Location
Lochcarron is situated on the West coast of Scotland some 63 miles due west of the City of Inverness.
By Road
From the South, there are 2 possible routes by which to approach Lochcarron.
Firstly, the more scenic, but rather slower, route follows the A82 along the shores of Loch Lomond, over Rannoch Moor and through Glen Coe to Fort William; thence, continuing on the A82 north to Invergarry, and then via the A87 and A890/A896. From Fort William onwards, you will pass several well-known landmarks on the way - the Commando Monument at Spean Bridge, Cluanie Inn, the Five Sisters of Kintail, and Eilean Donan Castle.
Secondly, the somewhat faster, albeit further, route, which quite simply takes the A9 North from Perth to Inverness, thence via the A835 to Garve, the A832 to Achnasheen, and finally the A890/A896. This route encompasses mostly good fast roads, although the single carriageway sections of the A9 can sometimes seem frustratingly slow in heavy traffic
Driving in the Highlands
Many of the road in the Highlands are “Single Track with Passing Places”. At first they can seem daunting but with a little knowledge and some patience can be a wonderful experience. So if you see a vehicle coming towards you, or the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right. Give way to vehicles coming uphill whenever you can. If necessary, reverse until you reach a passing place to let the other vehicle pass. Thinking ahead and stopping when it works for you ensures that you control the interaction and there is less need to reverse - most of us are rubbish at that anyway.
By Rail
For railway enthusiasts, we have the famous Kyle Line which featured as one of Michael Palin’s “Great Railway Journeys of the World”.
This line runs from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh and passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe.
The Caledonian Sleeper service www.sleeper.scot operates from London to Inverness connects with the Kyle of Lochalsh line making it an easy journey from London Euston to Lochcarron!
Details of Service
Inverness - Achnasheen - Strathcarron [for Lochcarron] - Attadale - Plockton - Kyle of Lochalsh is a Daily Service
Operator: First ScotRail www.scotrail.co.uk
You can travel to Locharron/Strathcarron on the North Highlands line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, widely recognized as one of the world's most scenic railway journeys. Strathcarron station is about 3 miles from Lochcarron, and connecting minibus services meet some train arrivals/departures (see below, but not the evening train and not on Sundays). Scotrail operates four services a day in each direction, Mondays to Saturdays, and two services on Sunday (one service only during the winter months). For the complete timetables see http://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/NHLDec14.pdf. Summer timetables come into effect in mid-May each year, but there are usually only marginal changes (if any) between the winter and summer timetables.
To avoid queues, you can buy your online tickets in advance at
http://www.scotrail.co.uk/tickets/fares-and-tickets#advance-purchase,
or by calling the Scotrail telesales team on 08457 550033 between 07.00 and 22.00, seven days a week. All major credit/debit cards are accepted.
By Air
The nearest airport to Lochcarron is at Inverness (Dalcross), some 7 miles to the east of Inverness city centre. The airport is about 70 miles from Lochcarron - approximately 1.5 to 2 hours' easy drive.
Inverness Airport handles both domestic and international flights.
Car hire is readily available from the airport.
Local Public Transport
Connecting minibus services from and to Strathcarron Station
Strathcarron - Lochcarron - Kishorn - Shieldaig - (Torridon) Service 702
Mondays to Saturdays only Operator: DMK Motors, Lochcarron
Connecting minibus services operate for some of the train arrivals/departures. The service from Lochcarron to Strathcarron Station for the early morning Inverness train (Strathcarron dep. 07.03) is on request (although not indicated in the timetables) and a telephone booking is required before 18.00hrs the day before travel. To book seats telephone +44-(0)1520-722682. No booking is required for the other services that connect with the mid-morning, mid-day and early afternoon (school days only) train arrivals. Unfortunately, there is no longer a minibus connection for the evening train, and visitors arriving by train should note that there are no taxi facilities at Strathcarron station.
Inverness to Lochcarron by bus
(Toscaig-Applecross-Shieldaig-Kishorn)-Lochcarron-Achnasheen-Garve-Dingwall-Inverness Service 704 Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays only
Operator: Lochcarron Garage
Since February 2015 this 16-seater minibus service now operates three times a week from/to Inverness bus station (adjacent to the railway station), usually arriving and departing at Stance/Bay 7, but this is subject to change. Departure point in Lochcarron is the Post Office/Village Hall or the Lochcarron Garage. Pick up/drop off from/to Toscaig, Applecross, Shieldaig, Kishorn and other points en route are by request, and must be pre-booked no later than by 18.00hrs the day prior to travelling, at the telephone number below. As the service is very popular, booking a seat(s) for Inverness to Lochcarron or v.v. is also strongly recommended. To book seats telephone +44(0)1520-722205.
©Hannah Cundiff