📌 Glenfinnan, Highland
★★★
Glenfinnan is perhaps the ultimate West Highland honeypot site: Bonnie Prince Charlie, Harry Potter, the National Trust and beautiful scenery creates a recipe for summer crowds – a delight to midges from miles around. The area welcomes ever-greater numbers of tourists (a 147% increase in the 4 years to 2019, for example), but most only walk to the foot of the monument and the base of the viaduct. This circuit explores a little more of Glenfinnan, with good paths and tracks seamlessly linking all the sights together along with superb views over Loch Shiel and a trip to relatively peaceful Glenfinnan village. If you can time your arrival at one of the various viaduct viewpoints with a steam train, even better – times are advertised at the National Trust visitor centre and at the station museum. Consider arriving by train too – the scenery is superb, you’ll get to experience the viaduct from another angle, and it’ll reduce pressure on a very busy car park.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Approach to the viaduct 
River Finnan underneath the viaduct 
Glenfinnan Viaduct 
Glenfinnan Viaduct 
Glenfinnan Viaduct & Beinn an Tuim 
Loch Shiel from the higher part of the trail 
Glenfinnan Station 
Church of St Mary & St Finnan 
Glenfinnan Monument 
Loch Shiel 
Viaduct from the viewpoint behind the visitor centre 
Loch Shiel from the viewpoint behind the visitor centre
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish near Glenfinnan Monument, on A830 immediately east of River Finnan & 0.5 mile east of Glenfinnan railway station
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NM 907807
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.870796,-5.435211
🚆 Glenfinnan, at a different point on the route | 🚌 Bus stops on A830 immediately to west
🚗 Car park (charge, gets full)
📝 Key info
▶ 5 km / 3 mi | ▲ 170 m | ⌛ 2 hr
Features: 🚂 Glenfinnan Viaduct ★★★; 🚂 Glenfinnan Station; 🏛️ Glenfinnan Station Museum ★; ✞ Glenfinnan Monument
⬤ Moderate | Excellent but fairly steep path between viaduct and station with only a couple of wet patches. Minor road back to start, with further good paths beyond – steep up to viewpoint.
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise circuit with several short detours: start – Glenfinnan Viaduct – station & museum – village – start – monument – exhibition & viewpoint – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Plenty of dragonflies and butterflies beyond the viaduct.
Weather: Warm sunshine with scattered clouds and gentle breeze.
August 2015
