Two routes are worth knowing from Aberdeen, and the quicker one ends on a bus. Going all the way by rail means ScotRail to Glasgow Queen Street, about 2h45, then a second ScotRail train to Fort William, about 3h45 more, for roughly seven and a half hours in total. Taking the train to Inverness instead and finishing on Ember’s bus cuts the journey to about 4h40.
ScotRail’s train from Aberdeen to Inverness takes about 2h15. From there you walk eight minutes to the Union Street stop for Ember’s bus, which reaches Inverlochy after 23 stops and a little over two hours. On the typical journey the whole change at Inverness, walk included, takes 18 minutes.
On the weekday we checked, this connection ran four times, all in the morning, leaving Aberdeen at 07:18, 08:23, 10:08 and 11:57. The bus also leaves you further from the centre than the train would: Inverlochy is about 21 minutes’ walk, roughly 1.5 km, from the High Street, which counts if you are carrying much.
The rail route leaves Aberdeen at 08:35 or 14:35 and changes once, at Glasgow Queen Street, where on the timetable we looked at there is about an hour to wait. It costs close to three extra hours, but you stay on trains throughout, arrive at Fort William station ten minutes’ walk from the High Street, and the 14:35 offers an afternoon start, later than any of the Ember connections we found.
A handful of other combinations exist, including a 09:05 changing at Dundee and Glasgow Queen Street that took about seven hours, and a 07:18 that runs via Inverness and a bus to Spean Bridge before finishing by train, in just under five hours. Neither beats the Ember connection on time. The drive, 156 miles via the A86, takes about 3h45, close to an hour less than even the Inverness route.
Journey times and changes below come from the rail and bus timetables for Tuesday 1 December 2026. Weekend and holiday timetables differ, so check the day you travel.
From Aberdeen on the weekday we checked: 08:35 and 14:35.
From Aberdeen on the weekday we checked: 07:18, 08:23, 10:08 and 11:57.
By road it is about 156 miles from Aberdeen to Fort William, mostly via the A86 — roughly 3h 43m with clear roads. Car parks in Fort William are listed on the Getting Here page.