In Boat of Garten stands one of Scotland’s most beautiful historic railway stations, lovingly maintained by volunteers. Here’s what awaits you.
This isn’t just a delight for die-hard railway fans. Boat of Garten station wins everyone over with its romantic, historic setting. And visitors can feel the love the volunteers pour into the buildings and the platform. It shows in the details: everything looks freshly painted, little bunting flutters everywhere, and flower tubs round off the picture.
Boat of Garten Railway Station lies on the Strathspey Line, which begins in Aviemore and runs via Boat of Garten to Broomhill. The railway winds through the landscape of Strathspey, close to the River Spey, for around 16 kilometres.
Today, only heritage trains run on this line – mostly historic carriages pulled by a steam locomotive, though the diesel locomotive sometimes takes over too. These trains take around 50 minutes one way. Together with a short stop and the return journey, it’s certainly good fun for young and old alike.
But even without taking the train, visiting the station is enjoyable in itself. The classic metal footbridge, for instance, which lets pedestrians cross the tracks safely, is a real beauty.
At the station, there’s a waiting room, a signal box, benches, tools and trolleys to discover. Boat of Garten is also home to the only water crane where steam locomotives can still take on water.
For whisky lovers heading towards the Speyside whisky region, the station is interesting too. Without this railway line, the whisky industry could never have taken root here: the railway brought in the barley that was needed, and carried the finished product away, sending it out into the world.
Good to know: the railways of Boat of Garten
The village of Boat of Garten itself only exists because of the railway. Opened in 1863, the settlement was, until the 1950s, home mainly to employees of two railway companies. Around 1900, roughly 30 staff lived here, spread across various houses.
Why two companies? Boat of Garten used to be an important junction in the railway network, since this is where the line to the Great North of Scotland Railway branched off. That northern route curved from Aberdeen via Elgin to Inverness, with the connecting line running between Boat of Garten and Forres. The other branch continued on to Grantown-on-Spey. As a result, several railway companies had an interest in keeping the junction at Boat of Garten running smoothly.
An inn was established behind the station early on, which still operates today as a hotel under the name “The Boat Country Inn & Restaurant”.
The station building seen today dates from 1904.
Tip: the little garden by the station
Right next to the station lies a small garden. It once supplied the stationmaster’s family with vegetables. Today it offers residents a little meeting spot, with benches set among the greenery.
Getting there
Boat of Garten is only a few kilometres from the A9 between Edinburgh and Inverness.
With a sat nav: “PH24 3BH” will take you straight to the village.
Without a sat nav: from the A9, take the exit for Grantown-on-Spey and Keith. Then turn left straight away onto the A95. After a while, a sign points right towards Boat of Garten and the Strathspey Railway. Leave the A95 here and follow the road into the village. The station is right at the bend in the road.