Hill Country Bus Services in Scotland
Scotland’s classic and classy mountain scenery makes it tricky to construct a network that is more extensive than the one that it’s got. That makes bus and coach services vitally important, especially in more remote areas where there aren’t that many of them. I have a few collected here but there are many more than this so I have got some more collecting to be doing. I hope that you find the list helpful but, if you do need to look further afield, please take a look at my public transport blog or the Scottish travel directory included in the Travel Jottings area. As well as additions, I also hope to keep what’s here as up to date as I can. If there are any oversights, please do send me a message and I’ll be happy to rectify things.
4 The Jewel - Hillend
City centre bus services do sometimes terminate at country parks and the regular Edinburgh service is an example. Hillend Country Park is more than an access point for the Pentland Hills since it is also an all-weather ski centre. The proximity of low-sized hills with good lung and leg busting climbs up to their summits is the cause of its inclusion here. The service runs all day so there’s next to no fear of being marooned for the night.
10 Western Harbour (Leith) – Bonaly/Torphin
The proximity of the Pentland Hills to Edinburgh mean that a number of Edinburgh’s city centre bus services terminate on their doorstep. Bonaly has its country park only a short hop from this regular route, even when buses don’t call at Bonaly itself, and offers an excellent way into the heart of the hills.
15/15A Tranent – Edinburgh – Penicuik
To some eyes, this might seem a strange candidate for inclusion on a list of bus services taking into hill country and it would be but for its passing the eastern extremity of the Pentland Hills. It’s a daytime service with two buses running every hour but it runs only between St. Andrew’s Square in the centre of Edinburgh and Penicuik on Sundays.
34/34B Grantown – Aviemore – Glenmore – Cairngorm
This service makes staying in Aviemore and exploring the hills about Rothiemurchus and Glenmore a convenient possibility. While I suspect that it attracts a generous subsidy thanks to the troubled Caringorm Mountain and it funicular railway, the hourly frequency is undeniably useful for many a day out among the hills as well as getting to and from the Cairngorm Lodge SYHA hostel.
44 Fort William – Kinlochleven
Given the fine hill country that surrounds it, Kinlochleven is undeservedly bereft of the attention that is lavished on Fort William. However, if a quieter high calibre hill day is your thing, then there are few better places to go and this service means that you don’t need a car either. The frequency is respectable with it being as good as two-hourly on weekdays and three each way on Sundays. That makes day trips there more workable than some parts of the Scottish Highlands and the views out the bus windows along the way are hard to beat.
49/49B Broadford – Torrin – Elgol – Glasnakillie
There was a time when getting to Elgol by bus wasn’t as clear-cut as it seems to be nowadays. That was a pity because its location on the side of Loch Scavaig makes for wonderful views of the Cuillin hills and Rum, among many other things. It’s good to see that bus times are better for spending a day there, at least on weekdays, because that is such a worthwhile venture. It’s a great starting point for longer walks too.
57A/57C Portree – Trotternish
This is a circular service with the 57A travelling in the anticlockwise direction and the 57C going in the clockwise one. That means that the latter gets you to Uig for the ferries to the Western Isles faster than the former, which is the better choice for exploring the tangled geological wreckage that draws so many to this part of Skye.
81/81A/81C Kelso – Kirk Yetholm
For getting away from Kirk Yetholm after completing the Pennine Way or getting there to start it in the opposite direction, this looks a good bet so long as you are not travelling on Sundays now that the old 223 service is no more. Apparently, a demand responsive taxibus service has taken its place so you need to make a phone call to Mobility Assist on (01750) 23456 between 08:00 and 16:00 on the day before to book a place on one of the three services that they run. Otherwise, it might be a case of following the Borders Abbeys Way or the road to Kelso.
95/X95 Carlisle – Galashiels – Edinburgh
There was a time when there was a rail link between Carlisle and Edinburgh that passed right through the Scottish Borders but that is now no more, though there are plans for a restoration between Edinburgh and Galashiels. It is for that reason that this bus service is branded Raillink and seeing a three and a half hour journey does make it apparent that you’d use to get to places such as Langholm, Hawick, Selkirk and Galashiels. That hill country surrounds each of these is what gets the service included here. So many pass the Southern Uplands en route to elsewhere and that’s a pity so any way that brings you near the heart of such untended action only can be a good thing.
100/101/102/103/199 Dumfries – Edinburgh
In keeping with my adding of Lothian Buses routes for accessing the Pentland Hills, this collection of services has to go in too. There is, however, another reason for its inclusion: all but the 102 pass through Moffat and so land you on the doorstep of the Southern Uplands and the Southern Upland Way passes nearby too. All in all, these are invaluable services for those wanting a spot of hill wandering.
201/202/203 Aberdeen – Banchory – Torphins – Aboyne – Ballater – Braemar
Braemar is somewhere that has come to mind as a place to visit a few times now and it seems that the best approach by public transport is from the east. The service frequency provided by Stagecoach Bluebird isn’t too bad either with its being hourly at certain times of the day. Even with a journey taking over two hours, the hours of operation are sufficiently long as to allow a decent length of day anyway, always a good thing. All in all, it looks usable.
302 Carrick Castle – Lochgoilhead – Arrochar – Tarbet – Luss – Helensburgh
In an area not well endowed with frequent public transport connections, this is a useful addition. It may not run on Sundays and the times may be set up better for local residents heading out for a shopping trip but it does remain useful, particularly for returning you to civilisation after walking through the enticing countryside hereabouts.
321 Brodick – Strathwhillan – Corriegills
322 Brodick – The String – Shiskine – Blackwaterfoot
323 Brodick – Lamlash – Whiting Bay – Kildonan – Blackwaterfoot
324 Brodick – Corrie – Lochranza – Pirnmill – Blackwaterfoot
All of these will get you around the island of Arran and some can be stitched together to go right around it by bus for a handy introduction to the place. Because the timetable is produced by SPT, you get ferry times in there too along with rail connections. All in all, it’s the complete transport guide for exploring what many call Scotland in miniature.
478/479 Dunoon – Tighnabruaich – Portavadie
This merits a mention because of the Cowal Way and then there’s the ferry across to Tarbert on Kintyre too. However, timings are dependent on the day of travel and, like other services in Cowal, there’s no Sunday service either with changes at Auchenbreck being another feature of the timetable. All of this makes using the service for a day trip tricky but it could have its uses on a multi-day trek so long as you plan around the eccentricities of the timetable. It’s probably best to keep the idea of crossing the sea to Tarbert as an option in case you need it.
484 Dunoon – Strachur – Lochgoilhead – Carrick Castle
486 Dunoon – Strachur – Cairndow – Inverary
For exploring Cowal, these look invaluable so long as you are not wanting to do it on Sundays when they don’t run. Services are not that infrequent either and they do meet ferries from Gourcock as well. Furthermore, the Inverary service will connect with Citylink coaches to Oban and Campbeltown and offers another option for those coming from Glasgow, even if the train/ferry combination seems more sensible.
495 Craignure – Fishnish – Salen – Tobermory
This may not take you past so many hills but a short crossing of Mull from Salen will most of the walk in to them. It certainly came in handy for me when exploring the other side of the hills lining along the northern side Glen More.
496 Craignure – Fionnphort
If my memory isn’t failing me, this does pass through some delectable countryside. When I used it, I was on a Calmac tour to Iona with my brother and the wet murky day was far from conducive to admiring the surroundings. The timings may not be perfect but it still might have its uses when exploring Mull.
914/915/916 Glasgow – Fort William – Isle of Skye
These Scottish Citylink services pass through some very classy country as they make their way to their destinations. The 914 is the only one not starting from or continuing to the Isle of Skye since it forms the first southbound journey of the day and the last northbound one. Otherwise, passage into countryside dominated by ben, loch and glen north of Fort William is very much guaranteed with Eilean Donan castle, Cluanie and the Great Glen being on the route. South of Fort William, good access to the West Highland Way is on offer along with such wonderful locations such as Loch Lomond, the Black Mount and Glen Coe. The expanded service for the summer has ended for the winter but I remain hopeful that it will return next year. Even though it’s now in the off season, it might be better to give the 11:00 departure from Fort William to Glasgow a wide berth since that can get very busy at times.
926 Glasgow – Campbeltown
This shares its route with the Fort William/Skye services up as far as Tarbet where it then turns towards Inverary and then down the Mull of Kintyre to Campbeltown. Along its way, it passes through Arrochar, offering a good way into the hill country of south Argyll. I have never been beyond beyond Inverary so visiting the Mull of Kintyre remains outstanding and its charms unsavoured. After a bus war between Citylink and West Coast Motors, sense has prevailed with WCM now operating the Citylink contract like they did earlier this year. It’s always good to see madness abating.
976 Glasgow – Oban
Up as far as Inverary, its route is identical to the 926 so the same comments apply. Beyond Inverary, it calls at Dalmally and Taynuilt, allowing to get to the likes of Ben Cruachan, Glen Orchy and Loch Etive. Oban’s being a gateway to islands like Mull make the route even more valuable. As per the 926, the same comments about timings at intermediate stops apply and it’s good to see that the bus war that affected this route as well has come to a satisfactory end with WCM operating things as they did before.
M91 (Edinburgh) – Perth – Pitlochry – Aviemore – Inverness
The introduction of what became known as the “Saltire Cross” to Scottish Citylink and Megabus route diagrams following the institution of the joint venture between the two companies not only resulted in changes to the way the services were operated but also aroused the concern of the Competition Commission. The result of that attention was that Parks of Hamilton bought out some of the services to operated under their own name, though they still work side by side with Citylink/Megabus.
In spite of all these changes, Citylink/Parks remain the main bus/coach operators for services to the likes of Pitlochry, Blair Atholl, Calvine, Dalwhinnie, Newtonmore, Kingussie and Aviemore from the south; changes at Perth usually are needed. To my mind, that allows access to the hill country that surrounds these places and a two hourly frequency may not seem outstanding but it is better than many parts of the Highlands. One fly in the ointment might be that it doesn’t make a good option for a day trip that requires an early start but there are alternatives such as the National Express 588 service from Glasgow and there are always trains from Scotrail too. I’ll certainly be keeping my options open for any future excursion to an area to which I haven’t devoted much of my time to date.
Timetable: Edinburgh-Perth-Inverness
Timetable: Glasgow-Perth-Inverness
W10 Stornoway – Tarbert – Leverburgh
Harris plays host to fine hill country that proves that hills lower than those on Skye or the Scottish mainland can still look magnificent. As if that were not enough, there are fine beaches to be enjoyed too. Of course, you need to be able to get to these attractive places and this bus service means that the car can be left after you. While you need to watch the times of the last buses of the day, the summertime frequency very usefully seems to be next to two hourly even if that is reduced for the winter. There is no Sunday service because sabbath observation is very important to the people of the Western Isles but that same comment applies to other things there as well.
W17 Berneray – North Uist – Benbecula – South Uist – Eriskay
The Uists are joined by causways from Berneray all of the way south to Eriskay and this bus travels over the whole extent with North Uist, Grimsay, Benbecula and South Uist being crossed on the way. South Uist has its hill country and its machair while lochs are found all over the place. Since the landscapes are worth seeing, there are many advantages to going by bus and this bus route links the lot from top to bottom. Unlike the W10 which is run by one company alone, the W17 is shared between different companies so changes of vehicle en route and using different operator depending on the time at which you are travelling. It all sounds eccentric but it does work in its own way and care with the last buses is a must since later services are run by request only. You won’t find a bus running on a Sunday but that is a practice that should not surprise anyone with any knowledge of the Western Isles.
