As regular Blogonaughts will know, railways have always played a big part in my life.
I grew up with a railway engineer father and subsequently spent a long part of my working life running railways. More often than not, I’ve also lived within earshot of a railway line… except for the last twenty something years in Cornwall.
New Dookes H.Q. here in Caithness has returned to the status quo; when the wind is right we can hear trains!

Now please don’t get to think that we are kept awake at night by endless trains pounding the steel rails. No, we live a couple of miles from the Far North Line; a wonderfully bucolic railway that gently meanders for 168 miles linking Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, to Wick and Thurso at the extreme Northern end of Scotland. As the name suggests, it is the most northern railway in the United Kingdom. It’s not so much “InterCity”, more “Inter Village” and pretty small ones at that! The line is totally single track, with numerous passing loops. Speeds are generally not high, due in part to the somewhat tortuous nature of the route and its lighter construction., but that’s ok, there is so much lovely scenery to enjoy!

The line was built in stages starting from Inverness to Ardgay in 1862, to Golspie in 1868, Helmsdale in 1870 and to Wick and Thurso in 1874 . Each section was constructed by different companies that each subsequently ceded operations to The Highland Railway. The line was built to generally avoid major civil engineering works; there are no tunnels and only a couple of large viaducts, for the most part the route traces the contours of the land and as a result takes a somewhat roundabout course to reach is destination. By road from Inverness to Thurso is 110 miles, the train takes an extra 50 miles!
Prominent amongst the railway’s sponsors was the 3rd Duke of Sutherland, who not only had his own station at Dunrobin Castle, but his own private train that he apparently greatly enjoyed driving! He sounds like the sort of chap I would have got on well with!!

It is fair to say that the line has never been very profitable, indeed it has often be in danger of partial or total closure. Busy periods during the two World Wars saw heavy traffic to the Royal Navy bases in Northern Scotland whilst the boom in North Sea oil exploration in the 1970’s saw some increase in construction traffic to the deep water anchorage at Invergordon, along with a nearby aluminium smelter. Generally though freight has declined now to virtually nothing, whilst passenger traffic numbers are really sustained by tourists during the summer period. The stations between Dingwall and Inverness do however see some use by passengers commuting into Inverness. The line is today heavily supported by the Scottish Government who recognise its value to local communities.

I first rode the Far North Line over 40 years ago, in those days the service was provided by locomotive hauled trains and there was a lot of parcel and mail traffic that had to be manually loaded and unloaded at the various stations. Today the trains are diesel sprinter units solely dedicated to passengers as the mail and parcels have disappeared to road hauliers. To me the modern trains are not a great improvement as they are noisy, the seats lack comfort and the toilets are a tad smelly, but they are more economic to operate and maintain; if that helps to keep the line open, then I’m all for it!

I’m riding the whole length of the line today, from Wick to Inverness, taking in the short branch to Thurso. I’m in no rush, just as well, I leave Wick at 12:34 and arrive in Inverness at 17:08 with my onward sleeper connection to London leaving there at 20:45; this like so many of my trips is about the journey, not the arrival!

Both Wick and Thurso stations share a common and for a rural railway, an unusual feature, a rather delightful overall roof; though as each only cover around 80 feet of platform not many carriages can fit inside! At Wick the train generally has one vehicle under the roof, but at Thurso the train normally stops outside. Thurso is the most Northerly railway station in the UK.

Eighteen miles from Wick the trains stop at Georgemas Junction where the short 6 mile branch diverges to Thurso. All trains go to Thurso. Georgemas also has a freight terminal where spent nuclear material form the decommisioned Dounreay Power Station is transhipped to for transport to Sellafield for processing.

The bit of railway from Georgemas to Thurso always reminds me of a model railway, it winds around a lot, crosses the river and finally climbs into the terminus almost in the heart of the town. The trains briefly pause whilst the driver changes ends and then we are off again back to the Junction. Another direction change at Georgemas and it’s Inverness here we come..in a few hours time!!

First we climb to the highest point of the route at County March Summit, where we cross from Caithness into Sutherland. It’s a bleak landscape here, crossing the famous Flow Country, the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe, a peatland dotted with bog pools creating a priceless habitat for wildlife and special flora, covering about 1,500 square miles (4,000 km²). It’s not the place to be when the weather is bad or if you are ill equipped.

From the train we see the remains of old snow fences, built in an attempt to reduce the impact of the harsh Northern winters; tales of trains stranded in deep snow are legendary here!

From Forsinard through Kinbrace and the gorgeous Strath of Kildonan.

On towards Helmsdale, the line enjoys stunning mountain views, before hugging the North Sea coast to Golspie, where shortly after it takes a turn towards the West and begins a large loop inland through Lairg.

The railway covers 40 miles on this loop, with stations at Rogart, Lairg, Invershin, Culrain and Ardgay, reappearing next to the coast just North of Tain, amazingly only about 11 miles South of where it looped inland! There have been many attempts and suggestions to build a “cut off” line to avoid the inland route, but to date neither the money nor political will has been forthcoming.

For me the most interesting feature of the Lairg loop is Invershin Viaduct, which crosses the Shin river with a single 230 feet (70 m) span.

From Tain the line follows Cromarty Firth to Dingwall, junction for the line to Kyle of Lochalsh. Dingwall is easily the busiest station on the whole line, a busy market town, now quite a dormitory for Inverness.

Reopened stations at Beauly and Conon Bridge, either side of the passing station at Muir of Ord, point to a more progressive approach by the Scotttish Government to its rural rail services. Skirting Beauly Firth the line approaches Inverness and after crossing the Caledonian Canal at Clacknaharry Swing Bridge, then the River Ness viaduct it glides above the rooftops then arrives at the terminus at the capital of the Highlands, Inverness.

The Far North Line is one that you don’t ride if you are in a hurry, but it is one to ride if you want to fill your soul with wonderful memories.

I’m off to grab a bite to eat, then overnight on the sleeper and wake up in another country!
Catch you soon,

Dookes