A vacationer sightseeing practice in Scotland grew to become globally well-known when it was used to symbolize the Hogwarts Specific within the Harry Potter film franchise.
The Jacobite Steam Prepare already had the proper look – a black, steam-billowing locomotive and scarlet purple practice automobiles – making it the proper stand-in for the Hogwarts Specific. Add in a 1200-foot-long viaduct within the Scottish Highlands with mountains and lochs within the background, and you’ve got a real-life scene that appears prefer it was created particularly for the films.
The excellent news is that the Hogwarts Specific you noticed within the Harry Potter movies is an actual practice, and that now-famous scene of the practice crossing that curving viaduct was not computer-generated in any respect.
It is no shock, then, that the Glenfinnan Viaduct has change into a well-liked vacationer cease within the Highlands for Harry Potter followers who need to see the “Hogwarts Specific” in actual life. (And it is a very cool spot even in case you aren’t a Harry Potter fan in any respect.)
However seeing the purple practice trundling throughout the Glenfinnan Viaduct is not simply one thing you may present up and do everytime you need. It is one thing you need to plan for to get the timing proper.
And as somebody who researched and deliberate this out for myself and a pair buddies on a Scotland highway journey, I figured I might share the issues you must know in case you need to see the Harry Potter practice for your self.
What’s the Jacobite Steam Prepare?
First issues first: what precisely is The Jacobite?
The Jacobite/Jacobite Steam Prepare is a vacationer practice that operates from April-October on a part of the West Highland Line in Scotland between the cities of Malliag and Fort William within the Scottish Highlands.
There was a vacationer practice of some kind working this route since 1984, whereas the West Highland Line itself has existed since 1901. The quick sightseeing practice route (the gap from Mallaig to Fort William is just about 40 miles) was launched to spice up tourism to this a part of Scotland, and has been referred to as the West Highlander and The Lochaber prior to now.
Enjoyable truth: The Jacobite is known as after a political motion shaped by supporters of the Catholic Stuart kings, who had been pushed out of Britain through the Wonderful Revolution. For many years, supporters of James II of England fought to have the Stuarts reinstated as kings, and this included a number of uprisings within the Highlands (together with the rising of 1745, which culminated within the Battle of Culloden).
The practice runs 7 days every week from early April by late October, with two each day departures from early Could by late September.
I’ve truly ridden this practice earlier than, and it is a enjoyable expertise!
This put up is particularly about watching the practice cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct, however for that you will nonetheless have to know the practice schedule!
RELATED: Driving the Harry Potter Prepare in Scotland: What It is Actually Like
Harry Potter practice schedule in 2025
There is a morning and afternoon Jacobite practice service that begins and ends in Fort William throughout excessive season in Scotland.
- The morning service runs April 7-October 24, 2025
- The morning AND afternoon service runs Could 5-September 26, 2025
You will have to know the occasions that the practice leaves each Fort William AND Mallaig as a way to predict when it should cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct. Presently, the departure occasions are:
| Morning | Afternoon | |
| Go away Fort William | 10:15 a.m. | 12:50 p.m. |
| Go away Mallaig | 2:10 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
It is at all times finest to double verify the Jacobite timetable web site too, although, in case there are delays or cancelations.
What’s the Glenfinnan Viaduct?
The Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railroad viaduct positioned close to Loch Shiel within the Scottish Highlands. It was constructed between 1897 and 1898 for the West Highland Railway.
The concrete viaduct is 100 ft excessive and 1250 ft lengthy, making it the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland.
It has been made “well-known,” so to talk, by the Harry Potter films, however there’s been a customer middle close by for years since it is also close to Loch Shiel and the Glenfinnan Monument (which is devoted to the Highlanders who fought and died within the Jacobite rising of 1745).
Attending to Glenfinnan
The best option to see the Jacobite cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct is to drive your self there. The Glenfinnan Viaduct is off the A830 roughly 1 hour from Glencoe, 2 hours from Inverness, 3 hours from Glasgow, and three.5 hours from Edinburgh by automotive. That is one of the best ways to make sure you can arrive on the proper time to see the Jacobite cross the viaduct.
You will need to make for the Glenfinnan Customer Heart, which is run by the Nationwide Belief and has a car parking zone the place you may park for £5. There’s additionally now a group automotive park subsequent to the customer middle lot.
Professional tip: Get there early! The car parking zone can and infrequently does replenish across the Jacobite crossing occasions, so I like to recommend packing a picnic lunch and arriving early in case you can. My buddies and I arrived about an hour early on a July afternoon (the height of excessive season), and the lot was already virtually full.
You *can* additionally take a bus from Fort William (which may drop you proper on the customer middle), or take a practice to the Glenfinnan railway station after which stroll about 20 minutes to the customer middle. Extra data on non-driving choices right here. These choices simply require extra planning to get the timing proper.
see the practice cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct
Okay, now for the vital data you got here for!
From Could-September, you even have FOUR possibilities to see the Jacobite cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct on a regular basis (2 occasions in every course). For essentially the most iconic view, you may need to catch the scarlet practice because it’s touring west-bound from Fort William to Mallaig, as that is the vantage level the place you may see the practice, the viaduct, and a mountain within the background.
When the practice is touring from Fort William, it crosses over the viaduct roughly half-hour after departure.
When the practice is touring the opposite course (eastbound from Mallaig to Fort William), it crosses the viaduct 45-60 minutes after departure.
Viaduct crossing timetable
Primarily based on the 2025 Jacobite timetable, listed below are the occasions when the Harry Potter practice will cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct:
| Departure | Viaduct crossing | |
| Go away Fort William (morning) | 10:15 a.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| Go away Mallaig (morning practice) | 2:10 p.m. | 3 p.m. |
| Go away Fort William (afternoon) | 12:50 p.m. | 1:20 p.m. |
| Go away Mallaig (afternoon practice) | 5 p.m. | 5:55 p.m. |
Notice, although, that these occasions are approximate, and it is not unusual for the crossing to be a little bit later than predicted (after I went, the practice crossed about quarter-hour later than what we had anticipated).
The precise occasions the trains are anticipated to cross are posted on the Glenfinnan Customer Centre every day.
Attending to the perspective
From the Glenfinnan Customer Heart, there is a quick stroll to the primary viewing space(s) for the practice.
For the really helpful view (for trains coming FROM Fort William), you may comply with a clearly marked path from the parking space alongside the River Finnan and beneath the arches of the viaduct itself. You will need to flip LEFT and climb a small hill to the viewing space. (Simply comply with the group; you will not be alone.)
It is marked on Google Maps as Glenfinnan Viaduct Viewpoint (West).
This stroll takes possibly quarter-hour, and is usually flat aside from the final part the place you need to climb a small hill for the most effective viewing space.
Should you’re there for the practice coming from the opposite course (from Mallaig), you may comply with the identical path till it crosses below the viaduct, and then you definately’ll flip off to the RIGHT and climb a special hill (marked as Glenfinnan Viaduct Viewpoint (East)). This fashion you may nonetheless see the practice coming at you, as an alternative of watching it from behind.
Professional tip: Put on sneakers you do not thoughts getting moist/muddy, because the hills may be fairly squishy. (And really, I like to recommend at all times having a rain coat on you anytime you are outside in Scotland. You will probably be standing on the hill for a minimum of a short while ready for the practice, so be ready for any climate!)
Watching the Harry Potter practice
Because the Jacobite approaches the Glenfinnan Viaduct, it should normally sound its horn. You will see the steam, too, so you may know it is coming (although on hotter and sunnier days, the steam will not be a billowing cloud of white).
The practice can even decelerate because it crosses the viaduct, which means you will not have to rush to get your images. Once I was there, the practice took virtually 2 full minutes to cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct.
What if I miss the practice?
And in case you miss the practice, or just cannot make the schedule work to be there for one of many Jacobite crossings? That is okay! The Glenfinnan Viaduct is value visiting even with out the Harry Potter practice.
Issues you are able to do at Glenfinnan any time embody:
- See the shows on the Glenfinnan Customer Heart (which cowl the Jacobite risings)
- Climb as much as a viewpoint proper behind the customer middle (a 5-10 minute climb) that provides up unbelievable views of Loch Shiel and the viaduct
- Stroll as much as one of many viaduct viewpoints anyway (it is nonetheless attractive, and there are trains aside from the Jacobite that use it)
- Stroll right down to Loch Shiel
- Go to and even climb to the highest of the Glenfinnan Monument
If you wish to miss the crowds and do not actually care about seeing the Harry Potter practice, then I truly would advise you to plan your Glenfinnan go to at every other time of day! The Highland surroundings is gorgeous right here even with out the trains, and the loch and customer middle are value a cease on their very own.
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Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Harmful Enterprise Journey Weblog. She has traveled to greater than 60 nations on 6 continents from her dwelling base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and considerate journey by the US, Europe, and remainder of the world. Amanda solely shares ideas primarily based on her private experiences and locations she’s truly traveled!