The Great Glen - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 188

to mid-Dec); £11.50 return.
Tourist information In the Mountain Discovery Centre,
at the top gondola station (daily June-Aug 9.30am-6pm,

Sept & Oct 10am-sunset; T 01397 705825, W nevis
-range.co.uk). Has information on the history and ecology
of the area.

ACTIVITIES
Mountain-bike courses Nevis Bike School ( T 01397
705825, W bike.nevisrange.co.uk) runs 2hr 30min train-
ing courses for £33 per person (minimum 3 people).
Depending on the trail you choose, you may also need to
buy a gondola pass.

Bike rental At the entrance to the lower gondola station,
Alpine Bikes ( T 01397 705825, W alpinebikes.com) rents
general mountain bikes (from £15) as well as full-
suspension ones for the downhill course. Daily May-Oct
9am-5pm.

Neptune's Staircase
In the suburb of Banavie , three miles north of the centre of Fort William along the
A830 to Mallaig, the Caledonian Canal (see p.197) climbs 64ft in less than half a mile
via a punishing but picturesque series of eight locks known as NEPTUNE'S STAIRCASE .
here are stunning views from here of Ben Nevis and its neighbours, and it's a popular
point from which to walk or cycle along the canal towpath.
ARRIVAL AND ACTIVITIES

3

NEPTUNE'S STAIRCASE

By bus Stagecoach bus #45A (every 15-30min; 10min)
runs from Middle Street in Fort William to Banavie.
By bike You can rent a bike (£15/day) at Farr Cottage Lodge

in Corpach (see p.189); from there it's a short ride northeast
along the canal towpath to Neptune's Staircase.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Chase the Wild Goose Hostel Locheil Crescent,
Banavie T 01397 772531, W great-glen-hostel.com. A
small, comfortable hostel close to Neptune's Staircase and
handy for the Grea t Gle n Way. Has a barbecue area for use
in summer. Dorms £17
The Eagle Inn Laggan Locks, at the northern end of
Loch Lochy T 07789 858567. If you do choose to cycle
along the Caledonian Canal, look out for this unusual pub,
where mains like peat-smoked salmon (£17.80) and real

ale are offered aboard a wonderful 1920s Dutch barge.
Easter-Oct Mon & Thurs-Sun noon-11pm.
Moorings Hotel Beside the staircase in Banavie
T 01397 772797, W moorings-fortwilliam.co.uk. This
mid-sized hotel near the canal serves curries and other pub
staples in its bar, as well as classier Scottish dinners (£30 for
three courses) in the main resta urant. Daily: bar noon-
9.30pm; restaurant 7-9.30pm. £123

Spean Bridge and around
Ten miles northeast of Fort William, the village of SPEAN BRIDGE marks the junction
of the A82 with the A86 from Dalwhinnie and Kingussie (see p.172). If you're here,
it's well worth heading a mile out of the village on the A82 towards Inverness to the
Commando Memorial (see box, p.192), a group of bronze soldiers commemorating
the men who trained in the area during World War II. The statue looks out on an
awesome sweep of moor and mountain that takes in the wider Lochaber area and
the Ben Nevis massif.

Glen Roy
Three miles east of Spean Bridge, a minor road turns north of the A86 and up Glen
Roy . Drive a couple of miles along the glen and you'll see the so-called “parallel roads”:
not roads at all, but ancient beaches at various levels along the valley sides, which mark
the shorelines of a loch confined here by a glacial dam in the last Ice Age.

Tulloch and Loch Laggan
Four miles east of the turn-off to Glen Roy along the A86, just before Tulloch , the train
line and the main road part company. From Tulloch's small railway station, accessible