Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
01397-705825;
www.nevisrange.co.uk
; gondola return trip per adult/child £11.25/
6.50; 10am-5pm summer, 9am-5pm winter)
The Nevis Range ski area, 6 miles north of
Fort William, spreads across the northern slopes of Aonach Mor (1221m). The gondola
that gives access to the bottom of the ski area at 655m operates year round (15 minutes
each way). At the top there's a restaurant and a couple of hiking trails through nearby
Leanachan Forest, as well as excellent mountain-biking trails.
During the
ski season
a one-day lift pass costs £30/18 per adult/child; a one-day pack-
age, including equipment hire, lift pass and two hours' instruction, costs £68.
Bus 41 runs from Fort William bus station to Nevis Range (15 minutes, five daily
Monday to Saturday, three on Sunday, limited service October to April). Check at the
tourist office for the latest timetable, which is liable to alteration.
Nevis Range Downhill & Witch's Trails
(
01397-705825;
bike.nevisrange.co.uk
; multitrip ticket £30, single £12.50;
10.15am-3.45pm mid-May-mid-Sep)
A world championship
downhill mountain-bike
trail
- for experienced riders only - runs from the Snowgoose restaurant at the Nevis
Range ski area to the base station; bikes are carried up on a rack on the gondola cabin. A
multitrip ticket gives unlimited uplift for a day; full-suspension bike hire costs from £40/
70 per single run/full day.
There's also a 4-mile
XC red trail
that begins at the Snowgoose, and the
Witch's
Trails
- 25 miles of waymarked forest road and singletrack in the nearby forest, including
a 5-mile world championship loop.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
CORPACH TO LOCH LOCHY
Corpach lies at the southern entrance to the Caledonian Canal, 3 miles north of Fort Willi-
am; there's a classic picture-postcard view of Ben Nevis from the mouth of the canal.
Nearby is the award-winning
Treasures of the Earth
(
01397-772283;
www.treasuresoftheearth.co.uk
;
Corpach; adult/child £5/3; 9.30am-7pm Jul-Sep,
10am-5pm Mar-Jun & Oct-Nov, shorter hours Dec-Feb)
exhibition, a rainy-day diversion
with a great collection of gemstones, minerals, fossils and other geological curiosities.
A mile east of Corpach, at Banavie, is
Neptune's Staircase
, an impressive flight of
eight locks that allows boats to climb 20m to the main reach of the
Caledonian Canal
.
The B8004 road runs along the west side of the canal to Gairlochy at the south end of
Loch Lochy, offering superb views of Ben Nevis; the
canal towpath
on the east side
makes a great walk or bike ride (6.5 miles).
From Gairlochy the B8005 continues along the west side of Loch Lochy to Achnacarry
and the
Clan Cameron Museum
(
01397-712480;
www.clan-cameron.org
; Ach-
