Inverness Railway Station - 6

The rail journey between Inverness and Aberdeen is 108 miles in length. Typical journey time is just over 2 hours.



There are 8 intermediate stations after leaving Inverness:

Nairn
Forres
Elgin
Keith
Huntly
Insch
Inverurie
Dyce

On Mondays to Saturdays the first train of the day leaves Inverness at 0453 and the last train leaves at 2131. There are 12 trains a day in total in this direction.

Inverness Railway Station - 5

Here is another view of the main Station Hall showing from right to left Berties Bar, the Waiting Room, the Ticket Office and Travel Centre, and W H Smith's. The Pumpkin Cafe is to the right of Bertie's Bar.



We are very proud of our Railway Station. It gives a warm welcome to those arriving by train at the Capital of the Highlands.

Inverness Railway Station - 4

Here we see a plan of Inverness Station, showing the seven platforms. Platform 1 is used for trains to and from London Euston or King's Cross; Platform 2 is the Aberdeen Line; Platforms 3 and 4 for trains to and from Edinburgh and Glasgow; Platforms 5, 6 and 7 for trains to and from Wick and Thurso or Kyle of Lochalsh.



In addition to the ticket office and waiting room, we also have a stationers (W H Smith), a barbers shop, a bar, and a cafe (Pumpkin). It is all rather impressive.

Inverness Railway Station - 3

Here we see the main hall at the station.



Although it is not usually as quiet as this, I have seen it like this at times! Last week I visited both Euston Station and Victoria Station in London - there were thousands of people in each. I know where I would rather be!

There are seven platforms at Inverness. I shall give further details of where the trains travel to and from in subsequent posts. Should you choose to visit Inverness, you can be sure of warm welcome - though don't expect the sun to be all that warm at this time of the year!

Inverness Railway Station - 2

Here we see Station Square Inverness - it forms a suitably grand entrance to the railway station - though most of the locals use one of the two side entrances! The Royal Highland Hotel is the building on the right.



Opened on 5 November 1855 as the western terminus of the Inverness and Nairn Railway to designs by the architect, Joseph Mitchell. The platform roofs were extended in 1876 by Murdoch Paterson. Between 1966 and 1968 the station buildings were replaced, the new design by Thomas Munro and Company.

It is now the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line (of which the Inverness and Nairn Railway is now a part), the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the Far North Line.

In the centre of Station Square is the Cameron Monument. The statue commemorates the fallen of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders during the campaigns in Egypt and the Sudan in 1882 and 1885. The monument was unveiled by Lochiel, the chief of the clan Cameron and was erected by the 79th Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. The sculptor was G. Wade of London and the monument shows a Cameron Highlander with a sphinx at his feet.

1st Sunday of Advent

In the gospel today we hear about the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.



Lo! he comes, with clouds descending,
once for favoured sinners slain;
thousand thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
God appears, on earth to reign.

Every eye shall now behold him,
robed in dreadful majesty;
those who set at nought and sold him,
pierced, and nailed him to the tree,
deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
shall the true Messiah see.

Those dear tokens of his passion
still his dazzling body bears,
cause of endless exultation
to his ransomed worshipers;
with what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
gaze we on those glorious scars!

Yea, amen! let all adore thee,
high on thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory;
claim the kingdom for thine own:
O come quickly! O come quickly! O come quickly!
Alleluia! Come, Lord, come!



Happy New Year!

Inverness Railway Station - 1

It is hard deciding where the very centre of Inverness is - but the railway station is a very suitable contender for this honour.



All large Victorian railway stations seem to have an impressive Station Hotel, and Inverness is no exception. Here we see the Royal Highland Hotel at the entrance to the station. Recently it was base for the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Team.



It looks as though they had a great time!