Moorland, mountains and a train station – Corrour Station is one of the most remote railway stations in Britain. Both beautiful and grim events have played out here.
The diesel train struggles a bit here. From Rannoch Station, there’s still quite a climb ahead before Corrour station appears. At 408 metres, it’s the highest railway station in Britain.
And it’s certainly the loneliest. Because apart from the station buildings, there’s nothing here. Well, nothing except vast, untamed nature. Impressive mountains, lochs and moorland surround the railway tracks.
The solitude, the nature, the romance of the railway – that’s what makes this station in the middle of nowhere so appealing. It sits on the West Highland Line, arguably the most beautiful rail route through Scotland, running from Glasgow along Loch Lomond to Rannoch Moor, through Fort William and on to Mallaig on the west coast.
Hikers value Corrour Station, since paths lead straight from the platform into the mountains or to beautiful lochs. Loch Ossian, for instance, is barely one and a half kilometres away. On the western shore of the loch sits what is probably the most remote youth hostel in Scotland, which proudly notes that after 85 years it can finally offer the luxury of hot showers.
Just as with the station, no public road leads here either. It can only be reached by train and on foot. That said, the path between the hostel and the station is well maintained.
In fact, a whole network of such tracks currently crosses the moor. Until recently, heavy lorries and construction machinery drove here, as parts of the area were being developed for hydropower. Over the coming years these tracks are due to be scaled back, until only footpaths remain.
Despite the paths, you shouldn’t underestimate the wilderness here. In 2011, a self-proclaimed survivalist died here of hypothermia; in 2014, a hiker who had set off from the youth hostel. Others, it’s suspected, came here purely to die – the Frenchman Emmanuel Caillet was likely one of them. His body was found in 1996 on Ben Alder, around 16 kilometres from Corrour Station. He was sitting on a kind of rock throne, an old revolver at his side and a bullet in his chest. For months, the Scottish public puzzled over the identity of the dead man, until a facial reconstruction finally succeeded.
If you’re aware of the danger, though, you don’t need to let fear rule you. As long as you stick to the paths, you can enjoy the wild landscape. Anyone seeking silence will find it here, along the paths by Loch Ossian, towards Loch Treig, or up onto Leum Uileim.
There’s really only one thing to remember: get back to the station in time so as not to miss the last train back to civilisation.
Good to know: Why the Corrour Estate has its own railway station
The area around Loch Ossian and the station belongs to the Corrour Estate, which stretches across 230 square kilometres here, with a boundary running some 86 kilometres. Most of it lies above 300 metres, and more than a quarter of it above 600 metres. Little wonder, since there are no fewer than six Munros here – mountains over 936 metres (source: Corrour – Estate History, Progress and Plans). The centrepiece is the modern Corrour Lodge at the eastern end of Loch Ossian, with seven guest rooms. All of this belongs to Andrew Wright, who also manages the estate with an eye to sustainability.
Corrour Station is also part of the estate. Alongside a small restaurant, there’s also a bed and breakfast here.
Since the early 19th century, the whole estate had really only been used for hunting. So when the railway was due to be laid through here, the owner at the time only agreed on the condition that there would also be a stop on his estate. That’s how this station in the middle of nowhere came to be.
Personal note: Uneasy at dusk
We visited Corrour Station in October 2016. At midday we decided to take the train from our hotel at Rannoch Station just one stop further on. We arrived there around 4pm, the weather was overcast, and dusk was already setting in. The moor is wonderful, but the paths here were confusing. Had we taken a wrong turn on the way back, we could easily have got lost. But that very sense of unease is exactly what made the trip unforgettable, and in the end we made it back to the station just before dark, in time to catch the last train.
Tip: Walks from Corrour Station to Rannoch Station
One option we’ll try next time is to leave the car at Rannoch Station, take the train to Corrour Station, walk to the middle of Loch Ossian, and then take the turning south back again. From station to station, via the path past Corrour Old Lodge to Rannoch, it’s around 18 kilometres. An English-language description of the walk can be found here.
If you arrive before 3pm, it’s well worth stopping at the tearoom at Rannoch Station. Right next door there’s also the Moor of Rannoch Hotel, with a restaurant serving dinner between 6:30pm and 8pm. You do need to book ahead, though.
Getting there:
Not accessible by car. Train from Fort William or Glasgow. Timetables here.
