The highest railway in Scotland

Being history geeks, The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway is somewhere which has been on our to-do list for a while. (If you like a cliff railway click here to read about Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway)

The 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge railway is located at the former Leadhills and Wanlockhead Branch of the Caledonian Railway.  This was a branch line off of the mainline between Carlisle and Glasgow at Elvanfoot. Tickets purchased, all aboard!

The railway runs from Leadhills for about 1 kilometre (just over half a mile) towards Wanlockhead and takes around 25 minutes for the journey.  It is the highest adhesion railway in the UK, with rack and pinion Snowdon Mountain Railway being higher.

The original railway closed in the late 1930s shortly after the mines in Wanlockhead had closed.

There is a small shop and cafe in operation here as well.

Where

Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway
The Station
Station Road
Leadhills
ML12 6XS

Check the Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway Facebook page for up to date information.

Tickets

Buy a ticket from the ticket office situated at Leadhills Railway Station.