Fort William: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Early on 13 February 1692, government soldiers who had been living as guests among the MacDonalds of Glencoe turned on their hosts. The story begins in Fort William, where the clan chief came to swear loyalty and was sent away, and ends deep in the glen. This is a half-day drive of about 30 km each way on the A82, with short walks at each stop. Bring waterproofs and midge repellent, and stop only in marked lay-bys.
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A short history of Fort William
In 1654 Oliver Cromwell's forces built a fort at the head of Loch Linnhe to control the Highland clans. In 1690 the fort was rebuilt and named after King William III, and in 1746 it withstood a siege by the Jacobite rebels. In 1822 the Caledonian Canal, which begins near the town, was opened, and in 1894 the West Highland Railway reached it. Above the town rises Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain, at 1,345 metres.
The ten best sights in Fort William
1West Highland MuseumSmall, cheap and right on the High Street — the best place to hide from a wet afternoon
2The Old FortOnly walls are left, next to the supermarket car park, but the town took its name from this fort
3Old Inverlochy CastleA free roofless ruin by the river, ten minutes from town — not the luxury hotel of the same name up the road
4Glenfinnan MonumentStand at its foot for the classic view down Loch Shiel; the car park is shared with the viaduct crowds, so come early
5Glencoe Visitor CentreStart here: rangers know which paths are open and what the weather in the glen is doing
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6Glencoe Folk Museum
Thatched cottages in the village; a short stop between the massacre memorial and the lochan
7Commando MemorialOn the A82 north of town — on a clear day the best roadside view of Ben Nevis and its neighbours
8Ben Nevis DistilleryTours are small, so book ahead; the driver gets a sample to take away
9Ben NevisBritain's highest summit is in cloud on most days; start early, take warm layers and a map, and turn back if the weather turns
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10Ben Nevis Visitor Centre
The main path up the mountain starts across the footbridge here; check the summit forecast posted inside
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Fort William →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Fort William:
Free walking tours in Fort William
Glencoe, 1692
Early on 13 February 1692, government soldiers who had been living as guests among the MacDonalds of Glencoe turned on their hosts. The story begins in Fort William, where the clan chief came to swear loyalty and was sent away, and ends deep in the glen. This is a half-day drive of about 30 km each way on the A82, with short walks at each stop. Bring waterproofs and midge repellent, and stop only in marked lay-bys.
- The Old Fort · At the very end of 1691 the Glencoe chief, MacIain, came here to take the oath to King William before the 1 January deadline. The governor, Colonel John Hill, had no authority to accept it and sent him to Inveraray, where he swore on 6 January — late enough to be used against him.
- Massacre Memorial · A tall Celtic cross in the village marks the massacre, in which 38 people were killed and others died fleeing into the snow. The MacDonald clan society lays a wreath here every year on 13 February.
- Clachaig Inn · The soldiers were a company of the Earl of Argyll's regiment under Robert Campbell of Glenlyon, and the MacDonalds never forgot the name. The inn's door still carries a sign: No Hawkers or Campbells.
- Signal Rock · Local tradition says a fire on this knoll gave the signal for the killing to begin. No record proves it, but the short forest path to the top shows how the houses were spread along the valley floor.
- Glencoe Visitor Centre · The National Trust for Scotland bought the glen in the 1930s, helped by the mountaineer Percy Unna, who asked that the hills be kept wild, without signposts or new built paths. The exhibition here covers both the massacre and the mountains.
- The Lost Valley · Its Gaelic name, Coire Gabhail, means the corrie of booty: the MacDonalds hid cattle taken in raids up here, behind a rockfall that blocks the valley from below. The climb in is rough and takes about three hours there and back.
The road to the isles
West of Fort William the A830 follows Loch Eil toward the sea, the road Prince Charles Edward Stuart's rising set out from in 1745. Halfway along stands Glenfinnan, where the prince raised his standard and where, 150 years later, a concrete railway viaduct became the most photographed bridge in Scotland. Allow a morning: about 30 km each way, with the canal on the way out. Time it to the steam train if you can, and arrive before the car park fills.
- Neptune's Staircase · Eight locks in a row lift boats about 19 metres, the longest staircase lock in Britain. Thomas Telford designed it for the Caledonian Canal, which opened in 1822.
- Corpach Sea Lock · This is where the canal meets the sea. It runs about 60 miles to Inverness, but only about a third of it was dug; the rest is a chain of lochs, Loch Ness among them.
- Glenfinnan Viaduct · Robert McAlpine's firm built it of mass concrete and finished it in 1901: 21 arches, about 380 metres long. A century later the flying car of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets chased the train across it.
- Glenfinnan Station Museum · The West Highland line reached Fort William in 1894 and was extended to Mallaig in 1901, opening the road to the isles by rail. The museum in the station building tells how it was built, and an old railway carriage on the platform serves as a café.
- Glenfinnan Monument · On 19 August 1745 Prince Charles Edward Stuart raised his standard here to start the last Jacobite rising. Alexander Macdonald of Glenaladale built the tower in 1815; the kilted Highlander on top is not the prince but an unnamed clansman.
- Loch Shiel · The prince did not arrive by road: he was rowed up this loch to Glenfinnan, where at first only a handful of men were waiting. Hours later the Camerons came over the hill, several hundred strong, and the rising had an army.
Ben Nevis and the town
Fort William was a garrison before it was a town, and today it is the base camp for Britain's highest mountain. This walk starts at the station, passes the fort, the museum and the end of the West Highland Way, then follows the river into Glen Nevis to the start of the mountain path. The town part takes an hour or two on flat ground; the summit is a separate full day, 7-9 hours return. Even in July, carry a warm layer and waterproofs for the top.
- Fort William Station · The railway from Glasgow arrived in 1894 and turned a garrison village into a tourist town. Hikers on the line's sleeper train from London step off here in the morning.
- The Old Fort · General Monck first built a fort of earth and timber here in 1654 to hold down the Highlands. It was rebuilt in stone in 1690 and named after the new king, William of Orange — and the town grew up outside its walls.
- West Highland Museum · Its best-known object is the Secret Portrait: a smear of colour on a tray that turns into the face of Prince Charles Edward Stuart when a polished metal cylinder is set on it. After 1746 owning his picture was dangerous, so supporters hid it this way.
- Gordon Square · The West Highland Way, Scotland's best-known long-distance trail, ends here after 96 miles (154 km) from Milngavie near Glasgow. Walkers finish on the bench by the sign, usually taking their boots off first.
- Ben Nevis Visitor Centre · The main route up, the Mountain Track, was built as a pony track in 1883 to carry supplies to a weather observatory on the summit. Most of the more than 100,000 people who climb each year still follow it.
- Ben Nevis summit · At 1,345 metres it is the highest point in the British Isles. Observers lived in the stone observatory on top from 1883 to 1904, taking readings every hour, and its ruins are still there beside the summit shelter.
Getting to Fort William and getting around
- Fort William Station · The Jacobite steam train to Mallaig leaves from here in the warmer months; book weeks or months ahead, summer seats sell out
- Glenfinnan Station · Ordinary ScotRail trains to Mallaig stop here and cross the same viaduct, for a fraction of the steam-train fare
- Fort William Bus Station · Citylink coaches to Glasgow, Inverness and Skye; on a self-drive trip it matters only if someone leaves early
Cheap eats in Fort William
Highland food is built for cold, wet days: Scotch pies, soup with a thick slice of bread, and fish and chips eaten in the car with the windows steaming up. The west coast adds seafood — langoustines, mussels and smoked fish come in from the lochs and from the harbour at Mallaig. Out in the glens there are few places to eat at all, so buy a picnic in town before a long drive.
- Glenfinnan Dining Car · Soup, toasties and cake in a railway carriage, roughly £6-10
- Ben Nevis Inn · Pub lunch at the foot of the mountain path, mains roughly £14-18
- The Wildcat · Plant-based café on the High Street, soup or a bowl roughly £6-10
- Nevis Bakery · Pies, rolls and cakes on the Glenfinnan road, a few pounds each
- Glencoe Farm Shop and Café · Coffee and a light lunch in Glencoe village, roughly £5-10
- Morrisons · Supermarket by the station for a glen picnic; a sandwich, crisps and drink about £4-5
Museums in Fort William
- West Highland Museum · Jacobite relics and the Secret Portrait; an hour is enough
- Commando Memorial · Three bronze soldiers facing Ben Nevis; a 15-minute drive north
- Glencoe Folk Museum · Thatched cottages with village life and Jacobite pieces
- Glencoe Visitor Centre · The massacre and the mountains explained; paid car park
- Glenfinnan Station Museum · How the line to Mallaig was built; small and right on the platform
- Ben Nevis Distillery · Founded in 1825 by "Long John" Macdonald, owned by Japan's Nikka since 1989
Nature and day trips near Fort William
- The Lost Valley · Rough three-hour return walk with a river crossing; not after heavy rain
- Buachaille Etive Mòr · The pyramid at the head of Glen Coe; best seen from the A82 lay-bys
- Steall Falls · Gorge walk from the end of Glen Nevis road; the wire bridge is optional
- Glen Nevis Lower Falls · Roadside falls on the way up the glen; a five-minute stop
- Glen Etive · Single-track road to the loch; the Skyfall drive was filmed here
- Loch Shiel · Long, narrow loch behind the Glenfinnan Monument; cruises run in season
Things to do in Fort William with kids
- Glenfinnan Viaduct · Watch the steam train cross; a 20-minute walk up from the car park
- Glencoe Lochan · Easy flat paths and a pier over the water; good for small legs
- Neptune's Staircase · Boats rising lock by lock; free, and five minutes from town
- Treasures of the Earth · Crystals, gems and fossils indoors; a rainy-day stop on the Glenfinnan road
- Highland Cinema · Fort William's cinema and café on Cameron Square, for the wettest evening
Where to eat in Fort William
- Clachaig Inn · Climbers' pub deep in Glen Coe; hearty food and a long whisky list
- Kingshouse Hotel · Lone inn at the top of Glen Coe; red deer often graze by the door
- Crannog · Seafood on the town pier over Loch Linnhe; book in summer
- Lime Tree · Small hotel restaurant with an art gallery, on the edge of the centre
- Glenfinnan House Hotel · Old house on Loch Shiel; dinner by the water after a day on the road to the isles
- Inverlochy Castle Hotel · Victorian country-house hotel where Queen Victoria stayed in 1873; formal dinner, book well ahead
Frequently asked questions about Fort William
What is there to see in Fort William?
The top sights in Fort William are West Highland Museum, The Old Fort and Old Inverlochy Castle. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Fort William?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Fort William without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Fort William?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Fort William, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Glencoe, 1692.
How do you get to Fort William and get around?
The main ways are Fort William Station, Glenfinnan Station and Fort William Bus Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Fort William, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Fort William that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Fort William for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.