be pitched about on the open water, but we had a special treat ahead--

The Jacobite Steam Train, also known as the Harry Potter Train.

If we missed the ferry, our travel back north to the Skye Bridge (the only other crossing) would then cause us to miss the train.

To our delight, though the first crossing of the day had been canceled, the second was a 'go'.

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Can you see the way the little fishing boat is rocking on the waves in the above photo? I'll admit I popped a Dramamine tablet and hoped it had time to take effect. Though the waves looked a bit rough, the sturdy ferry did a marvelous job of transporting us to Malaig where we then were whisked away to the train station just in time to catch the Harry Potter Train.

We had to hurry to catch our train, but I managed a few photos. We traveled in the 2nd Class Coaches, and it was the 1st Class Coaches that had the 'Harry Potter' look.

We were asked to keep the windows closed because of the smoke that billowed back from time to time. Apparently, the train running east has more of that problem than the return, when the engine pushes the cars instead of pulling them. Info you don't think about. But the smoke did not hinder our views.

Once we arrived in Fort William, our bus was waiting to take us to Stirling, where more fun, music, shopping, and a castle awaited.