Fort William is The Perfect Base
To Explore The Highlands

Places To See > Fort William

I have had two really wonderful weekend breaks here, in 2005 and 2006. So why did I return the following year? Because I didn't see it all first time round, and believe me, it's well worth seeing.

If you've just finished walking the West Highland Way, this is the place you've arrived at, and if you have any energy left you can carry on by walking the Great Glen Way, taking you on a further 73 mile trek North East, from here to Inverness.

If you plan to visit Fort William, then the first tip I can offer you is this :
If you live in Scotland, you should drive here if it is at all possible. If you're a visitor to the country, hire a car when you get here. If you don't drive, Hire a Bicycle. Driving or cycling is recommended to see the best of the surrounding area and get the most from your visit, but if neither is possible, there are many good Coach Tours in this part of the country.

This is based on my experience of the place, because although the town has good eating places, accommodation and pubs, the reason you come here is because this town is ideally situated for exploring some of the most stunning scenery to be found not only in Scotland, but the world.

Driving to Fort William is a pleasure. Whatever direction you're coming from, you will be passing splendid mountain scenery and lochs, and if you're coming from Glasgow, then you are in for a real treat.

From the city you will drive round the shores of the beautiful Loch Lomond, up through the magical Glencoe and round Loch Linnhe, and you will see the towering peak of Ben Nevis looming in the distance before you finally arrive in Fort William.

In the town centre, the West Highland Museum is worth a look, and although there is a small entry charge, it is good value. You can catch up on some natural history, geology and archeology, see the governers room with some gruesome torture instruments, the Jacobite collection of relics, local history, and see a grand display of Victorian and Highland dress.

On both our visits here we were staying at the Alexandra Hotel, and although we had only booked bed & breakfast, we did eat in the hotel's Food Stop Restaurant a couple of times. We got good service, the food was good, reasonably priced, and it was served in nice surroundings.

If you visit in July you can take in the Lochaber Highland Games, held at An Aird in the town, and Sir Jimmy Savile is the Honorary Chieftain.

There's a few things you should do when you're in Fort William, and one of them is to take a ride on the Jacobite Steam Train. This is the train that's seen in the Harry Potter films, so it may be better known to you as the Hogwarts Express.

Starting near the foot of Ben Nevis, the 84 mile round trip takes you on a journey through some magnificent scenery, and you will spend one and a half hours in Mallaig. (From Mallaig you can get a ferry to the Isle of Skye). The whole trip lasts just under six hours, and it is a truly magical excursion that's highly recommended, even if just to say you've done it.

Another thing you should do, assuming you're not a climber, is to take the Gondola up Aonach Mòr to the popular Snowgoose restaurant, 655m up. Aonach Mòr is one of the mountains on the Nevis Range, about 2 miles from Ben Nevis, and in summer the views from here are quite staggering.

The magnificent Nevis Range is a popular resort for climbers in summer, hoping to Bag a Few Munros, and winter has skiers from all over the world arrive here for fantastic skiing which is sometimes possible until Easter.

Nevis Range Mountain Experience offers some good choices for outdoor enthusiasts the whole year round. Mountain biking is very popular here with a choice of the downhill mountain bike track and the testing cross country trails.

If you prefer to keep your feet firmly on the ground then there's
25 miles of forest trails offering excellent walks, but my own personal favourite has to be the mountain trails on Aonach Mòr, for the views. On a clear day you can even see across to the Inner Hebrides.

Some of the towns and villages around Fort William are also worth visiting. Just 17 miles west on the A830 is the village of Glenfinnan, at the head of Loch Shiel, and this is where you'll find the monument to mark the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard to signify the start of the 1745 Jacobite Rellellion. There are some lovely forest walks here, and there's also watersports, with canoeing, fishing and boat trips on the loch.

But there are many villages around the area with something of interest for everyone, which is why Fort William is the perfect base for exploring.

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