Kyle of Lochalsh Line: Inverness to Skye by Train

If you’re spending a few nights in Inverness without a car, the Kyle of Lochalsh line is probably on your list, as a day out or as your way to Skye. The catch is that there are only four trains a day, they’re usually just two carriages, and the buses on to Skye leave from the harbour rather than the station.

Planning a Highlands day around four trains can feel like a puzzle when you don’t know the line. The honest answer is that most people ride it for the journey itself: about 82 miles west across empty moorland and down to the sea opposite Skye, then back the same day.

Doug spent more than 25 years working on the UK rail network and has travelled every UK train line at least once. He last rode the Kyle line in June 2026 on a day trip from Inverness, and this advice comes from that trip.

We take you along the line stop by stop, then show you which train to catch for a day trip, which side to sit on, whether the sleeper connects, and how to get to Skye. Our guide to scenic rail journeys from Inverness covers all the lines from the city; this is the in-depth one for the Kyle line.

Good to know: four trains a day run each way from Monday to Saturday and two on Sundays, taking about 2 hours 40 minutes end to end. If you’re travelling between 28 November and 18 December 2026, no trains run between Dingwall and Kyle, and replacement coaches run instead.

Prices and times last checked: 31 October 2026

The Kyle of Lochalsh line at a glance

The Kyle line is an ordinary ScotRail service, so normal tickets, railcards and passes apply, and it runs straight through from Inverness with no change of train. It isn’t the West Highland Line, which runs from Glasgow to Fort William and Mallaig; we cover that one in our West Highland Line guide and in Episode 218 of the podcast.

The route at a glance

• A. Inverness
• B. Dingwall
• C. Garve, Achnasheen and the summit at Luib
• D. Strathcarron and Loch Carron
• E. Plockton
• F. Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle line quick facts

• Distance: about 82 miles from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, 63 of them from Dingwall
• Trains: four a day each way from Monday to Saturday and two on Sundays, taking about 2 hours 40 minutes
• The train: ScotRail, usually a two-carriage Class 158
• History: the Kyle of Lochalsh railway opened from Dingwall to Strome Ferry on 19 August 1870 and extended to Kyle on 2 November 1897
• Request stops: Lochluichart, Achanalt, Achnashellach, Attadale, Duncraig and Duirinish

At a request stop, the train only calls if someone wants it to. To get off at one, you tell the conductor; to get on, you give the driver a clear signal as the train comes in.

The Kyle of Lochalsh line, stop by stop

A. Inverness

Inverness is where almost everyone starts, and it’s the natural base for a day on the line. On Doug’s June trip, we were staying in an apartment in the city, and he walked to the station.

The train runs out along the edge of the Beauly Firth and calls at Beauly, Muir of Ord and Conon Bridge before Dingwall.

What to look out for

• The Victorian Market, straight across the road from the station at the pedestrian crossing, with a food hall inside
• The M&S Food just before the station, for something to grab and take with you
• The Beauly Firth alongside the line soon after leaving the city

Doug’s breakfast stop: before his train, Doug crossed the road to the food hall in the Victorian Market and had “a fantastic bacon sandwich and a lovely cup of tea at a very reasonable price”.

B. Dingwall

Dingwall is the junction. Just north of the station, the Kyle line leaves the Far North Line, which carries on to Thurso and Wick, and turns west towards the hills.

The station building dates from 1886 and is listed. Inside it is Tina’s Tearoom, with a plaque about the First World War tea stall here that served 134,864 servicemen between 1915 and 1919, and The Mallard pub backs onto the northbound platform.

What to look out for

• The Cromarty Firth, with Dingwall at its head
• Tina’s Tearoom and its First World War plaque, in the listed 1886 station building
• The Mallard pub, backing onto the northbound platform

Doug’s note: it’s generally a two-carriage train, and one coach party getting on at Dingwall can take half the seats. That’s why he books seats on the Kyle line year-round.

C. Garve, Achnasheen and the summit at Luib

After Dingwall, the line climbs to a first summit at Raven Rock, then drops down to the shore of Loch Garve and Garve station. From here it heads into the empty middle of the journey, past Loch Luichart and on through Achnasheen.

Near Lochluichart the railway runs on a stretch that was moved about two miles in 1954, when Loch Luichart was raised for a hydro scheme. Beyond Achnasheen, in upper Glen Carron, the line reaches its summit at Luib, 646 feet up, before it starts the run down towards the west coast.

What to look out for

• Loch Garve, just after the first summit at Raven Rock
• Loch Luichart and the 1954 diversion
• The summit at Luib, 646 feet up in upper Glen Carron

Doug’s note: his verdict on this stretch is “a bit of all three”, the wildlife, the emptiness and the weather. Even in June there was some low cloud, and he saw deer from the train.

D. Strathcarron and Loch Carron

At Strathcarron the line reaches the sea at the head of Loch Carron, and leaves the moorland behind. From here the railway runs along the south-east shore of the loch; heading west, the water is on your right.

Between Attadale and Stromeferry, the railway and the A890 road share a rock shelter, built after a rockfall in November 1969 closed the line for almost four months. Stromeferry itself was the end of the line for 27 years, from 1870 until the extension to Kyle opened in 1897.

What to look out for

• Loch Carron on the right-hand side heading west
• The rock shelter between Attadale and Stromeferry, shared with the road
• Stromeferry, the end of the line until 1897

Doug’s pick: the right-hand side on the way out, for Loch Carron and the sea views as you get closer to Kyle. There’s more on this in “Which side of the train to sit” below.

E. Plockton

Plockton is the village everyone falls for. Most people head to the harbour for the views out over the bay, and there are tearooms and public toilets. Plockton was Lochdubh in Hamish Macbeth, one of Doug’s favourite TV programmes, and film fans may know the harbour from The Wicker Man (1973) as the spot where Sergeant Howie’s seaplane lands.

Cabbage palms have lined Harbour Street since the 1960s, and the village is a conservation area within the National Trust for Scotland’s Balmacara Estate. The Trust calls the railway “one of the most picturesque train journeys in the world”.

The station is about a 10-minute walk from the village and harbour. Doug hasn’t got off the train here himself, but we’ve been to Plockton together by car on a North Coast 500 road trip.

What to look out for

• The harbour and the views out over the bay
• The cabbage palms along Harbour Street
• The settings for Hamish Macbeth and The Wicker Man

Worth a stop: if your ticket allows a break of journey, you can stop off at Plockton on the way. The “Plockton and Kyle” day trip plan below gives you about 2 hours 40 minutes in Plockton and nearly an hour in Kyle, and still gets you back to Inverness the same evening.

F. Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle of Lochalsh is the end of the line, looking straight across the water to Skye. Before the Skye Bridge opened in 1995, the ferry to Kyleakin left from here, and the bridge tolls were scrapped in December 2004. Michael Palin ended his 1980 Great Railway Journeys of the World episode at Kyle.

If you’ve come for the train journey and you’re catching a train back to Inverness, there’s a tearoom and a little museum right at the station, and most people head there for food and a drink. On Doug’s June trip, a coachload of people were met off the train and driven away, while most of the others came for the ride and stayed around the station.

There isn’t much to do in Kyle itself. There isn’t much to do in Kyle itself. When we’ve been together, we’ve had something to eat and a walk around Kyle, then caught the train back to Inverness.

What to look out for

• The Skye Bridge, opened in 1995
• Kyleakin, across the water on Skye
• The Plock of Kyle viewpoint above the village

Doug’s note: from the Plock of Kyle viewpoint you get a good view of the Skye Bridge and the harbour.

Planning your Kyle of Lochalsh line trip

If the Kyle line is part of a bigger Scotland trip, Episode 169 of the podcast covers our Scotland travel tips and 15 common mistakes to avoid.

Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh train times

Only a handful of trains run each day. These are the times in ScotRail’s North Highlands timetable for 29 June to 12 December 2026.

Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh

Leaves Inverness	Arrives Kyle	Runs
08:53	11:31	Monday to Saturday
10:56	13:35	Monday to Saturday
13:35	16:16	Monday to Saturday
17:54	20:34	Monday to Saturday
10:59	13:48	Sunday
17:54	20:34	Sunday

Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness

Leaves Kyle	Arrives Inverness	Runs
05:45	08:31	Monday to Saturday
12:06	14:42	Monday to Saturday
13:46	16:27	Monday to Saturday
17:13	19:59	Monday to Saturday
10:20	13:02	Sunday
15:09	17:53	Sunday

The Sunday 17:54 from Inverness runs joined to the Wick train and splits at Dingwall; staff on the platform can tell you which part goes to Kyle. The timetable changes on Sunday 13 December 2026, so check the new times for travel after that date. Doug wouldn’t rely on the last train of the day, in case of delays.

Doing the Kyle line as a day trip from Inverness

The Kyle Line works well as a day trip from Inverness, and most people on Doug’s June train were doing exactly that. If you’re there for the journey and the sightseeing, the changing landscape and the views are the reason to come, so Doug wouldn’t swap the train back to Inverness for the bus.

Plan	Leave Inverness	Time at Kyle	Back in Inverness
Early start	08:53	11:31 to 13:46 (about 2 hours 15 minutes)	16:27
Longer at Kyle	10:56	13:35 to 17:13 (about 3 hours 40 minutes)	19:59
Plockton and Kyle	10:56	Plockton 13:22 to 16:03, then Kyle 16:16 to 17:13	19:59
There and back	10:56	13:35 to 13:46 (same train back)	16:27
Sunday	10:59	13:48 to 15:09 (about 1 hour 20 minutes)	17:53

The Plockton plan means getting off the 10:56 at Plockton, then picking up the 13:35 from Inverness when it calls there at 16:03. It needs a ticket that allows a break in the journey, such as a standard return or a rail pass, rather than an Advance ticket.

Taking the train to Skye: the bus on from Kyle

If Kyle is part of a longer or circular trip, you can carry on by bus over the bridge to Skye, back to Inverness, or south via Fort William towards Glasgow. Doug’s advice is to organise your onward travel before you go.

Scottish Citylink buses leave from the “Kyle of Lochalsh, at Harbour Slipway” stop, a short walk from the station. In the timetable running to 20 November 2026, the 917 (Inverness to Portree) left Kyle for Skye at 10:41, 15:25 and 19:56, reaching Broadford about 20 minutes later and Portree a little over an hour later. The 915 (Glasgow, Fort William, Kyle, Portree and Uig) adds a couple more on some days, and Stagecoach runs a local bus from Kyle to Broadford. The train and bus times don’t line up neatly, so we’d look at both before planning a connection.

Another option, which some of our consultation clients have used, is a private driver-guide who picks you up in Kyle for a tour of Skye.

For time on the island itself, our Isle of Skye travel guide and Isle of Skye itinerary cover what to see, and Episode 125 of the podcast walks through a 4-day Skye itinerary.

Coming off the Caledonian Sleeper

The Caledonian Sleeper runs from London Euston to Inverness on Sunday to Friday nights (there’s no Saturday night train) and arrives at 08:45. On paper that leaves eight minutes for the 08:53 to Kyle, but we’d both book the 10:56 instead. The sleeper has come all the way from London and is subject to the odd delay.

There’s no need to stay the night in Inverness first. The later train gives you time for breakfast without rushing, and the sleeper is a great experience in itself, so we’d enjoy it to the last minute rather than hurry off.

There’s no sleeper on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December 2026 or on 1 and 2 January 2027. Our Caledonian Sleeper guide has the full details, and we talk through the latest on the sleeper, the route choices and our tips in Episode 141 of the podcast, which you can listen to below.

Tickets, railcards and passes

The Kyle line uses ordinary ScotRail tickets. An Anytime single is about £32 and a return about £35, so for a day trip the return costs very little more than going one way. Advance singles start from about £17, but an Advance ticket only covers the train you booked.

A railcard takes a third off most fares, and you can buy one online before you travel.

If the Kyle line is one of several train journeys in Scotland, a pass can work out cheaper:

• Highland Rover: any 4 days in 8 for about £99, and it covers the Kyle line. On weekdays it isn’t valid on trains timed to arrive in Inverness before 09:00, which rules out the 05:45 from Kyle. It also covers the Citylink coach from Fort William through Kyle to Portree and Uig.
• Spirit of Scotland: £155 for 4 days in 8, or £196 for 8 days in 15. It normally isn’t valid before 09:15 on weekdays, but the Kyle line is exempt.
• BritRail Spirit of Scotland: the version for visitors from outside the UK, from US$231.
• Scottish Grand Tour: about £92 for a one-way loop by train and coach, from Glasgow or Edinburgh to Mallaig, the coach from Armadale on Skye to Kyle, then the Kyle line to Inverness. Buy the CalMac ferry from Mallaig to Armadale separately.

Where to book

Booking seats

Doug recommends booking seats on this line year-round, especially if you’d like a particular side or to face the direction of travel. It’s generally a two-carriage train, so busy services fill up, particularly once a coach party has joined at Dingwall.

Seat reservations on ScotRail are free with your ticket, and the Kyle trains take them.

Which side of the train to sit

Heading west from Inverness to Kyle, Doug chooses the right-hand side. It “gives you a bit of everything”, with slightly better views overall and fantastic sea views as you approach Kyle.

Coming back from Kyle, he sits on the left-hand side for the first part of the journey, “because that’s still the best views”. If the train’s empty enough to switch, he moves to the right later on, so he sees both sides.

His general rule is one side on the way out and the other on the way back.

Food and drink on board

Doug’s June train had a trolley, but it isn’t guaranteed on every service, so we’d bring food and drink as a back-up. The Victorian Market and the M&S Food by Inverness station are both handy for that.

Engineering works in late 2026

If you’re travelling between Saturday 28 November and Friday 18 December 2026, there are no trains between Dingwall and Kyle while Network Rail upgrades the line. Replacement coaches call at every station from Inverness to Stromeferry, then run direct to Kyle, with a connecting minibus for Duncraig, Plockton and Duirinish. The line between Inverness and Dingwall is also closed on 5, 6, 12 and 13 December. Trains are back from Saturday 19 December.

For any trip, National Rail’s engineering works pages are the place to look a week or two before you travel.

If you’d like help fitting the Kyle line into a longer Scotland trip by train, Doug’s UK Train Travel 1:1 Consultation is there for exactly that, and his Guide to UK Train Travel covers tickets, passes and the network in detail.

Where to stay

Most people ride the Kyle line from a base in Inverness. Our guide to where to stay in Inverness has our recommendations, and our Inverness travel guide covers the city itself.

If you’re carrying on to Skye, our guide to where to stay on the Isle of Skye has our picks for the island.

Doug’s one tip for the Kyle line

Doug’s one tip for the Kyle line is “don’t miss it out”. There’s so much to see and so much contrast in the scenery.

As on many ScotRail services, the people on board, from the ticket inspectors to the catering staff with the trolley, are incredibly friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, and well worth a chat.

If you’re new to train travel in the UK, Doug’s free guide, 12 Essential Things to Know About Train Travel in the UK, is on our UK train travel hub.

For more Scottish train journeys, our Edinburgh to Inverness guide covers the two routes north from the capital, our Scotland by train itinerary links the main lines, and our guide to the best train journeys in the UK has ideas for the rest of your trip.

Recommended UK Train Resources