On the train ride up we feasted upon Scotland’s magnificent scenery and were reminded of one of the positives of the rainy weather by spotting at least half a dozen rainbows. It’s a 6 hour journey and we kept LB occupied with coloring books, books, toys, and the magic screen. She’s very into Ben & Holly at the moment. We had another minor train issue but it simply required a change of cars and we were off.
We arrived at the end of the line, the Mallaig train station, in the early evening. Our abode for the night, the Mission Bunkhouse, was right across the street. Mallaig deserved more time. It’s a great base for day tripping around the Isles. We initially wanted to spend two to three nights in Mallaig but we booked way in advance to ensure low cost train tickets and rooms and at the time not a lot was available.
Mission Bunkhouse is exactly what it sounds like. Spotless rooms, a shared bathroom, a shared kitchen, and a communal dining/lounging area. Also staying at our bunkhouse was a young man whom I will call T who struck me by how much he looks like the lead in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. T has much better social skills. As we were to discover when we all had dinner together at the Conerstone Resaurant he was a fellow American on a gap year while figuring out his next steps.
I don’t remember what anyone else had but I had the Cullen Skink, a soup I would have several times but none of the others would compare to the bowl I had at the Cornerstone. Made of smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions, this was chowder like in its consistency and absolutely delicious. Afterwards we walked around the town a bit as it had finally stopped raining. Twenty minutes later we were at the local store grabbing a bottle of wine for the common room.
Mallaig is early to bed and late to rise with no restaurants opening before 9am and all of them closing at half past 8 (20:30). As usual (since parenthood) we were up by 7 and out and about by 8 so we stopped at the store and picked up supermarket sandwiches and chips/crisps for the train. MISTAKE. See, we had to get the 10:10 train. Not really enough time sit down to a meal at 9. So, rather than go to a restaurant for brekkie we headed to the The Bakehouse & Crannog to grab a pastie.
OMG.
We both got croissants. SM claimed the mushroom and cheese which left me with the ham and cheese. As we were blissfully savoring our savory goodness it occurred to me that, as my dad would say, if I’d known my before like I know my behind I would never have picked up grocery store (barely) edibles and would instead have loaded up here. Unfortunately, by the time I had this epiphany half the town and all the tourists had shown up and we only had 40 minutes until our train left. 😭
Speaking of trains, here’s a little something we learned. The reserve seats are all crammed together in one or two cars. I’d still suggest reserving if you want make sure you get a seat. And as early as possible for the cheaper fares. But, if the car is packed and especially if you are traveling alone or there’s just a couple of you, check out the non-reserved seating. If that fills up you can always go back and claim your reserved seat.
Also, at one of the stations on the way back we happened to stop at the same spot as the Harry Potter train and I totally got my envy on. Technically, it’s the Jacobite, a steam train that does a round trip tourist run between Fort William and Mallaig. From where I was sitting it looked amazing. Definitely do it if you are a fan and can afford it!
