Fort William: Trails, Culture and Historic Sites
Accommodation in Fort William
Getting to and finding your way around the town
Fort William is an important stopping point for travellers arriving by road, rail and sea.
The West Highland Museum is located at Cameron Square in the centre of Fort William’s High Street. The museum offers general or individually tailored tours led by volunteer museum guides, which can be booked in advance. The tours can focus on the Jacobites, life in the Scottish Highlands or the Second World War.
Ben Nevis Distillery is located on the A82 on the outskirts of Fort William and was founded in 1825.
The distillery on the A82 is on the outskirts of Fort William and therefore outside the High Street.
Two trails connected in Fort William
The West Highland Way runs for 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William. Its end in Fort William is marked by a statue of a West Highland Way walker at Gordon Square in the town centre.
The Great Glen Way takes a different direction: it extends for 118 km, or 79 miles, from Fort William to Inverness. In comparison with the West Highland Way, Fort William is the starting point here rather than the endpoint. The different directions and lengths help you distinguish between the two trails when planning your trip. Depending on whether you are considering a route towards Inverness or the route from Milngavie to Fort William, the town occupies a different position on the trail. For the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way, the different overall distances provide a separate planning framework; the specific division into daily stages depends on the route selected, its direction and the total distance involved.
Geology and landscape of Lochaber
At the Lochaber Geopark visitor centre on Fort William’s High Street, you can see rock and mineral samples. The centre also provides information about the landscape and geology of Lochaber.
The Lochaber Geopark’s Rock Routes connect 20 viewpoints with information boards about the geological history of the surrounding landscape. If you want not only to view the landscape but also to understand it from a geological perspective, the Rock Routes provide a distinct focus alongside the attractions in the town centre.
The visitor centre offers rock and mineral samples in the town, while the Rock Routes connect 20 viewpoints with boards about the geology of the surrounding Lochaber landscape.
Historic sites in the surrounding area
Nearby, you will find Neptune’s Staircase in the village of Banavie, four miles north of Fort William. The structure consists of eight locks on the Caledonian Canal.
Also nearby, Inverlochy Castle is a medieval fortress that dominated the southern end of the Great Glen. Inverlochy Castle was built by the “Red” Comyns, the lords of Badenoch and Lochaber.
Other places: Torlundy, Roybridge and Spean Bridge.
For the main travel overview: Highland.
