Top 5 stations in Scotland
When ever I do a Q&A on Twitter one of the questions I always get is "Which is your favourite station so far?" It is very tough to choose a top 10 nationwide... So I have decided to split it up into a collection of Top 5's...
Well after 7 other Top 5 countdowns it's time for the final one, and for this one we head north of the border... When I was planning this in my head all I could think about was how this countdown will look very different in 6 months time, maybe even impossible to do, time will tell!
5. Wemyss Bay
Station: Wemyss Bay
Line: Inverclyde Line
Managed By: Scotrail
Ok, cards on the table... I have said a few times this is one of my most over rated stations on the network. But blooming hell it's still beautiful and rightfully deserves its place in this top 5.
I remember visiting Wemyss Bay on a very rushed and very unplanned trip! It was when at the last minute they announced that IBM would be mothballed. So the next weekend I booked a hotel and headed north. After visiting the branch line to Largs I then hopped on a bus which took me to Wemyss Bay.
I remember wondering around the station and thinking about how beautiful it was, but truth be told, for me it's just missing something. Don't ask me what, I genuinely couldn't tell you.
4. Garelochhead
Station: Garelochhead
Line: West Highland Line
Managed By: Scotrail
This is your stereo typical West Highland Station. Gravel platform with a station building in the centre. Stations in this style always look amazing. I am pretty confident that in the future I will need to do a West Higland Line top 5...
This was part of a day which was very much unplanned, I literally only decided to visit the Glasgow area 2 days previous. After visiting here and taking many photos I headed down to the village for a walkabout around the village and sat and chilled by the lake .
After all this I took the bus to Helensburgh. What a lovely bus route it was along the shores of the loch. This was unexpected and sometimes the unexpected things are the best!
3. Arrochar & Tarbet
Station: Arrochar & Tarbet
Line: West Highland Line
Managed By: Scotrail
Let me set the picture for you... I was boarding the 0530ish train from Glasgow Queen Street, I'd had only 5 hours sleep, I slept most of the journey from Glasgow Queen Street, I arrived at Arrochar & Tarbet, I stepped out into what felt like the middle of the woods rather than at a station... I simply stood on the platform and looked around trying to wake up and take in where I was.
After I had woke up, I found the station setting was even better. I took a lovely walk through the village and to the edge of Loch Lomand where the views just left me speechless. I just stood on the edge of the loch gulping in all the beauty!
After this I headed back to the station where I was in time to catch a glimpse of the Caledonian Sleeper heading to Fort William.
2. Crianlarich
Station: Crianlarich
Line: West Highland Line
Managed By: Scotrail
The train to Crianlarich from Helensburgh Upper was possibly the busiest trains I had been on since the start of the pandemic. Full of walkers all heading to the Scottish Highlands for walking. When I alighted at Crianlarich I knew I only had a matter of minutes before heading back down towards Glasgow. So I spent my few minutes running around trying to take as many photos as possible! Sadly I have lost some of the photos I took there! They just weren't on my phone when I got back to the hotel :(.
Happily though it gives me a great reason to revisit, which should be quite easy given it is the junction station for the Oban line. I mean, the scenery is breathtaking, the station is lovely. The trains are a plenty (in rural station terms anyway). I look forward to returning here!
1. Barrhill
Station: Barrhill
Line: Glasgow South Western Line
Managed By: Scotrail
Ah Barrhill, to date my favourite station in Scotland. I was chatting about this with my mate Jack (@JackAllStation) and he asked me why Barrhill beats Crianlarich. It was a good question. The answer was simple though, Crianlarich was bustling with people, Barrhill was just me and the network rail staff who dealt with the token exchange. I do love my peace and quiet.
I had spent the week before Barrhill working in Dumfries, after I had finished work on the Friday I headed on the bus to Stranraer where I would be working for the night. After dropping my stuff of at the delightful guest house I was staying at I headed to the station to visit Barrhill, ticking this off today would save me plenty of time the next day.
I alighted not really knowing what to expect, I hadn't google mapped this station or anything. I alighted to find a token exchange happening by a network rail member of staff (he was wearing shorts in March!) Once the train departed I had a nice conversation with said staff and he explained how rural the station was and what was nearby, other than the small village, not very much. But as you might of discovered from my previous blogs, these are the type of stations I love, the ones where it is just me, a platform, and nothing else. Barrhill is all that :)
