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Fort William
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Known as 'The Outdoor Capital of the UK, Fort William is one of the most popular towns in the Scottish Highlands.
The spectacular scenery of this area has been used for movies such as Rob Roy and Braveheart.
With boat trips on Loch Linnhe and nearby mountains in the Glen Coe and Nevis ranges,
it is an ideal destination to start your journey on the Road to the Isles.
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The Road to the Isles begins just outside Fort William, opposite the Ben Nevis Distillery and visitor centre, where the A830 heads west for Mallaig. This distillery, which has been producing whisky at the foot of Britain's highest mountain since 1825, was opened by John MacDonald of Keppoch. A giant of a man in every way, the blend he produced was called Long John's Dew of Ben Nevis.
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Your next stop must be at Banavie, a small village which lies alongside the Caledonian Canal. Here, in a major feat of engineering, you will see Thomas Telford's Neptune's Staircase, a series of 8 lock gates which span the 64-feet height difference between sea-level and the canal. The canal, which took 20 years to build, was completed in 1822 and was the first to carry ships from one coast of Britain to the other. |
Not far from Banavie, the Road to the Isles passes the village of Corpach. In Gaelic the name means 'place of the bodies', so called because the bodies of northern nobility were rested in Corpach en route for burial on Iona. Today you can visit the Treasures of the Earth, a huge collection of minerals, gemstones, fossils, crystals, etc. displayed in a fascinating complex of caves and mines.Corpach also marks the spot where Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil meet, and as you travel along the shores of Loch Eil, you should look back to enjoy some of the finest views of Ben Nevis and her sister peaks.
The Snowgoose Mountain Centre at Corpach offers a wide range of outdoor activities.
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The famous West Highland Railway (the Iron Road to the Isles - Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean) is the spectacular line which intertwines with the road and landscape from Fort William to Mallaig. This was one of the last major lines built in Britain, cutting through some of the oldest and hardest rock to create a journey which matches the best railways of the world. It has recently been made famous in the Harry Potter movies. |
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There is a train service all year round, with a special steam engine in the summer
(timetable information).
So step aboard the Jacobite Steam Train for your journey on the Road to the Isles.
Next stop Glenfinnan!
| Things to see and do | |
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| Accommodation | |
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Visit the destinations on the online tour:
Glenfinnan
- Lochailort
- Arisaig
- Morar
- Mallaig
- Small Isles
- Knoydart
- Isle of Skye
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Produced by the Road to the Isles Marketing Group
Page last updated: July 2009
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