The line lies entirely within the former county of Ross and Cromarty, part of the modern-day Highland council area.

Initially, the single-track line briefly follows the course of the A834 road until it abruptly curves off to the north, crossing over the River Peffery, only to turn west again.

[4][5] The line to Kyle, meanwhile, bypasses the town about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north; Achterneed station[C] existed along this stretch and also served Strathpeffer until it too closed in 1964.

The line then continues west, climbing at gradients as steep as 1 in 50, until it passes close to the summit of Raven Rock where it starts descending.

It eventually meets the Black Water – a tributary of the River Conon – and follows it upstream alongside the A832 road.

This station was moved to this location from its original site in 1954 as a result of a hydroelectric scheme, which raised the water level of the loch.

The track then follows the course of this river for about six miles (9.7 km) until the village of Achnasheen, near the eastern end of Loch a' Chroisg.

From here, the railway runs along the southern coastline of Loch Carron, and continues to hug the coast all the way until the terminus at Kyle of Lochalsh (except briefly near Plockton).

A short distance from Strathcarron the line reaches another station, Attadale,[K] located near the mouth of the river of the same name.

Just southwest of the station, the line passes through an avalanche shelter – an unusual tunnel-like structure, approximately 270 yd (250 m), which also carries the A890 and is partially open on the loch-side; it was built in 1978[citation needed] to prevent rocks from falling onto the road and track.

The line then continues for nearly five more miles (8 km) until it reaches Stromeferry station,[L] adjacent to a former ferry port which linked the area with North Strome on the opposite side of the loch.

From here, the line runs in a generally southerly direction, although the exact heading varies significantly as the track closely follows the jagged coast.

[2] It is almost entirely single-track, except for four double-track passing loops at Dingwall, Garve, Achnasheen and Strathcarron, and the two platforms and two sidings at Kyle of Lochalsh.

The film follows the train from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, describing the communities, landscape and wildlife along its route, while contrasting the frustration of motorists with the relaxation of the journey by rail.

Video 125 Ltd. produced a driver's eye view documentary of the line in 1987, when the service was still operated using loco-hauled trains, in this case motive power being provided by Class 37 no.

Nicholas Whittaker travelled the line both ways during the summer of 1973, an experience he wrote about in his 1995 book Platform Souls.