I first traversed the 21 arched Glenfinnan Viaduct in the late nineties, long before the magnificent structure was brought to mainstream attention through the marvellous Harry Potter films.

I travelled on the Jacobite steam train back then, something that I repeated in 2009. From the train the pictures were not great, no matter how far I dared to lean out of the window.

In May 2022 we undertook a road tour of the Highlands and having visited the Isle of Skye we drove southwards from Mallaig towards Fort William, the same route undertaken by the Jacobite.

A consultation with the Jacobite website indicated that a southbound train would be crossing the viaduct at about 13.15.

We therefore parked up at the Glenfinnan visitor centre and hotfooted it through the drizzle along a footpath and up some slippery rocks to find a decent vantage point.

Sure enough at around 1.15pm we heard a rumble through the trees and a head of steam emerged through the precipitation. Cue a camera frenzy.

Getting back down afterwards was slightly more treacherous than going up as my dog tried to pull me down the by now boggy slope! Next time I will try to capture the northbound service. And hope for some sunshine.