Remote railway line in the Highlands named among world's most scenic
A little-used railway line in the Scottish Highlands has been recognised as one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world. Despite its scenic views, one of its stations is among the quietest in Britain.
The Kyle Line, which runs from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, has been ranked the fourth most scenic rail route globally, according to new analysis by JRPASS.
The JRPASS list placed it just behind Switzerland's Bernina and Glacier Express routes and Norway's famed Flåm Railway. While global travellers rave about the Swiss Alps' 'Hogwarts Express-style' trains, the Highland route remains something of a hidden gem, The Mirror reports.
One of the stations on the line, Stromeferry, was among five on the Kyle Line to feature in Trainline's top 50 least-used UK stations. Between 2019 and 2020, just 1,508 journeys were recorded at Stromeferry, averaging fewer than five passengers per day.
Despite its low footfall, the area surrounding Stromeferry offers a wealth of natural and historic charm. Stationmaster's Lodge, located just metres from the station and perched on the shores of Loch Carron, provides a rare and peaceful escape. From the front room, guests can hear the train approaching.
Just a short stroll through Strome Wood leads to the remains of Strome Castle, a 15th-century fortress overlooking the water. Continuing along the shoreline brings visitors to the picture-postcard village of Plockton, a coastal gem more commonly associated with palm trees than Highland weather.
Often dubbed the 'prettiest village in the Highlands,' Plockton boasts a surreal sight: a row of cabbage palm trees lining its main street.
These exotic additions, planted in the 1960s, thrive thanks to the warming influence of the North Atlantic Drift and the village's sheltered bay.
In his book Beyond the Great Glen, James Nicholson describes Plockton's 'sub-tropical appearance', while travel writer Barry Shelby called it 'arguably the prettiest village in the Highlands'.
Over the years, Plockton has caught the eye of TV and film location scouts, featuring in productions like Hamish Macbeth and The Wicker Man .
The town's blend of natural beauty, tidy planned layout, and peaceful surroundings continues to attract visitors looking for a more tranquil escape.
The 12-minute train ride from Stromeferry to Plockton offers a snapshot of what makes the Kyle Line so remarkable.
As VisitScotland puts it: 'The Kyle Line leads through charming Highland villages such as Achnasheen and Plockton before arriving in Kyle of Lochalsh. Completed in 1897, the line was the most expensive rail project of its day: the last 10 miles between Stromeferry and Kyle needed 31 cuttings and 29 tunnels and had to be blasted out of solid rock.'
'The result is a gem of a railway passing over deserted beaches and through fishing villages and offering views of mountains and herons and possibly the odd eagle or otter.'
Tourism has now taken over as Plockton's main industry, following a boom during the oil rig construction era of the 1970s and 80s at the nearby Kishorn Yard, which brought thousands of workers and a wave of investment to the region.
For visitors today, the Plockton Inn offers rooms from £251 per night, while the nearby Lochalsh Hotel has rates from £225. An off-peak day return from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh costs £45 for adults. Up to four children can travel for just £1 each.
The full journey from Inverness to Kyle takes just under three hours, with Plockton served slightly earlier on the route, and every mile offering a window into one of the UK's most spectacular landscapes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
11 hours ago
- Time Out
The rundown Hollywood Premiere Motel just made history
Who says Hollywood is only about skin-deep appearances? Would a place that shallow be able to look beyond the crumbling exterior of the Hollywood Premiere Motel to see the good bones beneath and award it with an invitation to join L.A.'s Historic-Cultural Monument List? The designation came during the July 30 city council meeting, at which everyone seemed to have a one-liner locked and loaded for the first motel to ever make the list. 'It may have a 1.7-star Tripadvisor rating, but we don't judge our landmarks by thread count,' Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez said in a statement. Commission President Barry Milofsky was more skeptical, saying, 'My initial response, looking at the nomination, was, really?' But in a town that lives and dies by good reviews, the motel at 5333 Hollywood Boulevard proudly defied the odds with a unanimous vote to add it to the list. The Hollywood Premiere may be the first motel to land on the Historic-Cultural Monument list, but its architect, Joyce Miller, is only the third woman to have a building make the cut. Built in 1960, the Hollywood Premiere features 42 units and its now-iconic Googie-style neon sign. Like everything else in Los Angeles, it's served as a filming location for a wide variety of projects, including Twin Peaks, Season 3 of Fargo and the Justin Timberlake "Can't Stop the Feeling" music video. The Historic-Cultural Monument List includes a wide variety of Los Angeles buildings, from the obvious (Griffith Park Observatory) to the French restaurant Taix and, well, the Hollywood Premiere Motel. But inclusion on the list does not automatically protect a structure from demolition or renovation. Its designation merely requires the Office of Historic Resources to review permit applications before any alterations, while an environmental review is needed before demolition can move forward. But before you rush out to book a room at the first motel to make the Historic-Cultural Monument list, you may want to skim those TripAdvisor reviews—although, to be fair, the most recent review was written in 2018. "Looks like a snuff film set," one visitor wrote. Well, maybe what's on the outside really is all that matters. It is Hollywood, after all.
Time Out
12 hours ago
- Time Out
What it's like to dine at Angélica Cocina Maestra: the Mendoza restaurant with a Red Michelin Star
There are places you don't just visit—you live them. Angélica Cocina Maestra is one of those. From the moment you arrive at the Catena Zapata Wines restaurant, you feel transported to a universe where history, architecture, wine, and gastronomy merge with impeccable mastery. The experience begins long before sitting at the table. Upon entering, the host invites you to take a guided tour of the impressive building that recreates a Tuscan villa in honor of Nicola Catena, the Italian winemaker who arrived in Mendoza in 1902 to lay the foundation for the family legacy. His son Domingo continued that legacy, and together with Angélica Zapata, they gave this world-renowned winery its name. As they narrate the clan's story and the philosophy of the place, you walk through hallways displaying pages from the book Gold in the Vineyards, written by Laura Catena, illustrating stories of some of the world's most important vineyards. The path leads to the dome, where the largest obsidian stone in Latin America is housed. Continuing onward, you come across an intimate room that opens only on very special occasions, and its wine cellar, which showcases all the winery's wine lines and a display table featuring 'clippings' of important moments in the family business—old photographs, accounting documents from 1924, the first Catena Zapata wine logo, and even a painting of the family tree. Angélica Cocina Maestra: A 'Wine First' Experience The tour ends in a Mediterranean-style courtyard, whose pathway leads to the restaurant entrance. A maître d' awaits warmly at the door, offering a sequence of gestures that promise excellence. Everything here is designed to pay tribute to the Mendoza land and its wines. Thus, amid ambient music and the design of windows offering a 360-degree view of the landscape, winery, and garden, one of the most fascinating culinary experiences begins—one that has been awarded both a red and a green star by the prestigious Michelin Guide. At Angélica Cocina Maestra, the guiding principle is clear: 'Wine First.' The wine does not merely complete the menu; it inspires it. Each dish is crafted to dialogue with Catena Zapata's labels, creating a sensory synergy that surprises with every one of the 13 steps in the culinary journey. The sommelier and waiter explain in detail the exclusive pairing at each stage, with sparkling wines, whites, reds, and Pera Grau Sherry. They guide diners to perceive the combination of flavors that reveal Mendoza's very DNA. 'Wine sets the pace of the kitchen—not the other way around. We start from the glass to arrive at the combination of products with different textures and cooking methods on the plate,' says Josefina Diana, the chef leading the restaurant alongside chef Juan Manuel Feijoo. "Wine sets the pace of the kitchen—not the other way around" The experience begins with snacks that awaken the senses. From a hydrolate made with water sprayed into a glass so that the scent of rain can be smelled, to a sort of stone-shaped box that opens in two to reveal a reimagined stuffed Mendocino sopaipilla and a gel accompaniment made from delicate baby herbs and flowers gathered from the garden. The cured trout aged for five days; the dish called 'expression of the garden' with all green leaves, fennel flowers, chamomile pollen, and a vinaigrette sorbet; the goat and saffron arancini evoking grandmother's cooking; and the crispy pork roll with a slice of black apple—all moments that evoke amazement and countless expressions of happiness on diners' faces. Each dish is part of a story written with local ingredients, global techniques, and a stunning aesthetic palette. The jewel of the menu—and the favorite of both chefs—is the combination of beetroot and sweetbread, a sophisticated dish that shows how well these two ingredients come together: a crispy sweetbread wrapped in foam and covered with a veil made from three proprietary vinegars, beautifully accompanied by flower petals and beetroot root both pickled and puréed—more like velvet. Pairing it with an Adrianna Vineyard White Bones Chardonnay 2022 was a pleasurable and aromatic journey. This Catena Zapata wine is currently ranked as Argentina's second-best wine and the country's best white wine. Terroir, Technique, and Fun at the Table The chefs who came to Angélica Cocina Maestra from the iconic Chila share: 'We always design the seasonal menu with products from Mendoza. Our great goal and challenge is to communicate about the territory, which we approach with responsibility and great respect.' They add: 'We always start designing the proposal from the product we want to cook or show, then develop the rest of the dish.' "Our great goal and challenge is to communicate about the territory, which we approach with responsibility and great respect" Josefina and Juan Manuel bring a contemporary, playful, and sensitive perspective to Mendoza fine dining; they make their dishes 'stand on their own' because among the many preparation ideas they suggest, those that make sense come together, shaping what they present at the table. 'Menu design becomes a conversation, and that feels very natural to us,' they emphasize. 'We like to play, to have the diner interact with the dishes. Each bite can awaken different emotions and surprises,' adds Juan Manuel. Indeed, the cheese course experience is on another level; on a wheeled table, they bring different varieties and origins to invite tasting and pairing with sweets, honey, and nuts. "We like to play, to have the diner interact with the dishes" The truth is that at Angélica Cocina Maestra, diners choose the menu, which varies in the number of courses depending on the wine pairing selected: the Angélica Zapata tasting with 5 labels; the D.V. Catena with 4; the Roller Coaster honoring Domingo V. Catena; the Wine First in tribute to Angélica; the Memorias with 7 lines; or La Famiglia Unita, Parcelas, and Escalera al Cielo with Catena Zapata Wines' premium lines. Notably, there is also a non-alcoholic pairing option. Angélica Cocina Maestra is part of the Catena Zapata Wines ecosystem, one of Argentina's most emblematic wineries Its imposing pyramid-shaped structure, inspired by Mayan culture, faces the Andes like a modern temple to wine. Here, Nicolás Catena Zapata is crowned the 'father of Argentine Malbec' and turned the winery into an icon of the country's viticultural innovation. Laura Catena, the family's fourth generation, is one of the driving forces behind this new gastronomic concept that pays tribute to her grandmother Angélica, a woman who fervently believed in education as a universal right. Architect Ricardo Zumel designed the project, built in the basement of a 1920s winery, with hand-cut stones, handcrafted bricks, recycled wooden beams, flooring made from barrels, and railroad sleepers. The aesthetic highlights the family's Italian heritage. Thus, the Wine First concept restaurant stands as a sensory experience that combines the best of Argentine wine with a gastronomic proposal of the highest standard—worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Save £40 on Harry Potter Studios tour and lunch for the family this summer holiday
During the kids school holidays, treat them to magical day out with a tasty lunch and a visit to the Warner Bro's Harry Potter Studios with a huge £40 saving With the summer holidays now in full swing, it's time to start planning cost-effective ways to keep the little ones busy, and what better way to do that than with some real life magic? Thanks to Virgin Experience Days, you can currently save £40 on a tour of Warner Bros Studio The Making of Harry Potter for a family of three, and on top of that, you'll get a lovely afternoon tea included in the price. The current offer is available to book via the Virgin Experience Days website, and gives you full access to the entire Harry Potter Studios tour, bringing the magic of the beloved film to life for your little ones (and the adults too!). The package includes access for two adults and one child, and works out almost £40 cheaper than if you book directly through the Warner Bros Studio website. When booking directly with Warner Bros, it would set you back £112 for two adult tickets (£56 each) and £45 for a child aged between five and 15, although children under four go free. If you want to book a true magical experience, you can add on Afternoon Tea at the Hogwarts Table, which starts at £39.95 per person, bringing your total for three people up to £276.85. However, when booking via Virgin Experience Days, you can get the The Making of Harry Potter Tour and Lunch for Two Adults and One Child for £238, making it £38.85 cheaper. However, the one caveat is that the included two course lunch isn't on site at the studios – it's situated at The Shendish Manor Hotel just five miles away. Whilst it may not have the same magic as dining in the Great Hall, the hotel is an experience in its own right, with160 acres of parkland and formal gardens to explore, making it an additional day out for the family. If you would rather take a seat at the Hogwarts table, Virgin Experience Days also has plenty of other Harry Potter experience options, which include set options for one adult and one child, one adult and two children, not to mention an epic adventure on the Hogwarts Express, with a Scottish Highlands tour by train. Elsewhere Red Letter Days also offers plenty of different Harry Potter experiences that range from walking tours around the real life filming locations, to tours of the Warner Bros Studio sets. Visit Britain also offers an affordable Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour with return transfer from £119. However if you want to make a full day of it, head over to Virgin Experience Days. The The Making of Harry Potter Tour and Lunch for Two Adults and One Child is available for £238 now. Join our Shopping & Deals WhatsApp for the best bargains and fashion news WHATSAPP: Get the best deals and exclusive discount codes straight to your phone via our WhatsApp group. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. Some of these articles will contain affiliate links where we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from them. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our .
