Scotland

Nearly every time I travel in Scotland I seem to travel through Fort William. Sometimes I stop for a short while but, more often than not, I tend to just follow the road barely glancing at the town itself but maybe this year I will allocate a little more time to enjoy some of the “touristy” things that Fort William has to offer.

Fort William is the largest town in the Highlands of Scotland and is very much associated with extreme sport. The main reason for this is that the town sits below one of the Scottish Highlands premier tourist attractions, the Nevis Range and, in particular, Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the United Kingdom.

Typically you will find a number of shops catering for the tourist (tartan and the likes) and any visitor to Fort William should, at least, consider a visit to the Ben Nevis Distillery. Below you will find details of three other places well worth a visit if you are staying in Fort William; Old Inverlochy Castle, The Jacobite Steam Train and the West Highland Museum:

Old Inverlochy Castle

The Old Inverlochy Castle was built around 1270-1280, by John “the Black” Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Lochaber, chief of the Clan Comyn. In 1431, clansmen of the Lords of the Isles defeated James I’s army in the 1431 Battle of Inverlochy. The castle was also famous, as a stopping off point in 1645, for the royalist army of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose. The castle is now a ruin, but unusual, because the layaout has not changed a lot since it was built. Inverlochy Castle was one of the most important castles in Scottish History. In 1836, a new Inverlochy Castle was built in nearby Torlundy. This has since been converted into a luxury hotel.

The Jacobite Steam Train

One of the best ways to see Scotland’s wildest and most spectacular scenery is via the Jacobite Steam Train. The journey from Fort william to Mallaig has been described as one of the Great Railway Journeys of the World. The 84 mile round trip takes you past Ben Nevis, Loch Morar and Loch Nevis. Perhaps the most famous part of the journey is when the train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the twenty one arched, one thousand two hundred feet bridge which was constructed in 1901. The Glenfinnan viaduct and parts of the route were used extensively in the filming of the “Harry Potter” films, “The Chamber of Secrets” and the “Prisoner of Azkaban”.

West Highland Museum

The West Highland Museum has been described as ’small but fascinating’. The museum can be found just off the High Street, in Cameron Square. The museum was founded in 1922 by a group of Lochaber folk who wished to create: ‘A museum of, and for the West Highlands, second to none in the whole country’. In 1926 the present building was bought from the British Linen Bank. The museum has collections which represent a vivid depiction of life in the West Highlands. All people of the West Highlands are represented, from soldiers to crofters, and princes to clergymen. It has been called the most important museum collection in the Highlands.

If you plan to visit Fort William you will find the following sites most useful:

Fort William Hotels - http://www.virtualscotland.co.uk/accommodation/fortwilliamhotels.htm

Hotels & Accommodation in Fort William - http://www.fortwilliamhotelscotland.com/

Fort William Hotels & Accommodation – http://fortwilliam.hotelreservationhelper.com/