Glenfinnan Viaduct — Hillside Viewpoint

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) runs the Glenfinnan Visitor Centre and its car park on the A830, 18.5 miles (30 km) west of Fort William. From there, a flat 15-minute path follows the River Finnan up the glen to the foot of the viaduct, and the NTS 'see it from above' option adds a 10-minute climb up the hillside path, with some steps, to this viewpoint on the slope west of the viaduct. You look across the curve of all 21 arches, with the line coming off the viaduct below you and running west along the hillside to Glenfinnan station. The steam train is the draw: the Jacobite crosses on its way to Mallaig and again on its way back, so the NTS reminds visitors there are two chances to see each journey. In summer the hillside fills well before a Jacobite crossing, so arrive early to find a clear line of sight. ScotRail's diesel trains use the same curve all year with a fraction of the crowd. Everything here is watched from marked NTS paths; the railway is never to be approached.

The viaduct spans the valley of the River Finnan about 100 ft (30 m) above the river, on a curve at the head of Loch Shiel, with the mountains of Lochaber rising on every side. Its 21 grey concrete arches stand out against bracken, heather and open hillside. Behind you and to the south-west, the glen opens to Loch Shiel and the 1815 Glenfinnan Monument at its head, both better seen from the NTS panorama viewpoint above the visitor centre car park, which the Trust describes as taking in the viaduct, Loch Shiel, the Monument and the mountains together. The hillside is open and unsheltered, and Highland weather can change within minutes; low cloud and drizzle are common, and on still mornings mist can sit in the glen. When the Jacobite crosses, its steam and smoke drift across the arches and the hillside, which is why many photographers prefer an overcast day.

The Glenfinnan Viaduct was built by Robert McAlpine & Sons, with Simpson & Wilson as engineers, for the Mallaig extension of the West Highland Railway, which opened on 1 April 1901. McAlpine, nicknamed 'Concrete Bob', built it in mass (unreinforced) concrete because the hard local schist was difficult to work. The viaduct is 1,250 ft (380 m) long and 100 ft (30 m) high, with 21 semicircular spans of 50 ft (15 m) on a curve of 792 ft (241 m) radius, and the National Trust for Scotland calls it the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland. It was designated a Category A listed structure on 4 October 1971. The curve sits at the head of Loch Shiel, where the Glenfinnan Monument (1815) marks the raising of the Jacobite standard in 1745. The viaduct's modern fame comes from the Harry Potter films: it appears in four of them, with the Jacobite playing the Hogwarts Express, and is sometimes called 'the Harry Potter Bridge'.

It is one of the very few places where a scheduled steam train crosses a landmark viaduct on a timetable, for months at a time, in front of a public viewpoint; the Jacobite has run over it since 1995. The curve means a train is seen side-on along most of the structure rather than head-on, and the ordinary ScotRail service makes the same crossing all year, so the viaduct is worth a visit outside the steam season too. The National Trust for Scotland maintains several signed viewpoints around it, from the riverside, the hillside and above the visitor centre, each giving a different view of the same 21 arches.