Buying Jacobite Tickets On The Day

Can you buy tickets for the Jacobite on the day. Let me start by saying that you really should try and book your tickets in advance. It makes for a much better experience and significantly less stress. However if like us you didn’t quite manage it then you will be pleased to know that it is possible to buy Jacobite tickets on the day. This is what we did one weekday in August. During the Summer holidays. But not everyone that we were queuing with managed to get tickets. Hopefully, this post will help give you the best chance of buying Jacobite tickets on the day. And give you some tips to get the most out of your journey.

Can you buy tickets for the Jacobite on the day?

Yes but get there early and I mean as early as possible. The Jacobite departs from Fort William train station. There is a carpark directly outside the station. It costs £4.40 for 10 hours in a long stay. It is possible to pay by card and also the Ringo app. We arrived and parked easily at 8.20 am in the morning. We left Skye at 6 am in the morning and could not face setting the alarm clock any earlier than 5.15 am!

Where do you get tickets on the day for the Jacobite?

I am not sure if it is because we associate the Jacobite with Harry Potter and a busy station. But I was concerned that we would reach Fort William and have difficultly finding where we need to queue to buy tickets. 

Fort William train station is actually quite small with only one platform. As you walk in you will see a big blue sign next to where you walk onto the platform telling you where to wait. There are glass doors between the station and the platform. When we arrived at 8.20 am there were twelve people ahead of us in the queue. The train leaves at 10.15 am on a weekday. So you need to be there at least two hours before. 

Once the Jacobite arrives on the platform about 9 am you are instructed to walk down the platform to the guard’s carriage. Which is about halfway down and then you have to painstakingly wait to buy tickets from them. You are not told in advance how many are available or if you are likely to be successful. You literally could get to the door only to find that they have sold out. This did happen to a young family a couple behind us and the children were so upset. But then the previous day 24 people were in the queue and they all got tickets.

The number of tickets that are available varies daily. You also do not have any say over where you sit on the train (see below). Payment is only in cash. For a family of 2 adults and 2 children, it cost £154 in the standard class. This is a lot of cash to have with you. Once you have been given a ticket you are then free to retrieve anything from the car, go to the loo etc. As you do not need to get on the train until about 10 am.

Can I buy tickets for the afternoon Jacobite train in the morning?

No. The trains and so the guards are different. The afternoon train will leave Fort William around lunchtime, the morning train is still at Mallaig at this point. Since it is not possible to buy tickets for the afternoon train at the same time as the morning. So you would need to return and queue again. 

Where is the best place to sit on the Jacobite?

You want to be on the lefthand side of the train as you come out of Fort William. So we were in seats 1 & 2 on the right of the train. Seats 3 & 4, 7 & 8, 11 & 12, 15 & 16, and 19 & 20 and so on are on the left hand side. Tickets are in blocks of four so there are two seats with each number opposite each other.

By being on the left side of the train you get better views of the lochs and also of the highlight of the trip the Glenfinnan Viaduct. On the right-hand side, you really need to move to a door on the right to get these views during the journey. The photos included in this blog post are all captured on the left of the train. We were lucky to be right next to the door which meant we could take pictures out of the window. The glass is quite dirty on the windows and this did impact the photos Charlie tried to take through the window.

When you buy tickets on the day it is worth asking to be on the left side of the train. Just in case they have any available as it really does make that much of a difference. I was constantly up and down. 

Tips for making the most of your journey on the Jacobite

For many a trip on the Jacobite is a once in a lifetime experience. Deemed to be one of the most scenic train journeys of the world here are a few things to help make your experience even more special.

• There is a cafe at the station which is a great place to get a cooked Scottish breakfast if you are there early hoping to get tickets. I sat in the cafe with the kids while my husband queued. As it meant we could keep it quiet from them for as long as possible and hopefully avoid upset had we not been successful. 
• Take your photos of the engine before you get on the train. We found that there was little time at Mallaig and the train leaves Fort William quickly on the return journey.
• There will be an announcement when you are close to the Viaduct on both legs of the journey. Keep an ear out as the announcements are not very clear with the general noise in the carriages.
• If you purchase your tickets online you will be given the option to buy a souvenir guide for £1. Buying tickets on the day we were not given this option. However, you can buy a copy from the guard. It is not available on the souvenir trolly. It gives you details of the route and the main sights to look out for. 
• Travelling with kids that are Harry Potter mad then consider buying treats before you go. The trolly will sell chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts. However, the price is astronomical. Four frogs and a packet of Bertie Botts came to £26. They are considerably cheaper online!
• We found ourselves tight for time in Mallaig. Only we didn’t realise how tight until we had sat down at a restaurant and ordered food. We ate in the Cabin which is literally just around the corner from the station,  the food was very good. And they were brilliant at getting everyone fed in time to catch the train back. However, since they didnt actually check our tickets on the return I am not sure if they would know if we were there or not!
• Finally, you can bring your own food and drink onto the train.

Have you been on the Jacobite? I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below

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A complete guide to visiting the Harry Potter Bridge – Glenfinnan Viaduct

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Can you buy tickets for the Jacobite on the day