Fort William

Fort William stands at the foot of Ben Nevis, on the sea loch of Loch Linnhe at the southern end of the Great Glen, and it is the biggest town in the West Highlands by a wide margin. Its Gaelic name, An Gearasdan, “the garrison”, records its origin as a military fort built to hold down the Jacobite Highlands; the modern town grew up around it as a market centre and now serves the same role for Lochaber’s tourism.

Why base here

This is the only base in this guide that puts Britain’s highest mountain, a gondola-served mountain bike and ski centre, and the West Highland Line’s most photographed viaduct all within a short drive, while remaining reachable by train in its own right. The line from Glasgow Queen Street terminates here, with a separate branch continuing on to Mallaig for the Skye ferry. Fort William also has outdoor shops, a mountain rescue base and guiding companies.

On foot versus by car

Glen Nevis, including the Ben Nevis Mountain Track and the walk to Steall Falls, starts a short drive or taxi ride from the town centre; a car isn’t essential if you’re prepared to walk or use local transport to reach the glen road end. Nevis Range’s gondola and mountain bike park, on Aonach Mòr, and the Glenfinnan Viaduct, about 15 miles west on the road or the railway to Mallaig, both need a car or a train ticket. Glen Coe is a 20-mile drive south on the A82.

Practicalities

Fort William railway station sits at the south end of the town centre, an easy walk from the main street, with the bus station next to it. Parking in town is straightforward; Glen Nevis itself had free roadside and car park space for years, though Highland Council approved charges there from summer 2026. Ben Nevis is a serious undertaking even in summer, and its summit plateau is a winter mountaineering environment, not a walking one, for much of the year.

With children

The Ben Nevis Mountain Track rules itself out for young children: 1,350 metres of ascent over the best part of 16 km, on ground that turns to loose rubble well before the top. Steall Falls, in the Nevis Gorge, is gentler in length but not in footing, a rocky path with drops to the river close enough that it rules out pushchairs and needs a firm hand with anyone unsteady, though the falls themselves are visible from the near bank without crossing the wire bridge at the end. The Nevis Range gondola is the better bet for a family day: twelve to fifteen minutes in a six-person cabin up Aonach Mòr, asking nothing of anyone beyond sitting down, with mountain bike trails at the top for teenagers who want more than the view. Glenfinnan, half an hour up the road, adds the Hogwarts Express connection: the viaduct is visible from the National Trust visitor centre without any walking, and the centre’s own exhibition on the 1745 rising gives an indoor option besides.