Scottish anchorages

Personally I like trains. They are usually comfortable, you can get up and wander around, there is food available normally, you can read the paper or a good book, and the views are better than from buses. But they are more expensive than buses although sometimes there are very good deals, particularly if you are over 55. All the trains are run by ScotRail, and they all start from Glasgow Queen Street Station, splitting at Crianlarich with one half going on to Oban and the other to Fort William and then to Mallaig. Getting off at Connel Ferry, the stop before Oban, is an option for say Dunstaffnage, but there is no taxi rank so you might as well wait until Oban. On the Mallaig line you can get off at Arisaig and easily walk down to the anchorage. A real treat in the summer is to take the Jacobite steam train between Fort William and Mallaig, real little boys' stuff.

These two routes must be amongst the great train journeys of the world, certainly of the UK. The trains may be slow, creaky and squeaky, and somewhat eccentric - but the countryside is outstanding, both to the left and right. Lochs give way to mountains to moorland and back to lochs, both freshwater and sea lochs. Wonderful! Why worry, join the slow movement (unless of course you happen to be on business). The train crew always seems friendly, they seem to know many of the passengers, and everyone is ever so relaxed.

One problem is that there are not that many trains - just three a day each way in summer.