LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

This edition is my last as Editor, and I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who has contributed to the paper, and helped me out, over the last eight years! It's a busy issue - hope you enjoy it.
West Word's new Editor, Ceri Perkins, is already learning the ropes, and will be at the helm from next month. I wish her all the very best!
Work on the new edition of the 'little yellow phonebook' continues - see Ann's message on page 34. If you haven't already sent in your updates, please do! There's also advertising space available for very reasonable rates. Please contact the Editor, or Ann, for more info.
Last but not least - thank you to Simon for helping out with the printing this month.
Kirsty Bloom
editor@westword.org.uk
Morar Station Building, Morar PH40 4PB

KNOYDART

After a relatively forgiving winter we started to see our first signs of spring with daffodils and snowdrops punctuating the woodland paths and adding a dash of colour to the gardens of Inverie. They're not the only new arrivals on Knoydart - February 23rd marked the arrival of Finn Oran Robb, the second child of deer stalker Lewis and postie Heather, and little brother of Ellie. Like his father he has a lot of hair. This is also great news for the Finns and Finlays of Knoydart, who now outnumber the Ians and Iains by four to three! A happy birthday also to Stewart Miller who celebrated his 75th birthday on March 5th.
The Old Forge hosted pub quizzes led by sheep farmer Iain Wilson (yes, there were a lot of sheep-centric questions) and American Knoydarters Terra Burgoyne and Shay Hopkins-Paine (yes, there were a lot of America-centric questions). Love was also in the air on Valentine's Day with the pub cooks serving up a delightful Italian menu for the lovers of Knoydart to enjoy. Tables for one were available. Shopkeeper Jamespatrick Langford suffered the joy of a surprise 40th birthday party also, which he thoroughly enjoyed once he recovered from the shock of attention on arrival. There will be a celebration of the third anniversary of the community buyout of The Old Forge on Friday March 28th and all near and far are welcome. The Community Hall was painted, cleaned and organised by 12 volunteers ahead of the latest round of gigs. The newly painted hall sampled a taste of South America on March 1st welcoming band The Brizz, playing music from Northeast Brazil with a touch of cajun and ceilidh thrown in for good measure. Dancing was questionable but enthusiasm was in no doubt. Inverie will next be hosting a gig on April 19th when our very own Black Hills Ceilidh Band pilot an Easter dance. See you there!
On that musical note: Iona Lane and Terra Burgoyne have set up a singing club which gathers every Monday night with many resident attendees already showcasing their hidden talents. Iona and Terra will be performing at the hall on July 18th, and if recent music sessions at The Old Forge are anything to go by this should be very special. Stalking season is over but Knoydart Wild Venison continues to stock the shop with their wonderful range of products, including a new Brewers Sausages which showcases Knoydart Brewery's Dubh-Lochain Porter. They're lovely and malty with wholegrain mustard and fresh leeks. Great in a hot dog bun!
The Ranger service is making a bumper effort to clean up Knoydart's west coast beaches which have piled up with litter over the past several years. A huge community effort has seen us scoop up countless tonne bags of rubbish so far, and this effort will continue into the start of the tourist season. Volunteers and non-residents are welcome!
The Ranger service was also delighted to track down the history of a white-tailed eagle which had landed at our raptor feeding station in December. The bird was rescued as a juvenile in 2021, rehabilitated and re-released in 2022 and has seemingly made the 40 mile journey to Knoydart over the past two years in search of a new territory. Our ranger station between the pub and the pier will also open imminently and you're welcome to pop your head in for a chat when it does.
Finlay Greig

ISLE OF CANNA

Well, February certainly delivered on the sunshine! We had days and days of sun and clear blue skies in a row. It was very welcome after such a wet January.
The dry weather allowed the road to dry out a bit and the farm team did a sterling job with the road repairs. This is no small feat and takes a few days to complete. The team load up the tractor and trailer with road gravel, one person drives and two people follow along behind giving the instruction to start/ stop, and bit by bit they work their way along the road filling in the pot holes. Well done, and thank you to the team!
In the quieter, Winter months, Canna wildlife moves further into the inhabited areas of the island. We've seen the Sea Eagles soaring above the basalt cliffs up behind Kate's Cottage and I have been attempting to get footage of our resident otters with a trail cam. The otters are proving to be elusive and while I find otter footprints in the sand at Sanday Beach and one of my dogs is very adept at finding otter scat, I am yet to catch them on film. I will keep trying, having heard on the grapevine of another possible location to try.
Our Canna 10K trail run takes place on Saturday 24th May 2025. This annual event was very popular with 74 runners last year.
Please visit www.theisleofcanna.com/canna10ktrailrun-2025 to register! We look forward to welcoming you to the run on our shores.
Margaret Willington

ISLE OF RUM

Not much to report this month. It's good to see the sun come out a few times and the rain let up and remind us that spring is on its way.
The village is waking up, bulbs are flowering and the birds are starting to sing that bit more. Nature Scot have a new set of volunteers here so there's a few new faces around and if you're visiting soon, be sure to catch the Rum pony foals in the village fields, looking frisky, and they are very friendly (bring carrots).
When it's dry enough we've been trying to paint, tidy up and dig the garden; both the school and community polytunnels are looking good and we are looking forward to seeing what they all produce this year.
There's been some good clear skies this month to get some star gazing in, we're keeping a log of the clear nights and what we see, so we have some interesting info to share at the end of the year. Elle and Coinneach continue to take readings of the 'dark' on a monthly basis and we'll be having another small dark sky session at the end of this month, weather permitting as always.
We're getting a visit from the home energy officer this month to carry out energy performance surveys on our houses. Some of the buildings are pretty old, and we face many challenges raising their energy efficiency. We're hoping to get advice on some cost-effective measures we can implement.
Things to look forward to are . . . bluebells, the eider ducks starting to 'ooh', Askival Rum going back into production, the summer ferry timetable, longer days and slightly warmer seas to swim in.
Happy birthday to Rhys, who is 72 this year!
Our thoughts are again with the Eigg community with the sad losses they have recently experienced.
Fliss Fraser

ISLE OF EIGG

February was a busy month for Eigg Electric and IEHT: new cabling was installed for the EV charging station at the pier which was especially designed for the Eigg system. A connection from the undersea fibre optic cable to the Eigg Electric shed at Laig was also carried out by Hebnet. The archaeology study was carried out at Galmisdale for the site of the planned new wind turbine which will eventually supersede our original four small turbines. Much needed drainage in some of the Trust properties was carried out, the Sandavore farm track fixed and the last of the new windows and doors are being put in. Very helpful that throughout that period, the weather remained dry! The end of the month also saw many helping hands pack 5,000 oaks from the Eigg Nursery and send them to Argyll where they will be planted as part of Argyll Countryside Trust's native rainforest restoration programme: a great achievement for all involved!
The warm meals and community larder continued throughout the month, providing a much welcome opportunity to gather around a lovely lunch at the hall, with many more meals put away in the community larder freezer to respond to needs for nourishing meals as they arise.
But throughout the month, the community's thoughts were for the Jobson family, and a great many islanders of all ages made the journey to Glasgow for Niamh's day on the 20th February, which was an incredibly moving, beautiful and inspirational celebration of her short but very full life. It was a truly emotional day for all those that attended. But more sadness was in store however, as only two days later, on 22nd February, the news came that Eddie Scott had passed away very peacefully at his home, surrounded by his wife and daughter. He had been feeling increasingly tired for the last few months, and the heart failure he suffered 11 years ago finally claimed him, leaving his family, his friends and his island bereft of his warm friendship and love of the craic. The community gathered once again for his wake, to dig his grave and give him the send-off he would have wanted on Thursday 27th, when friends from far and wide came to pay their respects. Our most sincere condolences go to Lucy and Marie.
Camille Dressler

ISLE OF MUCK

Hello, Muck calling . . . well Spring looks like it may finally be Sprung: all it takes is a couple of days of sunshine and the daffy heads begin to surface, and just in time with lambing on the Croft imminent, and the farm in hot pursuit with calving already in full swing with the tottie playful things running about the beach. Talking of which, an hour of rays and folk are swimming and kayaking like it's the Riviera . . .
The power scheme looks to be almost complete now with the transformers in place, solar bank upgraded, batteries working and a shiny new room on the generator house . . . just need the Gremlin Wizard now to flush them out.
We are starting to ramp up efforts to get the Island match fit for the rapidly approaching season, with an effort aimed at our skip area which has been a bone of contention for a while now as it's the first part of Muck that our visitors pass. Bit of a Beauty and Beast type issue and quite the conundrum. Zoe has been busy giving the Green Shed a spruce up and a deep clean ready for stocking with the varied handmade crafts from all corners of the Island. Let's hope it's a good year.
The Wee darlings at the school celebrated Book Day by dressing as favourite characters and reading from their chosen books and have been out and about on field trips. No doubt all will become clear on open day what projects they have been engrossed in.
Well that's it for this time folks. Can I just say a huge thank you to Kirsty for her patience and hard work as Editor and I for one will miss her; has she told the incoming Boss how delightfully prompt and conscious of deadlines we all are . . ? Well done Kirsty.
Bruce Boyd

Pawel sets new record for supported winter West Highland Way run

Over the weekend of the 15th/16th February, Mallaig ultrarunner Pawel Cymbalista set a new winter record for running the West Highland Way with a support team, in 19 hours, 30 minutes and 09 seconds.
It's the third time Pawel has completed the route; once unsupported in the summer, setting a new record, once in a race finishing 4th, and now supported, in winter conditions.
The route, from Milngavie to Fort William, covers 154km with 4200m of elevation. The weather over the weekend was reasonable on the whole, with a couple of snow showers and temperatures around 0-2°C, but with the wind - and wind chill - increasing towards the end. Pawel said, 'It was a very long day on the cold trail, and a challenge to keep my body temperature up. I couldn't take breaks of longer than five minutes or my body temperature would start to drop and I would shiver. I had to focus on eating and drinking plenty, so my body had the fuel to create energy to regulate my body temperature.'
Besides the cold wind, the biggest challenges were ice and frozen rocks on the higher ground, and the section between Inversnaid to Beinglas as it is more technical, with many roots and sharp rocks to negotiate. Pawel said he found this the hardest section, as he couldn't find a good rhythm because of terrain. He said, 'It was very frustrating, and I was slowly losing focus. In the next more runnable sections I started to get my composure and faith back!'

But he had many positives on the trail. There were many sections which he managed to set new personal records for, including Milngavie to Inverarnan, and Bridge of Orchy to Glencoe Mountain Resort and then to Kinlochleven. He said, 'These sections were absolutely amazing, in my opinion. They felt the best.
'I had a few trips and slips throughout the run but nothing that would put me off until I was on the last leg from Kinlochleven to Fort William. I rolled my right ankle on a rock, which caused a lot of discomfort. I had 16km to go to Fort William. I had to grind it out. I was very focused on my body and trying to keep everything aligned to avoid more damage. I was chasing the clock as well. I knew I would grab the record if I just kept pushing it. It was a real fight and I made it!
'Thanks to my support team who never gave up on me, and pushed me to the end: Ryan, my brother-in-law, Scott Brown from SBF Irvine, my wife Ashley navigating the social media, Monty, Ben Miller, Ruairdh Oliver-Jones from Lochaber AC, Stuart Malcolm and Manny Gorman from Carnethy AC, and Coalin Finn.'
Pawel has pushed himself through many years of long distance runs and knows how important it is to respect your body and to look after it. He says, 'I am planning to keep doing this as long as I can. It's the way of life I choose to have. I am a hard worker, a son, a husband, a father, an ultra running coach and an athlete. I share stories, I teach people how to be better every day. I try to motivate everyone to work hard! I have big dreams and ideas of what I would like to achieve. One day it will stop, and I will have all the memories to pass onto my grandchildren and everyone that wants to listen. I am only 37 years old. I am planning to keep going until I'm 60 or more!'

Travels on the Tea Train, and the Nine Arch Bridge by Rachael Robertson

As founder of the West Highland Tea Company, my love of tea is certainly no secret. And so, after a very busy year here in Mallaig, it was impossible to resist combining a much-needed January break, and turning 30, with an adventure into the wider world of tea. After a little research, and a chat with one of our Tea Merchants, I settled on a visit to the Tea Gardens of Sri Lanka.
Our best-selling tea is our loose-leaf Scottish Breakfast Tea, and this black tea is blended specially for us, combining tea from select gardens in India and Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), that have a Scottish connection and heritage. So, I was excited at the prospect of travelling to the area in Sri Lanka where the tea is grown, hand plucked and processed. Even better, I was able to see the entire process taking place from start to finish!
Sri Lanka is a large island roughly the size of Ireland, with a verdant interior of precipitous valleys, gullies and cascading waterfalls, home to leopards, and in the lowland jungles, elephants and peacocks. Perfectly manicured tea gardens dominate the inland landscape, with the taste and quality of the tea produced influenced by elevation, temperature and rainfall.

The Sri Lankan tea in our Scottish Breakfast blend originates from the western limits of what is known as the 'high-grown' area. Here, tea bushes growing in mountain soils are faced with a degree of adversity - yet this results in great flavour, imbuing the black leaf with zesty, citric aromas. Our tea merchant wonderfully describes these teas as being 'light bodied but mellow' with a refreshing briskness of flavour. At their best, teas from this area are prized the world over.
So what is the historical connection with Scotland? Well, in the 1800s Scottish planters were cultivating coffee on the island then known as Ceylon, but by the 1860s coffee rust was spotted on leaves. The failing coffee plants had to be uprooted, and meanwhile, Scotsman James Taylor from Kincardineshire took seedlings from tea plants in Assam, India, and pioneered the planting of tea on a commercial scale in Sri Lanka. After five years the plants began to yield results in what turned out to be ideal conditions for growing tea.
Taylor's success led to an influx of growers and tea estates springing up to replace the coffee. Gorbals born Sir Thomas Lipton snapped up estates at very attractive prices, and brought affordable tea to the masses back home. Whilst this household name is seen as being largely responsible for the success of Ceylon tea as a quality brand, many other Scottish connections can be seen across the tea districts.

Poring over a map whilst planning my trip, I came across many tea estates with Scottish names. There are big names like Inverness, Portree, Holyrood, Dunkeld, Hatton, Edinburgh, and Strathspey, but I also found 'Loch Eil' and, amazingly, 'Morar'! Indeed, the rugged surroundings of some of these namesake estates chimes with our own dramatic Scottish landscape.
It was great to spend a few days exploring the area - finding out about how the tea is harvested, dried and processed at a working tea factory, and of course drinking lots of tea! After this I embarked on a journey on the slow moving 'Tea Train' which runs through the tea district. I decided to catch the train, packed with visitors and locals alike, from Kandy to Ella, where I could then visit the fabled 'Nine Arch Bridge'. The journey took us through the stunning highland scenery, the tracks passing right beside tea gardens and brightly dressed tea pickers.
If the craggy outcrops weren't symbiotic enough with home, the nine arch bridge itself was even more reminiscent: of our own Glenfinnan viaduct, and a reminder that the next busy season would soon arrive back home in Mallaig. In Sri Lanka, like back home, the train and the bridge are a draw for visitors, both domestic and international, with tourism being of key importance to the economy. It will be lovely to see our own steam train crew again! The Jacobite steam train and the Glenfinnan Viaduct in particular holds a special place for our company. It signals the start of spring every year and brings with it a buzz of life, and the steam train and viaduct was a big influence in our branding as a symbol of our area.
Of course my visit to Sri Lanka was not all about tea, and I was excited to see elephants, monkeys and turtles, visit cave temples and see local dancing. There is much more to do for the adventurous and for beach lovers. Yet for me, the highlight really was getting to visit the tea district and gardens with Scottish heritage, and the origin of the delicious Sri Lankan black tea in our own Scottish Breakfast blend.

Mallaig Lifeboat Log

21st February 2025
Stornoway HM Coastguard requested the RNLI Mallaig lifeboat crew launch the boat on 21st February to transport ambulance paramedics to Inverie pier, Knoydart. The pagers sounded at 6.27pm and the boat launched at 6.45pm. Paramedics went ashore to assess the casualty who was then brought back to Mallaig to be transported to hospital in the waiting

RNLI News

We are on the lookout for new faces to join the Mallaig RNLI station. The volunteer roles of LOM (Lifeboat Operations Manager) and DLA (Deputy Launching Authority) are essential to the daily operations of the station. The LOM is responsible for the day-to-day running of the lifeboat station and has the authority to launch the boat. The LOM is supported by one or more DLAs who can act in their absence and take responsibility for authorising the launch of the lifeboat. If you live locally and could volunteer your time we would love to hear from you. Please pop into the station or give us a call (01687 462579) as the Coxswain and crew will happily chat to you further about the requirements of the roles.
Jessica Logan

News from Mallaig Harbour

This month started with a morning at Mallaig High School undertaking mock interviews with some of the senior pupils. I was amazed by the confidence of the pupils and the range of careers that they are hoping to pursue! The event was organised by Developing Young Workforce, which is part of the newly expanded West Highland Chamber of Commerce. We had a visiting fishing vessel, the Venture (below) on 24th February. As you can see from the picture, it's the largest fishing vessel we have seen in a few years, and was landing Monkfish. We've also had a larger vessel, the Aqua Transporter, loading smolts from the Harbour over the last month or so.

By the time you are reading this, the old Denholms Ice Plant will be mid-way through the demolition process. The contractors arrived on Monday 4th March to set up, and the actual demolition will start on Wednesday 6th, and is expected to take three weeks. The site will be fenced off throughout the process, but we will take lots of photos to document the demolition! While it will be sad to see the building disappear, it will give us the opportunity to look at redeveloping the area in the future. We are hopeful that there will be a few visible signs of progress around the Harbour by the end of March, including the solar panels on the feed shed.
We have also had contractors up looking at the piling beneath 'Jary's Wharf' - the area where Milligan Transport currently load, and where the fish boxes are stored. We hope to undertake strengthening of three of the piles during the spring tides at the end of March and April, with more work to be undertaken after the summer. This won't be visible, but it is important for us in maintaining the structural integrity of the pier!
On Thursday 7th March, we are hosting the first meeting to establish a Ferry Users Group. This has become very pertinent with the publication of the information on disruptions to the Summer timetable between Mallaig and Armadale and Mallaig and Lochboisdale. From 28th March to 11th April, the MV Loch Bhrusda will be operating a single vessel service. From 12th April to 15th May, the MV Loch Fyne will be operating a single vessel service, and from 16th May until the MV Isle of Mull comes back on service, the Loch Bhrusda and Loch Fyne will operate on the route. We expect that there will be a service between Mallaig and Lochboisdale from 9th April until 22nd April, then the service will operate to Oban from 23rd April to 14th May. The Lord of the Isles is due back on service between Mallaig and Lochboisdale from 15th May. If anyone is interested in being part of the Ferry Users Group, then please get in touch, and I can make sure that you are kept updated.
The deadline for expressions of interest in Andy Race's building has now passed, so we have a clearer idea of how the space might be used. It's likely that we will be able to provide space for three businesses to operate from the building. In the meantime, the Harbour Staff have done a great job of clearing around the outside (and a bit of the inside), ready for development.
We have had another visit from Border Force to the Harbour recently. Although Mallaig Harbour Authority does not have a statutory need to publish a Modern Slavery Statement, we have decided that we should have a formal policy. This was approved by our Board at the February meeting, and will be made publicly available around the Harbour and online.
Scottish Seafarms have now installed a defibrillator, which is available for public use, on the exterior of their building on the Harbour. As a result, we have moved our defibrillator from the inside of the Harbour Building round to the exterior of the Marina building (at the top of the pontoon). This will mean that there is easier access for any incidents that might occur either on the pontoon or on East Bay.
Lastly, another wee reminder that we have formalised the process for allocating funds to community groups and projects. The first deadline for applying for funds is 14th March, to be decided at our meeting on 11th April, and you can find all the details on our Facebook page.
Jacqueline McDonell 01687 462154

On and Off the Rails

Hello, it's me again, saying yet again: "Be careful what you wish for before putting pen to paper." As usual, things changed just as I had planned out in my head how to start my column.

The much-anticipated Winter West Highland Pullman train was jinxed by storm Eowyn on Saturday 25th January, but has been rescheduled for a visit to Mallaig on Saturday 29th March.
It will be visiting Mallaig on Saturday 22nd March, arriving into Mallaig at 12.30 and departing at 14.10; but on the 29th March it is only scheduled (at the time of writing) to run as far as Fort William, due to the Royal Scotsman luxury touring train having possession of the branch line on that day.
The branch line is single track with few passing loops, which means that only two trains, one in each direction, can be accommodated on the line at any one time. With both the Royal Scotsman and ScotRail's standard services using the line, there is no window where the Pullman can get beyond Fort William to visit us.
In the meantime, we did get the planned Winter West Highland Pullman on Saturday 22nd February, running on The Jacobite's timetable. Its guests departed Fort William, where the weather was pelting sleet at them, and arrived in Mallaig to a dry, blustery two hours of sunshine and a welcoming piper.
Thank you to all the gift shops that opened up that day, including the RNLI lifeboat shop. I'm told that one of the best selling items were folding umbrellas - for use in Fort William later that afternoon! The management, staff and crew of the Winter West Highland Pullman have asked me to pass on their thanks for the welcoming efforts made on their behalf, that day and on all their previous visits, by the businesses of Mallaig.
The Pullman team hopes to make more visits to Mallaig in the future, but it will be tricky to get pathing on the branch line beyond Fort William between April and the autumn. In addition to the Royal Scotsman's visits and the four daily ScotRail services in each direction, The Jacobite steam train will soon run seven days a week too - from Monday 7th April to Friday 24th October, with the afternoon service set to run from Monday 5th May to Friday 26th September.
The Winter West Highland Pullman team is making guests booked on the curtailed March trip aware that the lunchtime ScotRail train from Fort William to Mallaig may have seats still available to book - so we could yet see fully packed trains.

ScotRail news
The Highland Explorer carriage is finally on the timetable, for the period Monday 24th March to (at the moment) Saturday 17th May! The carriage boasts 20 cycle spaces, extra legroom, tables and extra luggage space. The carriage will be used Monday to Saturday only, departing Glasgow Queen Street at 12.22. For now, it will only travel as far as Fort William, because its addition will take the service to five carriages total. Mallaig cannot accommodate five carriages until the platform is lengthened. No date yet for this work to be done by Network Rail.
Until that work is completed, the 12.22 Glasgow service will divide on arrival at Fort William at 16.09. Two or four carriages will travel onward to Mallaig, arriving 17.43, and the Highland Explorer carriage will remain at Fort William. It will rejoin the train on its return journey (the 16.05 from Mallaig), departing Fort William at 17.37 and arriving into Glasgow Queen Street at 21.25, Monday to Saturday. For more information and for full timetable details of all ScotRail Highland Explorer services, visit www.scotrail.co.uk/scotrail-highland-explorer or call in on your local friendly staff at the Mallaig or Fort William ticket offices.

Network Rail branch line possession
Buses replaced all ScotRail trains on the line between Mallaig and Fort William this week. Essential engineering works necessitated a total closure of the branch line between Saturday 1st March and Thursday 6th March. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? But the behind the scenes planning and the logistics must be applauded for the way in which the whole scenario played out.
Firstly, credit to Shiel Buses, who ran two buses for every timetabled ScotRail train between Mallaig and Fort William - a direct shuttle service between the Mallaig and Fort William railway stations, and a second service that worked its way around all the station stops off the main road en route. Thanks to the extra staff who worked patiently and politely, it was "bustitution" at its best! Hats off to the crews and cleaners too.
Network Rail had possession of the railway line for six days to carry out engineering work on a huge scale. At Mallaig, we saw and heard nothing, except for extra accommodation bookings, many hungry workers seeking food, and vans, pickups and lorries all being respectful to each other as they moved from site to site. I travelled to Fort William by bus this week, and the whole scene was very impressive: re-railing of steel sleepers, re-ballasting, changing sleepers and timbers, vegetation clearance, tree felling, tree planting, drainage, inspection, signalling/power connections and disconnections, re-timbering and re-railing at Beasdale tunnel, Lochailort and Locheilside . . . The list goes on and on and on.
Huge numbers of generators, workstations of up to 30 workers, portacabins galore, and at least 10 specialist firms all working under the umbrella of Network Rail . . . True respect to all who worked tirelessly to keep our train journey safe for staff and passengers, without us having to think of the logistics. Oh, and I think there was some CCTV work as well. I could go on, but it's getting late now. Thanks to all.

Fare increases from 1st April
On 1st April 2025, all ScotRail fares will increase by 3.8%. If you live locally and want to take the sting out of the increase, make sure that your discount railcards are up to date before then. Here are some of the ways you can save:
1. Buy a one-year Highland Railcard, which costs £15 from the Mallaig or Fort William booking offices, to save 50% on selected journeys. You'll need a passport-size photo when purchasing for the first time, plus proof of your address. You must have a local postcode. The card gives you 50% off all tickets from Mallaig to Fort William, Oban, and to and from Glasgow. The saving also applies to all journeys made between Inverness, Dingwall, Kyle of Lochalsh and Thurso. There are no time restrictions on the Highland Railcard, so you can use any service, any day of the week, to travel around the north and west Highlands for work or pleasure. If you travel with children, you can use a Kids-for-a-Quid ticket with your Highland Railcard, which allows up to four children aged 5 to 15 to travel for £1 each, return.
2. If you are aged 50 or older, get a Club 50 membership. For an annual fee of £15, you can get a 20% discount on selected off-peak and advance fares throughout Scotland on tickets purchased on the ScotRail website. (Note: if you buy your ticket in person at the booking office, your discount will only be 10%.) See www.scotrail.co.uk/tickets/club-50 Right now, Club 50 is offering £17 flat fare return tickets for any journey on the ScotRail network, but be quick - this offer ends on 21st March! The return portion of your ticket can be used for up to four weeks after your outward travel date - even after 21st March, and well into the period after the April price hike. Sounds good to me! I might get one yet...
3. If you travel regularly between Mallaig and Fort William, there's one more bargain ticket you might want to consider - and this one is valid until 27th September! The Weekly Season Ticket costs £73.80, and represents a saving of over 40% if you make the return journey five days a week. Plus, if you're a Club 50 member as well, you can get an additional 10% off when you buy your Weekly Season Ticket from the booking office at Mallaig or Fort William.
Happy ticket hunting, and remember to purchase before the April price increase!

Saving the best until last
The spring edition of the Friends of the West Highland Lines (FoWHL) magazine, West Highland News and Ferry News is out now! Produced three times a year in glorious, glossy colour (plus black and white where appropriate), it is A4-sized, 44 pages and very informative. A copy can be posted to you from me in pristine condition, in a hard-backed envelope. It costs £4 plus postage, and is worth every penny. Alternatively, if you live locally, we can meet up for you to buy one, or you can telephone me on 01687 462189.
In the latest issue, there is a two-page feature by the FoWHL Historian on "The West Coast Fishing Port", with three black and white photographs reproduced to go with it, including one of a busy scene in Mallaig in the early 1960s and a wee prologue by the FoWHL Editor, mentioning the Port of Mallaig. Oh, to be re-titled that on all our road and rail signage, once again! Andy Race always championed for it to be so at our Chamber of Commerce, when we had our own. The present Harbour Authority, and many others, deserve it to be so. Perhaps the Community Council could take up the challenge . . . It is the beating heart of the community, and the very reason that the railway was built here, starting at the pier to take the "silver darlings" away.
See you on the train,
Sonia Cameron

Birdwatch February 2025 by Stephen MacDonald

The month started fairly cold, with night frosts and wintry showers at times. The second half was milder and wetter. Bird-wise, nothing out of the ordinary was reported; most sightings comprised of the usual species expected at this time of year. But with the lengthening daylight, there was a noticeable increase in birdsong and displaying.
Whooper Swans were reported from Loch nan Eala throughout, with at least six present at the month end. Canada and Greylag Geese were reported from Traigh, Back of Keppoch and Loch Ailort. Up to six Shelduck were reported from Loch nan Ceall as more birds returned to breed. Both Little and Slavonian Grebes were reported from Loch nan Ceall. Goosanders and Red-breasted Mergansers were seen on Loch Morar and the Morar Estuary, with the latter also spotted on Loch nan Ceall and Loch Ailort. Goldeneye were seen on Loch Morar on several occasions.
Up to three wintering Greenshank were present on the Morar Estuary. Purple Sandpipers were at their usual haunts around West Bay, Mallaig. Turnstones were also reported from there and at Traigh.
On the 28th of the month, a Water Rail (presumably the same individual as last month) was seen crossing the road at Rhubana View. On the 25th, a Ptarmigan was seen on An Stac, Loch Ailort.
February saw widespread reports of Jays, with birds spotted in several gardens in the Morar area once again. Dippers were reported from the Morar river on numerous occasions during the month.
As the month progressed, there was an increase in the number of Siskins and Redpolls reported using garden feeders. A female Lesser Redpoll caught by a ringer on the 16th was identified as having been ringed on March 26th last year, at Bevercotes, Nottinghamshire - 516 kms to the southeast. Ringing has revealed that many of the Redpolls that breed in the Highlands spend the winter away from their breeding grounds, further south in England and the near continent.