See the Jacobite Steam Prepare Cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct (See the Hogwarts Specific!)
A vacationer sightseeing prepare in Scotland grew to become globally well-known when it was used to signify the Hogwarts Specific within the Harry Potter film franchise.
The Jacobite Steam Prepare already had the best look – a black, steam-billowing locomotive and scarlet crimson prepare automobiles – making it the right 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 flicks.
The excellent news is that the Hogwarts Specific you noticed within the Harry Potter movies is an actual prepare, and that now-famous scene of the prepare crossing that curving viaduct was not computer-generated in any respect.
It is no shock, then, that the Glenfinnan Viaduct has turn into a preferred 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 when you aren’t a Harry Potter fan in any respect.)
However seeing the crimson prepare trundling throughout the Glenfinnan Viaduct is not simply one thing you’ll be able to present up and do everytime you need. It is one thing it’s a must 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 road trip, I figured I might share the issues it’s worthwhile to know in case you need to see the Harry Potter prepare 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 prepare 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 prepare of some type operating this route since 1984, whereas the West Highland Line itself has existed since 1901. The quick sightseeing prepare 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 known as the West Highlander and The Lochaber prior to now.
Enjoyable reality: The Jacobite is known as after a political motion shaped by supporters of the Catholic Stuart kings, who have been pushed out of Britain in the course of the Glorious 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 prepare runs 7 days per week from early April by means of late October, with two each day departures from early Could by means of late September.
I’ve actually ridden this train before, and it is a enjoyable expertise!
This submit is particularly about watching the prepare cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct, however for that you will nonetheless must know the prepare schedule!
RELATED: Riding the Harry Potter Train in Scotland: What It’s Really Like
Harry Potter prepare schedule in 2025
There is a morning and afternoon Jacobite prepare 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 may must know the occasions that the prepare leaves each Fort William AND Mallaig with the intention to predict when it is going to cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct. At the moment, 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 all the time greatest to double examine the Jacobite timetable website too, although, in case there are delays or cancelations.
What’s the Glenfinnan Viaduct?
The Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railroad viaduct situated 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 toes excessive and 1250 toes lengthy, making it the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland.
It has been made “well-known,” so to talk, by the Harry Potter motion pictures, however there’s been a customer heart 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 solution 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 automobile. 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 may need to make for the Glenfinnan Customer Heart, which is run by the Nationwide Belief and has a car parking zone the place you’ll be able to park for £5. There’s additionally now a group automobile park subsequent to the customer heart 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 when 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 heart), or take a prepare to the Glenfinnan railway station after which stroll about 20 minutes to the customer heart. More info on non-driving options here. These choices simply require further planning to get the timing proper.
see the prepare cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct
Okay, now for the essential information you got here for!
From Could-September, you even have FOUR probabilities to see the Jacobite cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct on a regular basis (2 occasions in every course). For essentially the most iconic view, you will need to catch the scarlet prepare because it’s touring west-bound from Fort William to Mallaig, as that is the vantage level the place you will see the prepare, the viaduct, and a mountain within the background.
When the prepare is touring from Fort William, it crosses over the viaduct roughly half-hour after departure.
When the prepare is touring the opposite course (eastbound from Mallaig to Fort William), it crosses the viaduct 45-60 minutes after departure.
Viaduct crossing timetable
Based mostly on the 2025 Jacobite timetable, listed here are the occasions when the Harry Potter prepare 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 prepare) | 2:10 p.m. | 3 p.m. |
| Go away Fort William (afternoon) | 12:50 p.m. | 1:20 p.m. |
| Go away Mallaig (afternoon prepare) | 5 p.m. | 5:55 p.m. |
Word, although, that these occasions are approximate, and it is not unusual for the crossing to be slightly later than predicted (once I went, the prepare 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 point of view
From the Glenfinnan Customer Heart, there is a quick stroll to the primary viewing space(s) for the prepare.
For the beneficial view (for trains coming FROM Fort William), you will observe a clearly marked path from the parking space alongside the River Finnan and beneath the arches of the viaduct itself. You may need to flip LEFT and climb a small hill to the viewing space. (Simply observe the gang; you will not be alone.)
It is marked on Google Maps as Glenfinnan Viaduct Viewpoint (West).
This stroll takes perhaps quarter-hour, and is generally flat aside from the final part the place it’s a must to climb a small hill for one of the best viewing space.
Should you’re there for the prepare coming from the opposite course (from Mallaig), you will observe the identical path till it crosses underneath the viaduct, and then you definitely’ll flip off to the RIGHT and climb a distinct hill (marked as Glenfinnan Viaduct Viewpoint (East)). This fashion you’ll be able to nonetheless see the prepare 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 might be fairly squishy. (And really, I like to recommend all the time having a rain coat on you anytime you are outdoor in Scotland. You may doubtless be standing on the hill for at the least a short time ready for the prepare, so be ready for any climate!)
Watching the Harry Potter prepare
Because the Jacobite approaches the Glenfinnan Viaduct, it is going to often sound its horn. You may see the steam, too, so you will know it is coming (although on hotter and sunnier days, the steam will not be a billowing cloud of white).
The prepare can even decelerate because it crosses the viaduct, which means you will not must rush to get your pictures. After I was there, the prepare took virtually 2 full minutes to cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct.
What if I miss the prepare?
And when you miss the prepare, 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 prepare.
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 heart (a 5-10 minute climb) that provides up unimaginable views of Loch Shiel and the viaduct
- Stroll as much as one of many viaduct viewpoints anyway (it is nonetheless beautiful, and there are trains aside from the Jacobite that use it)
- Stroll all the way 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 prepare, 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 heart are value a cease on their very own.
READ NEXT: 9 Magical Harry Potter Sites in Edinburgh, Scotland Every Muggle Should See
Is seeing the Hogwarts Specific one thing you’d need to do in Scotland?
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Harmful Enterprise Journey Weblog. She has traveled to greater than 60 international locations on 6 continents from her residence base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and considerate journey by means of the US, Europe, and remainder of the world. Amanda solely shares ideas primarily based on her private experiences and locations she’s truly traveled!
