I took a £2 bus 110 miles from Oban to Inverness – it was gloriously scenic

Enveloped by mountains, passing lochs and castle ruins, it’s difficult not to be lulled into a trance while travelling through the Scottish Highlands. Until March 2027, it costs just £2 to sit back and enjoy many of its views on a three-hour, 110-mile bus journey. Earlier this year, the Scottish Government launched a 12-month pilot of a £2 single fare cap that applies to several areas of Scotland. It includes intercity options run by the electric bus company Ember, which launched in 2020. The 110-mile route is its service between Oban and Inverness (West Coast Motors operates another service between the cities, the 918). Shorts For a year from January, single bus fares across England will also be capped at £2. But Scotland’s £2 bus trial already offers plenty of appealing journeys. Few are as epic as the trip I took from Oban. Oban’s attractions include McCraig Tower, a folly on Battery Hill (Photo: Margalliver/Getty) On one typically wet and misty morning, I left the port town in the western Highlands, where attractions include seafood restaurants, a distillery dating to 1794 and the views from McCraig’s Tower, a folly looking out across the town from Battery Hill. My journey north to Inverness cost just under 2p per mile, including space on board for a large piece of luggage or a bike (with a prior reservation). After my ticket was scanned, I settled into one of the bus’s reclining leather seats. It had plenty of leg room, WiFi that was more consistent than that offered on most UK trains, and a USB charging point. At the back of the bus, there was a clean, roomy toilet. Ember runs Oban–Inverness buses three times per day. Around 12 people joined my 10.23am departure in Oban. Despite another influx of around 15 people at Fort William, I had an empty seat next to me throughout. Loch Linnhe is one of the sights en route (Photo: Rob Koenen/Getty) The journey took three hours and 20 minutes, and much of it was scenic. The book I intended to finish lay unopened in my seat pocket. Views of the western coast and Loch Linnhe gave way to the mountainous majesty of Fort William. There, more than a dozen tired-looking passengers with backpacks joined the bus and collapsed into the cushioned seats. Along the route there are plenty of stops, a maximum of about 50 (although many are made by request). My bus only stopped about 15 times. Ember serves local communities across the Highlands. Two women in their seventies got on a couple of stops apart, and chatted as if they were friends. American tourists travelling to Inverness on the way to Orkney were among the other passengers. There was plenty of leg room in the reclining seats (Photo: Rebecca Crowe) We followed part of the Great Glen Way, the diagonal route of the Great Glen Fault Line and a long-distance, coast-to-coast walking trail. For the last hour or so of the journey, the right-hand side of the bus offered uninterrupted views of the grey-blue Loch Ness. At the southern tip of the loch, several passengers got off. Fort Augustus may be a village of 650 residents, but it’s also a hub for loch cruises and has access to the Caledonian Canal. At £2 a ride and with almost hourly buses from Fort William to Inverness, it would be easy to do a multi-day, hop-on, hop-off itinerary along this route. Arriving in the city centre of Inverness, I was greeted with a burst of blue sky. I took a tour of Inverness Castle before walking to the Botanic Gardens, where I visited the cactus room and tropical greenhouse. The picturesque walk back to the city centre took in the Ness Islands, in the River Ness, where there are walking trails, huge trees and Victorian bridges. It’s a pocket of calm in the city. I’ve rarely travelled between two destinations as scenic as Oban and Inverness, and certainly not using as cheap a ticket. A tour of Inverness Castle can be followed by a trip to the botanic gardens (Photo: Sanghwan Kim/Getty) Ember co-founder Keith Bradbury said: “The £2 fare cap trial is an interesting exercise. While we think it’s great that the Government wants to support the increase of bus ridership, we don’t think that the absolute top priority is reducing the price. As a business, we think that the real opportunity is to move people from cars to buses.” Ember’s tickets are still affordable outside of the areas included in the £2 fare cap. The Glasgow–Oban route is £14.25 (cheaper than taking the train and quicker by at least 20 minutes), and Inverness–Glasgow is £15.25. I’m keen to use Ember’s Oban-Inverness bus again. It was better value than any UK train journey I have taken. Booking it The writer was a guest of Visit Scotland, which provided tickets to the Inverness Castle Experience. Ember tickets can be booked online. Staying there Heatherfield House in Oban is a family-run guesthouse in a building that dates to 1849. Doubles from £110 per night. Ardross Glencairn Guesthouse in Inverness is a collection of listed Victorian homes and is a five-minute walk from the river. Doubles from £212. More information visitscotland.com