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Public Transport Adventures with Girls on Hills

girlsonhills
2 days ago
8 min read

There’s something wonderfully liberating about travelling to the mountains alone. You can choose your own train, watch the landscape change outside the window, arrive with nothing to think about except your rucksack and the hills ahead, and then meet a group of women who are there for exactly the same reason.


Solo travel has become a major global travel trend for women. More and more of us are choosing to travel independently, seeking freedom, adventure, time outdoors and the chance to explore somewhere on their own terms. We love that spirit of independence - but travelling solo doesn't necessarily mean adventuring alone. You can make your own way to the Highlands, then join our supportive group of women for a shared trail/mountain experience. See all our events HERE.

At Girls on Hills, we want to reduce our carbon footprint and make it easier for people to travel to our courses without relying on a car when travelling solo. The good news is that more Girls on Hills courses are accessible by public transport than you might think!


 

Events you can reach by rail

A number of our annual events are particularly well suited to travelling by train. In some cases, the railway takes you right into the mountains!


1.     Corrour Munros and Over 50s Corrour Trail Running

Corrour is perhaps the ultimate Girls on Hills public transport adventure.

Our Corrour Munros hillwalking and running courses and our Over 50s Corrour Trail Running course use Corrour Station as the access point.

Corrour Station is on the West Highland Line between Glasgow and Fort William, with trains continuing onwards to Mallaig. It is one of Britain's most remote railway stations, and there is no public road access to the station. You can literally step off the train and straight into an extraordinary Highland landscape. For anyone looking for a proper adventure without a car, it's hard to beat.

The current ScotRail timetable includes Corrour on services between Glasgow and Fort William and Mallaig.


2.     Stob Bàn and Mullach nan Coirean, Ring of Steall and other Fort William hillwalking or skyrunning events

Fort William is one of the easiest Highland mountain bases to reach without a car. The West Highland Line runs directly from Glasgow Queen Street to Fort William, with the journey continuing through some of the most spectacular scenery in Scotland.

The current ScotRail timetable shows Fort William as a regular stop on the West Highland Line, with services continuing north to Mallaig.

Once you've arrived in Fort William, we can help with the onward logistics for your course.

 

3.     Wild Knoydart and Knoydart Munros

Knoydart is one of our wildest and most remote course locations, and wonderfully, you can get there by train.

Our Wild Knoydart and Knoydart Munros courses use Mallaig as the gateway.

The West Highland Line runs all the way from Glasgow to Mallaig, taking you through some of the most spectacular scenery in Scotland. ScotRail describes the line as a journey through open moorland, mountains, lochs and the Glenfinnan Viaduct. The complete journey takes just over five hours. ScotRail

From Mallaig, you continue your journey into Knoydart by boat.

This is one of those courses where travelling by public transport doesn't feel like a compromise - the journey is very much part of the adventure!

 

4.     Cairngorms Lairig Loop and Cairngorm Munros

Our Cairngorms Lairig Loop is another excellent option for a car free mountain adventure. Aviemore is a major Highland transport hub, with rail connections from the south and onward connections into the Cairngorms.

From Aviemore, we can help with the course logistics and connect you with other participants travelling to the same event.

This is also one of our most remote-feeling locations. The Lairigs of the Cairngorm plateau are long, dramatic and wonderfully far from the road. We also provide all the car-shuttles from the meet point to the start and to/from accommodation in Braemar (as well as shuttling your overnight bag for you!)



 

What about courses/events without rail connection?

Most of our other events can be reached by bus. The Scottish Highlands has an extensive long distance coach network - although rural services can be less frequent and some routes are seasonal. Always check the current timetable for your course date.

Here are some of the useful arrival points for our other courses:

  • Torridon Munros: aim to get yourself to Kinlochewe. Westerbus provides services connecting Kinlochewe with the wider Wester Ross area and Inverness.

  • Glencoe events: Aim for Glencoe or Ballachulish. Scottish Citylink and Ember provide connections through the area, including services linking Fort William, Glasgow and other Highland destinations.

  • Lawers Range Munros: aim for Killin. There are local bus connections as well as longer distance services that can get you into the area.

  • Glen Affric Fastpacking and Munros: aim for Drumnadrochit. Citylink and local Highland services connect Drumnadrochit with Inverness and Fort Augustus.

For current routes, times and connections, we recommend checking Scottish Citylink and Traveline Scotland before you travel (see links below).

 

For Torridon: get yourself to Kinlochewe!

Torridon is one of those places where public transport requires a little more planning, but it is possible. Kinlochewe is served by Westerbus, including services connecting the village with Inverness and the wider Wester Ross area.

Once you've got yourself to Kinlochewe, we can help with the final part of the journey to the course. Because rural bus services can change seasonally, we recommend checking the current timetable before booking your accommodation and travel.


Glencoe and Ballachulish

Glencoe doesn't have a railway station, but it is surprisingly well connected by coach. For our Glencoe courses, you can generally aim for Glencoe or Ballachulish. Scottish Citylink operates long distance services through the area, while Ember also provides electric bus services linking Fort William with destinations further south.

That makes Glencoe a realistic destination for a car free weekend, particularly if you combine public transport with our lift sharing network.

 

For the Lawers Range: get yourself to Killin!

Killin is another place where you'll need to plan your journey around the available bus services. There are local services connecting Killin with Callander and other communities, as well as longer distance coach connections at relevant times of year.

As with all rural Highland travel, check the current timetable before you book. If you can get yourself to Killin, we can look at the onward journey from there.


Glen Affric: get yourself to Drumnadrochit!

For our Glen Affric Fastpacking and Munros courses, Drumnadrochit is the useful public transport hub. Citylink services connect Inverness with Drumnadrochit, continuing towards Fort Augustus and Fort William. Local services also operate in the area.

Once you're in Drumnadrochit, get in touch with us and we'll look at the best way of getting you to the course.


The trickier ones: Glen Shiel and the North West Giants

There are a couple of areas where public transport becomes more challenging. Our Glen Shiel events are particularly tricky because the course terrain is remote and there isn't a straightforward public transport connection to the start. However, if you can get yourself to Fort Augustus or Invermoriston, we can often help arrange a lift share from there.

The North West Giant events are also more difficult to access without a car. However, getting yourself to Ullapool can make things much easier and we can then look at arranging a lift share from there.

Again, don't write off a course just because you don't have a car. Get in touch with us and we'll see what we can arrange.


 

Don't forget the Girls on Hills lift share scheme:

This is where our community really helps. Getting yourself to the general area is often the hardest part of a car free mountain adventure. Once you've reached somewhere such as Fort William, Glencoe, Ballachulish, Killin, Drumnadrochit, Kinlochewe or Aviemore, we can often help with the final journey.

We have a handy Girls on Hills WhatsApp groups for each event, where participants and guides can coordinate lift sharing. It's one of our favourite things about the supportive women who sign-up to our events. You might arrive at a train station or bus stop on your own, but you're unlikely to stay a solo traveller for long!

So please don't assume that not having a car means you can't do the course you want to do. Ask us first – just drop us an email at info@girlsonhills.com 


Flying to Scotland without hiring a car

If you're travelling from further afield, you may be looking at flying into Scotland and then continuing your journey by public transport.

For our Fort William and Glencoe based courses, the three main airports you'll probably consider are Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness.


Glasgow Airport

Glasgow is around 100 miles by road from Fort William and roughly 85 miles from Glencoe. It is one of the most convenient airports for reaching our western Highland courses.

From Glasgow Airport, you can travel north by coach towards Fort William and Glencoe. There are also connections into Glasgow city centre, where you can pick up the West Highland Line from Glasgow Queen Street to Fort William.

The train journey from Glasgow to Fort William takes around four hours, depending on the service. The railway then continues towards Mallaig, passing through Corrour and other spectacular Highland locations. ScotRail

From Glasgow Airport, your options include:

  • Take a coach towards Fort William or Glencoe.

  • Travel into central Glasgow and take the ScotRail West Highland Line to Fort William.

  • Hire a car at the airport if you need greater flexibility.


Edinburgh Airport

Edinburgh Airport is further from the western Highlands, but there is a particularly useful public transport option.

Ember's E4 service runs from Edinburgh Airport to Fort William. Edinburgh Airport currently lists four E4 departures from the airport each day. Edinburgh Airport

You can also travel from Edinburgh Airport into Edinburgh and then continue by rail, changing in Glasgow for the West Highland Line to Fort William.

For Glencoe, the coach network is generally more straightforward because Glencoe itself does not have a railway station.

Your options include:

  • Take the Ember E4 directly to Fort William.

  • Travel into Edinburgh and continue by rail via Glasgow to Fort William.

  • Use coach connections to reach Glencoe or Ballachulish.

  • Hire a car at the airport if you need greater flexibility.

Edinburgh Airport also provides current information on its bus and coach connections, including Fort William services.


Inverness Airport

Inverness Airport is the closest of the three major Scottish airports to Fort William. From Inverness Airport, you'll generally travel into Inverness before continuing towards Fort William or Glencoe by bus or coach.

This can be particularly useful if you're travelling to our northern Highland courses, including Glen Affric and Torridon, as Inverness is a major public transport hub for the Highlands.

For Fort William and Glencoe, you can look at coach connections from Inverness, including Citylink and Ember services, depending on your travel date.


What if your accommodation isn't walking distance from the bus stop?

We know that Highland accommodation isn't always conveniently located next to a railway station or bus stop. In fact, some of the best places to stay are decidedly not.

If you're staying in the area of one of our courses without your own car, we may be able to help with a shuttle to or from your accommodation.

Simply email us before you book and let us know where you're staying. We can check whether it's on our route and what we can reasonably stretch to.

We can't promise a door-to-door service for every remote cottage in the Highlands but we'll always try to find a practical solution.



 

Plan the whole experience

One of the lovely things about travelling to a mountain course by public transport is that the journey becomes part of the adventure. You get to watch the landscape change as the train heads north. You can read, nap, chat to another traveller, stare out at Rannoch Moor or Loch Linnhe, and arrive without spending hours concentrating on a narrow Highland road.

The hills are more accessible than you might think…

 

Useful links for planning your journey

Scottish Citylink: https://www.citylink.co.uk

Traveline Scotland: https://www.travelinescotland.com 

 

ScotRail recommends checking Traveline Scotland for information involving connections with other transport operators, while Ember's current network includes services connecting Fort William, Inverness, Oban and other Highland destinations.

 

Top tip: Highland bus and train timetables can change, particularly around seasonal services, engineering works and winter timetable reductions. Always check the operator's current timetable for your exact course date before travelling or drop us a line for advice at info@girlsonhills.com 

 
 
 

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