Baden-Powell Council BSA
at the
2018 Blair Atholl Patrol Jamborette

Day 1 - July 10th - Jacobite Steam Train























We started our day's touring the day before - flying from Stewart Airport (SWF) to Edinburgh on Norwegian Airlines. 
The flight arrived in Edinburgh around 9:00AM, and soon afterward we'd picked up our minibuses and were on the road. 


Our route to Fort William and the Jacobite led us through Glencoe, the "Weeping Glen". The A82 winds through the glen, and the traffic was heavy enough and the road narrow enough that it made driving... interesting. I was much too busy with the wheel to take pictures, so I had Mike Homrighaus in the passenger seat grab a few as we went along. 


If not actually weeping in the Weeping Glen, it was dripping as we drove through Glencoe - but the low clouds and rain just added to the atmospheric nature of the site of famous massacre of 1692. After the 1689 Jacobite Rising was put down, King William of Orange demanded that all of the Highland clans take an oath of allegiance to him, giving a deadline of 1 January 1692 for them to do so. The MacDonald clan chief delayed until the last minute to take the oath, and when he showed up in Fort William he discovered that he could not do so there. By the time he took the oath at Inverary, the deadline had passed. The Earl of Stair sent a force of lowland Scots (mostly members of the Campbell clan) to be housed by the MacDonalds in Glencoe. At a prearranged signal, the soldiers attacked their hosts, killing many and forcing many to flee into the winter harshness of the Glen. Even in summer rain, it's easy to imagine the hardships they must have suffered.

The Jacobite Steam Train at Fort William Station.
Our group on board the Jacobite, ready to take the West Highland Line to Mallaig. While the train stood in for the "Hogwarts Express" in the Harry Potter films, the rolling stock are the sort with a center aisle rather than the compartment cars shown in the films. 

The West Highland Line leaves Fort William and follows the shore for a number of miles before climbing into the hills. 
Glenfinnan, where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed to raise the Highland Clans in the 1745 Jacobite Rising. The pillar in the photo is a monument to that landing.

Crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct, longest on the West Highland Line. You might remember this viaduct from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where Ron drives his father's Ford Anglia in front of the train.
Engine Driver and Fireman take a break at Glenfinnan Station, as we wait for the down-line train to pass. 

Interior of the switch cabin at Glenfinnan Station
Leaving Glenfinnan, the line continues to climb. At this point the rail line and the Road to the Isles diverge, with the train running further inland, well away from any sort of habitation. This island was used for the burial place of Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2.

Gleann Mama Viaduct - the highest point in the West Highland Line.
Having been awake about 36 hours at this point, our Scouts were clearly enthusiastic about approaching Mallaig...

The line ends at Mallaig, ferry port to the Isles. Greg takes a few minutes to become acquainted with a local resident.
We had a great dinner at the Fish Market restaurant in Mallaig - fish-and-chips for most, although a few opted for the Cullen Skink. 

Loading the ferry to the Isle of Skye
The Scouts were fascinated by the swarms of jellyfish around the docks.

Our Lady of the Braes

The Jacobite crosses the Caledonian Canal, which leads from Loch Ness to the sea.
After we returned to Fort William, it was a short drive to Spean Bridge for our night's stay in the Community Centre.

Home | Touring | Jamborette | After
1996 Jamborette | 1998 Jamborette | 2000 Jamborette | 2002 Jamborette 
2004 Jamborette | 2006 Jamborette | 2008 Jamborette | 2010 Jamborette
2012 Jamborette | 2014 Jamborette | 2018 Jamborette | 2022 Jamborette

Copyright © 2018 Mike Brown