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The Steam Train
from Fort William passes through mountains to
Glenfinnian and Mallaig with
amazing scenery.
Four mountains at Fort William are over
4,000ft, including the highest mountain in
Scotland, Ben Nevis at 4,411ft.
The town has a good selection of hotels,
B&Bs, self catering, holiday parks, and
lodge parks.
The image top is of the Muthu Hotel at the
southwest side of Fort William High Street.
There is a huge car/coach park across the road
from the hotel.
The image second top right is of a Bronze
Statue sitting on a bench in Gordon Square on
the High Street west end. The Statue is of a
Walker massaging his foot, as this is the end
of the West Highland Way
walking route from Glasgow to Fort William, 96
miles.
The Great Glen Way
walking route starts from here following the
Caledonian Canal north to Inverness, 73
miles. These are two of the top Walks in
Scotland.
The image third top right is of the High
Street that runs northeast to the Train Station
with a good selection of shops, restaurants and
bar diners. Large
Image.
Cameron Square is in the middle of the High
Street with the West Highland Museum.
The Museum covers the history of the area,
including the Jacobite's, and Commandos that
were trained in the area during WWII. The top
attraction is a Painting that can only be
viewed at certain angles.
Saint Andrew's Church from 1880 is on the
High Street, the top church in the area to
explore.
The Parade is a scenic Square at the end of
the High Street with a War Memorial and Statue
of Donald Cameron Of Locheil 24th Chief
(1835-1905) a prominent MP.
The Cameron's were
the largest Clan in the Fort William Area with
Donald Cameron Of
Locheil (1700 - 1748) leading the Cameron
Clan at the Battle of Culloden
Moor by Inverness in 1746. Cameron himself
was wounded at Culloden, and half his Clansmen
killed.
The Fort William Train
Station is next to The Parade. The Station
opened in 1894 with regular trains running
between Fort William - Glasgow, Edinburgh and
London with a sleeper carriage.
The line also runs from Fort William to the
sea fishing village of Mallaig on the coast, 41 miles
west passing some incredible scenery, and over
the huge Glenfinnan Viaduct.
The Jacobite
steam train is operated on the Fort William /
Mallaig route in summer. This is the route
shown in the Harry Potter films as the Hogwarts
Express, probably the top rail trip in the
UK.
The Old Fort at Fort William is situated by
the train station, next to Loch Linnhe. The
Fort was originally a Wooden Stockade built by
Oliver Cromwell’s forces in 1654, to control
local Clans such as the Cameron's. This fort
was known as the Garrison of Inverlochy, with
about 250 troops.
The Fort was rebuilt in stone in 1690 known
as Fort William, after William of Orange. The
Fort here with around 600 government troops,
withstood a two week long siege by the
Jacobite's in 1746. Little of the Fort remains,
now used as a leisure area and kids play.
Fort William Boat
Tours of Loch Linnhe depart from the Pier
at the Crannog Restaurant by the centre of
Town. The tour is popular for wildlife and
scenery.
The Caledonian
Canal runs from the northwest side of Fort
William to Inverness. Neptune's
Staircase is a series of 8 locks on the
canal at Fort William. The Moorings Hotel with
cafe/diner overlooks the locks, a top spot to
relax.
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