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简体中文Thin: plan a car or careful routes Our reading of the sources below, not an official rating.
Stations, bridges and harbours from our guide where we hold a photo; each links to the area page that lists it.
Paying for local transport in the Scottish Highlands
Regional coaches, buses, trains and ferries
- Scottish Citylink's website refused automated access, so we have not read its ticket or pass pages. Check it for coach routes and any pass or concession that applies to you. See the ports page for CalMac and NorthLink ferries, and the airports page for Inverness Airport buses and trains.Source: Scottish Citylink (site not readable to us).
ScotRail (Scotland’s trains).ScotRail runs most trains within Scotland. Its tickets page refused automated access, so check ticket types and any Scotland-only offers on its site.ScotRail tickets (opens in new tab)
Without a car
Getting here
By air
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited lists flights from Inverness Airport to London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Belfast, Dublin and Amsterdam, among other destinations. 1
By train and sleeper
Inverness station is the terminus of the Highland Main Line. The West Highland Line serves Fort William and Mallaig, with a branch to Oban. The Caledonian Sleeper runs overnight from London Euston and lists Inverness, Fort William and Aviemore among its Highland destinations. 2
Caledonian Sleeper (opens in new tab) · ScotRail (opens in new tab) · National Rail (opens in new tab)
By coach
Citylink gives journey times to Fort William of about 2 hours from Inverness, 3 hours from Glasgow and 4 hours from Skye. CalMac says the bus from Glasgow to Oban takes just under 3 hours, and from Inverness to Oban 3 hours 30 minutes with a change at Fort William. 3
Citylink: Fort William (opens in new tab) · CalMac: Kerrera and Oban by bus (opens in new tab)
By ferry
CalMac gives 45 minutes for Oban to Craignure on Mull and 45 minutes for Mallaig to Armadale on Skye, and recommends vehicle reservations for Mull. A small ferry crosses to Kerrera from Gallanach in 5 minutes. 4
CalMac: Mull (opens in new tab) · CalMac: Skye (opens in new tab)
Once you are there
In the Cairngorms
Visit Cairngorms lists trains to Aviemore and Kingussie, the Aviemore Adventurer bus between Aviemore and Cairngorm Mountain (seven days a week, hourly, with room for bikes and skis) and dial-a-bus services in the east. It also lists car hire at Aviemore. 5
On Skye
CalMac gives about 45 minutes for the Mallaig to Armadale ferry, lists the Skye Bridge route via Kyle of Lochalsh, and says Stagecoach runs the island buses. Plan the connection with Traveline Scotland. 6
What to do if you cannot drive
Base yourself in a town on the rail or coach network, choose the sights that are on it, and check bus operators for the rest. For remote places a hire car for one or two days is the realistic option, and Visit Cairngorms lists hire at Aviemore. We do not list tour operators because we have not checked any. 5
Trains and coaches
Trains and coaches link Inverness, Aviemore, Fort William and Oban. Reaching sights such as Glenfinnan, Glencoe, Fairy Pools or Culloden without a car needs extra planning, so check local bus operators.
Stops near each area
From our area guides (The Scottish Highlands): the stations and stops listed for each base. See each area's Getting there page for more.
Inverness & Loch Ness
- Inverness: Rail. City-centre station and the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen line, the Kyle of Lochalsh line and the Far North Line
- Caledonian Sleeper: Overnight from London Euston. The sleeper lists Inverness among its Highland destinations
- Inverness Airport: Flights. Highlands and Islands Airports lists flights to London, Manchester, Amsterdam, Dublin and other destinations
- Citylink: Coaches to Fort William, Skye and Ullapool. Citylink lists routes from Inverness to Skye, to Fort William and Oban, and to Ullapool
Fort William, Glencoe & Ben Nevis
- Fort William: Rail. Station on the West Highland Line, served by ScotRail and the Caledonian Sleeper
- The Jacobite: Steam train to Mallaig. West Coast Railways runs a Fort William to Mallaig return journey of 84 miles
- Glenfinnan: Rail. Station on the West Highland Line, about 1 km west of the viaduct
- Citylink: Coaches. Citylink gives journey times of about 2 hours from Inverness, 3 hours from Glasgow and 4 hours from Skye
Isle of Skye: Portree & Dunvegan
- Skye Bridge: Road. The A87 crosses Loch Alsh to Kyleakin; the other route is the ferry from Mallaig to Armadale
- Mallaig to Armadale: CalMac ferry. CalMac gives a crossing time of 45 minutes
- Citylink: Coaches. Citylink lists coach routes from Glasgow and Inverness to Skye, and gives about 4 hours from Fort William
- Raasay and Uig ferries: CalMac. CalMac ferries to Raasay leave from Sconser, and ferries to the Outer Hebrides from Uig
The Cairngorms: Aviemore & Grantown-on-Spey
- Aviemore: Rail. Station on the Highland Main Line, managed by ScotRail, and the southern terminus of the Strathspey Railway
- Caledonian Sleeper: Overnight from London Euston. The sleeper lists Aviemore among its Highland destinations
- Strathspey Railway: Heritage railway. Preserved railway running from Aviemore to Broomhill
- Cairngorm Mountain: Mountain railway. The Cairngorm Mountain site lists a mountain railway and closes facilities in severe weather
Oban, Argyll & the Mull ferry
- Oban: Rail. Terminus of one branch of the West Highland Line, managed by ScotRail
- Oban ferry terminal: CalMac to Craignure, Mull. CalMac gives a crossing time of 45 minutes; vehicle reservations are recommended
- Gallanach to Kerrera: Small ferry. CalMac gives a crossing time of 5 minutes from Gallanach, near Oban
- Citylink: Coaches. CalMac says the bus from Glasgow takes just under 3 hours and from Inverness 3 hours 30 minutes with a change at Fort William
The Black Isle & Easter Ross
- Inverness: Rail and coach hub. The nearest city; Black Isle communities are reached by road from here
- Dingwall: Rail. Station on the Far North Line at the junction with the Kyle of Lochalsh line, managed by ScotRail
- Tain: Rail. Unstaffed station on the Far North Line, 44 miles from Inverness, in the same building as Platform 1864
- Black Isle by road: Car. Cromarty, Fortrose and Rosemarkie are reached by road; check local bus operators for timetables
No timetables or fares are copied here: check the operator or Traveline for the day you travel. Taxis and ride-hailing apps operate in most towns, but we have no sourced coverage data for rural areas, so do not count on one at short notice.
With a car
Single-track roads
The Highland Council (in a March 2023 notice) says single-track roads are wide enough for one vehicle and have passing places. If you meet an oncoming vehicle, pull into a passing place on your left or wait opposite one on your right. Do not park in passing places. The Highway Code gives the same advice in rules 155 and 156. 7,8
Fuel and wildlife
VisitScotland says rural and remote areas have few fuel stations, so fill up early, and asks drivers to watch for farm animals and wildlife and to slow down near deer signs. 9
Ferries and vehicle spaces
CalMac strongly advises booking in advance to secure a vehicle space (Skye page). Our region data also records CalMac recommending vehicle reservations for Mull. 6
Electric cars
VisitScotland and CalMac both point to ChargePlace Scotland for charge points. Plan charging before you set off in rural areas. 9,6,10
Distances are long
Portree, the main town on Skye, is about 119 km from Inverness according to Wikipedia, and each base here is a long drive from the next. Choose two or three areas rather than trying to see all six.
Single-track roads
Many single-lane roads have passing places where vehicles pull in to let oncoming traffic pass. VisitScotland also asks drivers not to block passing places when they park. 11
Check roads before you set off
VisitScotland points drivers to the Traffic Scotland route checker for roadworks, accidents and weather disruption. 12
Ferries
Ferries to Mull, Skye and Kerrera are run by CalMac. Vehicle reservations are recommended for Mull, and electric vehicle drivers can find charging points through ChargePlace Scotland, according to CalMac. 13
General rules (driving on the left, licences, roundabouts, speed limits in mph, parking, tolls, EV charging): Driving in Britain. Charge points: Zapmap (opens in new tab).
To and from other regions
Straight-line distance from our region centres, and the fastest train time that National Rail publishes on its destination pages (not a timetable; it may include a change). Where we found no figure we say so. The full table is on getting between regions.
| To or from | Straight line | Fastest train (National Rail) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bath | 668 km (415 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Bristol | 656 km (408 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Cambridge | 642 km (399 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Cardiff | 646 km (401 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Cornwall | 773 km (480 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Edinburgh | 174 km (108 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Glasgow | 154 km (96 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Liverpool | 439 km (273 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| London | 704 km (438 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | Caledonian Sleeper runs London Euston to Inverness and to Fort William overnight (boarding at Euston from 20:30 on its page; timetable stated to run 17 May to 12 December 2026). No daytime journey time was found on a page that could be read. |
| Manchester | 446 km (277 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Northern Ireland | 306 km (190 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Oxford | 650 km (404 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Portsmouth and Southampton | 745 km (463 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Stratford & Warwickshire | 589 km (366 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| The Cotswolds | 623 km (387 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| The Jurassic Coast | 743 km (462 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| The Lake District | 325 km (202 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| The Peak District | 482 km (299 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Wales | 549 km (341 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| York | 433 km (269 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
Figures retrieved 25 Oct 2026 for the intercity data. Timetables change.
Stations in our data
36 stations and stops (The Scottish Highlands)
Wikipedia station articles (coordinates from Wikidata, CC0; operator as stated in each article). OpenStreetMap via Overpass was unreachable, so this list is partial: main line, West Highland, Kyle and Far North stations only. Re-run tools/regions-stations.mjs when Overpass is back.. Fetched 2026-10-25. This is the list behind the near-me page, not a complete list of stations.
- Achnasheen (rail), ScotRail
- Alness (rail), ScotRail
- Arisaig (rail), ScotRail
- Aviemore (rail), ScotRail
- Banavie (rail), ScotRail
- Beauly (rail), ScotRail
- Bridge of Orchy (rail), ScotRail
- Broomhill (rail), ScotRail
- Carrbridge (rail), ScotRail
- Connel Ferry (rail), ScotRail
- Conon Bridge (rail), ScotRail
- Corpach (rail), ScotRail
- Corrour (rail), ScotRail
- Crianlarich (rail), ScotRail
- Dalmally (rail), ScotRail
- Dalwhinnie (rail), ScotRail
- Dingwall (rail), ScotRail
- Fort William (rail), ScotRail
- Glenfinnan (rail), ScotRail
- Invergordon (rail), ScotRail
- Inverness (rail), ScotRail
- Kingussie (rail), ScotRail
- Kyle of Lochalsh (rail), ScotRail
- Lochailort (rail), ScotRail
- Mallaig (rail), ScotRail
- Morar (rail), ScotRail
- Muir of Ord (rail), ScotRail
- Nairn (rail), ScotRail
- Newtonmore (rail), ScotRail
- Oban (rail), ScotRail
- Plockton (rail), ScotRail
- Roy Bridge (rail), ScotRail
- Spean Bridge (rail), ScotRail
- Strathcarron (rail), ScotRail
- Tain (rail), ScotRail
- Taynuilt (rail), ScotRail
Official links
- VisitScotland (opens in new tab): the national tourism site
- VisitScotland: driving in Scotland (opens in new tab): single-track roads and passing places
- Traffic Scotland (opens in new tab): roadworks, incidents and route checker
- Inverness Airport (HIAL) (opens in new tab): flights and passenger information
- CalMac (opens in new tab): ferries to Mull, Skye and other islands
- Citylink (opens in new tab): long-distance coaches
- Caledonian Sleeper (opens in new tab): overnight trains from London to the Highlands
- ScotRail (opens in new tab): trains in Scotland
- National Rail Enquiries (opens in new tab): train times and fares
- The Highland Council (opens in new tab): local information
- Cairngorms National Park (opens in new tab): the national park authority
- Mountain Weather Information Service (opens in new tab): hill forecasts
- Scottish Avalanche Information Service (opens in new tab): winter hill hazards
More on the Scottish Highlands: The Scottish Highlands guide · how to get there
Questions people ask
Can I get around the Scottish Highlands without a car?
Public transport in the Highlands is thin. Trains and Citylink coaches link Inverness, Aviemore, Fort William and Oban, but reaching Glenfinnan, Glencoe, the Fairy Pools or Culloden without a car needs extra planning, and the distances between bases are long. Most visitors hire a car for at least part of the trip.
Do I need to check a driving zone in the Scottish Highlands?
We found no charging or low emission zone for the Scottish Highlands in the official pages we read. Check the council site before you drive in.