Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
good bet for Scottish beer. The upstairs restaurant is more
relaxed, doing mostly Mexican mains, including a spicy
“inferno burger” for £10.95. Mon-Wed & Sun noon-
midnight, Thurs-Sat noon-1am.
Around Fort William
Any disappointment you harbour about the dispiriting flavour of Fort William town
should be offset by the wealth of scenery and activities in its immediate vicinity. Most
obvious - on a clear day, at least - is Ben Nevis (see box, below), the most popular,
though hardly the most rewarding, of Scotland's high peaks. he path up leaves from
beautiful Glen Nevis , also a starting point for some other excellent walks of various
lengths and elevations. he mountain abutting Ben Nevis is Aonach Mhòr, home of
Scotland's most modern ski resort and an internationally renowned honeypot for
downhill mountain-bike enthusiasts. Some of the best views of these peaks can be had
from Corpach , a small village opposite Fort William that marks the start of the
Caledonian Canal (see p.415).
he main road travelling up the Great Glen from Fort William towards Inverness is
the A82, ten miles along which is the small settlement of Spean Bridge , a good
waypoint for getting to various remote and attractive walking areas with several
backpacker hostels - notably glens Spean and Roy - found along the A86 trunk road,
which links across the central highlands to the A9 and the Speyside region.
11
Glen Nevis
A ten-minute drive south of Fort William, GLEN NEVIS is indisputably among the
Highlands' most impressive glens: a classic U-shaped glacial valley hemmed in by steep
bracken-covered slopes and swathes of blue-grey scree. With the forbidding mass of
Ben Nevis rising steeply to the north, it's not surprising that the valley has served as a
location in the films Rob Roy and Braveheart . Apart from its natural beauty, Glen Nevis
is also the starting point for the ascent of Ben Nevis (see box, below).
A great low-level walk (six miles return) runs from the end of the road at the top of Glen
Nevis. he good but very rocky path leads through a dramatic gorge with impressive falls
and rapids, then opens out into a secret hanging valley, carpeted with wild flowers, with a
high waterfall at the far end. If you're really energetic (and properly equipped) you can
walk the full twelve miles on over Rannoch Moor to Corrour Station (see p.337), where you
can pick up one of four daily trains to take you back to Fort William (50min).
ASCENT OF BEN NEVIS
Harvey's Ben Nevis Superwalker map, available from Fort William's tourist o ce and most local
bookshops and outdoor stores.
Of all the walks in and around Glen Nevis, the ascent of Ben Nevis (4406ft), Britain's highest
summit, inevitably attracts the most attention. In high summer the trail is teeming with hikers -
around 100,000 summit each year. However, this doesn't mean that the mountain should be
treated casually. It can snow at the summit any day of the year and people die on the slopes,
so make sure that you take the necessary precautions; in winter, of course, the mountain
should be left to the experts. The most obvious route , a Victorian pony-path up the whaleback
south side of the mountain, built to service the observatory that once stood on the top, starts
from the helpful Glen Nevis Visitor Centre (see p.405) which also sells mountain equipment
and last-minute supplies, a mile and a half southeast of Fort William along the Glen Nevis road.
Return via the main route or, if the weather is settled and you're confident enough, make a
side trip from the wide saddle into the Allt a'Mhuilinn glen for spectacular views of the great
cliffs on Ben Nevis's north face. Allow a full day (8hr) for the climb and check the weather
forecast before setting out ( W bennevisweather.co.uk is useful).
 
 
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