Fort William.

The coastal town of Fort William ( the final destination on the WHW ), is the largest town in the western Highlands and claims to be the outdoor capital of the UK. It lies at the western end of the Great Glen, at the foot of the highest mountain in the UK - Ben Nevis ( ascended by 10,000 walkers each year ) and nearby is Loch Morar, the deepest loch.

The town was originally fortified by Oliver Cromwell, although it's name at that time was Inverlochy. Cromwell's soldiers built a stockade in 1654 to defend the garrison against the Highland clans, ( the word "clan" comes from the Gaelic language and means children e.g. the Clan Campbell means the children of Campbell ). In 1690 General Hugh MacKay strengthened the fort using tradesmen who came mainly from Edinburgh and changed the town name from Inverlochy to Fort William after the then reigning King William. The growing nearby settlement where the tradesmen lived he called Maryburgh after the Queen.

Near Fort William there are six-person mountain gondolas that offer a 2,150 ft ride to the mountain of Aonach Mor, beside Ben Nevis. 200,000 people make the journey each year, many just wanting to take in the views or trek the marked walking trails at the summit. Most want to eat at one of Europe's highest restaurants the 'Snowgoose Restaurant', which sits atop Aonach Mor.

There are many outdoor activities in the area including hiking, fishing, golfing, skiing, snowboarding, climbing, paragliding, hangliding and mountain biking through Leanachan Forest with its stunning views. This area offers some of Britain's best cycling,

Skilled mountain bikers can take the gondolas to the top of Britain's newest, biggest downhill and only national and international Mountain bike racetrack, then career down the 3 km track descending 2000 ft back to the car park. Since some sections are very steep and fierce, this track is only for highly skilled, experienced, half mad ( or more ) mountain bikers and requires the best types of bike to withstand the punishment.

Accommodation info for Fort William is on the | Over-night | page.

If this interests you, a related page is at | WHW Towns |


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