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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Crianlarich
Stay one night as a West Highland Way midpoint or a rail junction stop; skip it as a base unless you are climbing a Munro.
Crianlarich is a village of about 185 people at the junction of the A82 and A85, where the West Highland railway splits for Oban or Fort William. Most travellers pass through; the reason to stay is the cluster of Munros within a few miles, or a bed at the midpoint of the West Highland Way. There is no filling station and no ticket office, so arrive fuelled and buy your ticket on board.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, ice on the hills), midge season Jul–Aug
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–110 excl. bed · High £110+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 or 112 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | £3–4.50 |
| Bar meal (Rod and Reel or a hotel) | £12–20 |
| Draught beer in a pub | £4.50–6 |
| Dorm bed, youth hostel | £22 ppn (check) |
| B&B double room | £85–125 (check) |
| Taxi within the village | £5–10 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £8–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GLA · Glasgow
- About 1 h 45 min by Citylink coach from Buchanan station, or train from Queen Street via Glasgow
- EDI · Edinburgh
- Bus 978 runs once a day, about 2 h 50 min via the airport; otherwise change at Glasgow, about 4 h
Typical fares
- Glasgow Buchanan → Crianlarich, Citylink
- about 1 h 45 min, 6 times a day (check)
- Glasgow Queen Street → Crianlarich, ScotRail
- about 2 h, 4 times a day (check)
- Crianlarich → Tyndrum, train or bus
- about 10 min (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The village is walkable in ten minutes, but you need wheels for the mountain trails. Crianlarich Cars is the only local taxi and operates Apr–Oct only, with shorter hours in winter; pre-book on +44 778 7788 360. Trains run four times a day from Glasgow Queen Street, taking about two hours, and divide here for Oban or Fort William. Citylink buses 914/915/916/975 run about six times a day from Glasgow, 1 h 45 min.
See and do
Known for
- West Highland Way midpoint
- Ben More and the Crianlarich Munros
- Rail junction for Oban and Fort William
- Gateway to the Highlands
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ben More | Taxi or car east on the A85 to Benmore Farm, then the steep ridge on foot | About 4–6 h return from the village |
| Killin and the Falls of Dochart | Car or taxi east on the A85 and A827 | About 40 min each way |
| Tyndrum | Train or bus north, about 10 min | About 15 min |
| Loch Lomond | Car south on the A82 along the west bank | About 30 min to the head of the loch |
| Oban | Train west, about 1 h 30 min | About 1 h 30 min |
Sleep
- Main Street (village centre)
- Hotels, B&Bs and the Rod and Reel pub within a few minutes' walk; the coach stop is at the Crianlarich Hotel.
- Station Road
- The youth hostel and the village store sit next to the station; best if you arrive by train.
- A82 west edge
- Lodge House, about half a mile west of the village; the owner runs the local taxi.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Excuse me / Sorry— |
| Thank you | Thank you— |
| How much is it? | How much is it?— |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card?— |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet?— |
| Is this the train for Oban? | Is this the train for Oban?— |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- No fuel in the village: the nearest filling station is five miles north at Tyndrum, and Lix Toll on the A85 has closed. Fill up before leaving the lowlands.
- Crianlarich station has no ticket office or machines and no step-free access to the platform; buy on board if your journey starts here.
- Mobile signal is patchy north on the A82 and east on the A85, and there is none on the mountains. Do not rely on a phone for navigation.
- Midges are fierce in still, damp weather from June to August; bring repellent for evening walks.
- Mountain weather changes fast: Ben More is 1,174 m and the ridges are exposed. Carry a map, compass and waterproofs.
A very safe village; the real risks are mountain weather, ice on the hills and driving the A82 in the dark. Tell someone your route before a Munro and carry a map and compass.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Crianlarich yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- West Highland Way midpoint
- Ben More and the Crianlarich Munros
- Rail junction for Oban and Fort William
- Gateway to the Highlands
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- VisitScotland: www.visitscotland.com/
- ScotRail: www.scotrail.co.uk/
- Citylink: www.citylink.co.uk/
- National Rail — Crianlarich station: www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/CNR/details.html
- Hostelling Scotland — Crianlarich: www.hostellingscotland.org.uk/hostels/crianlarich/
- Wikivoyage: Crianlarich, revision 5272891 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5272891
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Crianlarich
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance999 or 112
- NHS non-urgent111
- Police non-urgent101
No embassies in the village; the US consulate-general is in Edinburgh and most other countries have embassies in London.
English is spoken everywhere; no local phrase needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/crianlarich). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.