The Fort William and Lochaber area has become the outdoor capital of the UK and forms a large part of the West Highlands of Scotland and visitors are often amazed at the sheer beauty of the countryside. With a relatively low population, there is a real sense of countryside and the out-of-doors.
Nevis Range and Ben Nevis, as well as the Glencoe area, are renowned as mountainous areas of great beauty and wait for you to explore. Ardnamurchan, the Road to the Isles and the Great Glen area have more to offer than you could possibly imagine.
Fort William and Glen Nevis
Today, Fort William is a bustling town at the foot of Ben Nevis by the shore of Loch Linnhe, a deep sea loch. The town's population is around 12,000 and offers most modern services for its residents and visitors alike. Glen Nevis nearby forms the valley at the eastern flank of Ben Nevis. The Glen is a most pleasant place with wonderful views, great walks and hikes, and an abundance of Highland Cattle!
Those who walk the famous West Highland Way arrive in town from Glen Nevis. As well as Fort William, there are several villages which make up the local catchment area and these are Inverlochy, Caol, Banavie and Corpach. Just north of the town, Torlundy and Tomacharich have small rural communities which complete the population.
Glen Spean and The Great Glen
The Glen Spean and Great Glen area of Lochaber is only a short drive north of Fort William and covers the areas of Brae Lochaber to the east including Roy Bridge and Laggan; The Great Glen north of Spean Bridge on the A82 Inverness road as well as the Invergarry route to Skye. Discover the Caledonian Canal, Loch Ness, Loch Laggan, Loch Arkaig, Achnacarry.
This area offers some of the most wild, remote and rugged scenery in the area. Its boundaries take the traveller on journeys of geological discovery, historical treasures amid some truly magnificent scenery. Many of the mountains are over 3,000 feet and the whole landscape is laced with fast flowing rivers and deep lochs.
The Great Glen, one of the world's famous geological fault lines was formed millions of years ago when the northern part of the Caledonian mountains 'slid" more than sixty miles to the south, leaving behind a wide glen, with three large freshwater lochs and a breathtaking panorama.
The Road to the Isles
The Road to the Isles is the route west from Fort William to Mallaig, a journey of some 43 miles. The route passes through the village of Corpach before joining the countryside along the shore of Loch Eil and on towards Glenfinnan, an important place in Lochaber history. The road and railway work their way towards the Atlantic Ocean passing through Lochailort, Beasdale, Arisaig and Morar, before ending at Mallaig, once the largest herring port in Europe.
All along the journey to the ferry at Mallaig, there are hotels, restaurants and accommodation providers, including holiday parks. The scenery is fantastic with several places on the journey well worth exploring.
If you're goiong to or from Skye, then this is one of two alternative routes. Indeed, from Fort William and Lochaber, a great day trip to Skye can be enjoyed in the long days of mid-summer.
Ardnamurchan
Ardnamurchan is not one specific place - it's an entire peninsula of land, forming the most westerly area of the British Isles mainland. It is wild and remote and beautiful. Scattered small communities are connected by road and most of this is single track with passing places for oncoming traffic. At Ardnamurchan Point, a lighthouse projects a beam of light 16 miles out to sea, and warns vessels not to get too close. There is a visitor centre here where you can learn about the history of the area. Nearby croft farmland and deserted, sandy beaches make up the landscape, with wonderful views out the the isles of Eigg, Rum and Muck and Skye.
A ferry service in the summer provides a crossing from Kilchoan to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, and in doing so, allows visitors to make a very interesting journey from Lochaber onto the Isle of Mull, and from there, the option of a journey to Iona or back onto the mainland at Oban and into Argyll.
Glencoe and Loch Leven
Glencoe and Loch Leven is the southern most area of Lochaber. Visitors travelling north from Stirling and Crianlarich will pass through Rannoch Moor and Glencoe on the A82 towards Fort William. The Glencoe and Loch Leven area is one of the most stunningly beautiful parts of Scotland with a diverse range of countryside including wild, open and uninhabited moorland, high, rugged mountains, a deep sea and fresh water lochs and rivers.
A journey north is always memorable, irrespective of time of year and weather.
The main villages are Glencoe which sits at the northern entrance to Glen Coe, Kinlochleven, at the head of the sea loch, and a stop over on the West Highland Way, Ballachullish, lying alongside Loch Leven and Onich, a pleasant village spread along the main A82 to Fort William and with superb views across the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. On the journey south west to Oban is Kentallen, a beautiful bay area
Glencoe and Loch Leven has many natural features and some great outdoor activities including skiing, summer and winter climbing, walking and rambling and cycling. Our history is legend.
