We left home on Thursday evening (6th) - Leeds in the dark... Durham Cathedral, floodlit, almost seemed to float. The train hurtled through... But there was a thin covering of snow even in the cities on the way north...

So after an overnight stop in Edinburgh, we really felt we were on our way. This was a good start for our break - a promise of some real winter. Here are just a few snapshots, mainly taken through the window of a moving train. This is, visually, somewhat hazardous, giving an extremely low success rate! Occasionally a bit of window reflection, dirt, or rakish angle has slipped through the net onto this page. Anyway, for all their photographic faults, hopefully they give a bit of a flavour of the journey.

We went round the east Fife coast, past the distinctive (Fife) Lomonds. Then it was the usual route from Perth up through Pitlochry, Aviemore, to Inverness. A brief foray into the City to get some lunch at a very good organic place opposite the 17th century almshouses/hospital, near the river. We had plenty of time so rather than getting off the train at Strathcarron, we went on to Kyle of Lochalsh, where we had an hour or so. The gallery at the station was lovely, so we bought some cards there, wandered about, and got back on the train, this time bound for Strathcarron Hotel, which is right next to the station.

The Hotel is a friendly place - more like a country pub than a hotel. We had dinner there, the sat for a while over cups of tea. Before bed we went onto the bridge over the railway at the station, to look at the stars - wonderful clear night.

Highlights of the journey were Drumochter pass - thick snow and sunlight highlighting the moraines - and the open and extremely wild country between Lochluichart and Achnasheen. Here was thick snow and hard ice, with some strong, low light. Also distant bright snow emerging from clouds at various points along the way. The trip along Loch Carron was amazing, even in the gloaming (plus a bit of colour in the sunset, though): spectacular, right by, or even in, the sea (they built the line out into th sea, as the cliffs are so high and steep)... between the sea and great precipices. But also lovely views across the sheltered sea-loch, secluded bays and islands. Beyond Plockton both the landward views open out - the hinterland and the sea becoming wilder. It's a very long run almost entirely right on the coast.

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Edinburgh to Inverness:
Beacons ancient and modern: the Fife Lomonds	Perth station	Open country north of Perth	Pitlochry station
Views from Drumochter pass		Approaching Aviemore (west towards the Monaliath)	and beyond Carrbridge where the landscape opens out (looking west).
Inverness:
First stop in Inverness is always this memorial to the station's two well-loved furry friends...		...The late Diesel, waiting near the office with one of his carers (in 2007)
Inverness to Strathcarron, via Kyle of Lochalsh:
Looking north over the head of the Beauly Firth	The Wyvis range	Approaching Strathpeffer	Heading into the interior: more open country
Loch Achanalt	Getting wilder, and colder, but still with plantations, ditches, etc.	The outline of Sgurr a'Mhuillin seemed almost ghostly...	...and gave scale to the ruin it overshadows.
Nearly at Achnasheeen: looking back	and beyond Achnasheen, near the watershed: the inflow to (upper) Loch Gowan	Descending now: Loch Sgamhain	Approaching Glen Carron: winter receding up the contours as the albeit indented coast gets nearer
Strange colours on Cnoc na h-Atha, backed by An Ruadh-Stac (left), Meall nan Ceapairean (middle) and Sgorr Ruadh (right)	Strathcarron and Glas Bheinn	Another brief spell of brightness: Loch Carron	Passing Plockton (on the left)
Kyle of Lochalsh station	When we got to Strathcarron, England seemed like another planet. We'd left Leeds the previous evening - it's a nice run up the east coast but in the dark it was impossible to get photos from the train. This is the view of Durham Cathedral: the photo is from on a different day, from terra firma by the station, but it did look like this - the first "sight" of our trip

(Text and photos by Daniel and Clare Gordon. March 2013).

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