Train services are temporarily not calling at Altnabreac station. It has not been possible to access the station by road to ensure the platform and facilities are safe for customers to use during the winter period. ScotRail is working with Network Rail to secure safe access to the station and will reinstate services as soon as possible, hopefully for the summer season 2024.

Allt nam Breac means “the stream of the trout”. Situated on Altnabreac Moss by the Sleach Water, 9 miles (14 kilometres) east of  Forsinard.  The settlement, notable for its remoteness, consists of the station and the former Altnabreac School, closed in 1986 and converted into a private residence. The former gamekeeper’s house sits adjacent to the school and station. There is a natural spring about 200 metres (650 ft) from the school. 

What to see and do 

Lochdhu Lodge, approximately 1¹⁄₂ miles (2.5 kilometres) south, was built in 1895.

During the 1980s, peat banks were worked to provide fuel for the residents who regularly used to be cut off from the nearest town of Thurso during the winter. It can only be approached by train or along unsurfaced Forestry Commission roads from the nearest village, Westerdale, about 12 mi (19 km) away.

Altnabreac, like Dounreay, was considered as a location for a final repository for the UK’s nuclear waste. This idea was not pursued.