Magazine: West Highland rail trip voted top
The West Highland line has again been voted the world's top rail journey beating the Orient Express and Rocky Mountaineer.
The line, which runs between Mallaig and Glasgow, is 164 miles-long and passes along Loch Long, Loch Lomond, Loch Etive and Loch Eil.
Readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust voted it number one for the second year in a row after 2,000 votes were cast.
The passenger service, operated by ScotRail, crosses the world's first concrete rail viaduct at Glenfinnan.
The 21-arch viaduct famously featured in the Harry Potter movies.
The passenger service on the Highland line is operated by First ScotRail, but during the summer the steam train, used as the Hogwarts Express in the Potter films, operates between Fort William and Mallaig.
The route also takes in Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain, Arisaig, Britain's most westerly mainland railway station, Loch Morar with its stunning beach and views of the isles of Eigg, Muck and Rum.
The Eurostar, Trans-Siberian Express, Cusco-Puno in Peru and Ghan in Australia also made the top five.
One reader Nicol Nicholson revealed why the route got her vote. She said: “As a Scot who tries to make the trip at least once a year, the West Highland Line never fails to seduce or surprise.
"On no two journeys does the light dance across the hills in the same way. While the line may not pass through the most dramatic scenery on earth – or even in Scotland – I’d challenge any other to match the sheer variety or constant interest."
