Scotland — Fort William

I can hands down say, this was one of my favourite trips. It was full of walking, nature and getting absolutely soaked everyday, yet extremely relaxing.

Location

We stayed in a lovely Airbnb located in Inverlochy, which was a 15 minute walk into the centre of Fort William. The location was extremely peaceful, the neighbourhood was very friendly, and it was close to all local amenities. We stayed for 4 nights, with 3 full days of exploring. This is fine if you live nearby, however with a 9 hour drive, an extra night would have been better.

Fort William is a great location to stay, if you’re planning on climbing Ben Nevis, experiencing a ride on the Jacobite Steam Train, and visiting the Corpach Shipwreck.

Ben Nevis

Climbing Ben Nevis; the tallest mountain in the UK, was an experience to say the least. When we arrived at the carpark, it was absolutely deserted, it was extremely windy, and the lady in the visitor centre said “Oh, I haven’t seen anybody started climbing yet, it’s very windy out there”. Let’s just say that knocked all confidence from me.

As we began to ascend the mountain, it was actually a pleasant experience. We followed the ‘Mountain Path’ which is best for beginners. The route was straightforward to follow, with a few rocks to climb over and obstacles to overcome. The top of Ben Nevis was visible, and the wind had started to calm down.

However, just over half way, we stopped for some fuel, absorbing the beautiful views of mountain peaks and waterfalls, when all of a sudden, the wind decided to take over. We began to climb a little further reaching about 3/4 of the way to the top… at this point, I decided it was too much. We began to make our descend, with THE strongest wind I have ever experienced. Once we had overcome the weather, I can say again, it was a pleasant experience back down to the start. We realised, once we reached the bottom, more hikers had also turned around, which meant we definitely chose the wrong day! Despite the defeat, I will be attempting Ben Nevis again, and I will reach the top!

Glenfinnan Viaduct

This was 100% what I was looking forward to the most, seeing the Hogwarts Express! Real name: Jacobite Steam Train. Unfortunately, we was unable to experience actually being on the train, as the closest tickets were in 6 months time! So I strongly advice to plan that one WAY in advance.

However, we did visit the Viaduct to watch the train pass over. I’m not going to lie.. we did wait for over two hours in the rain (the train was delayed!), but it was definitely worth it! There was plenty of walking trails close by, and a visitor centre with a viewing point looking over Loch Shiel.

The Corpach Shipwreck

Another walk close by to Fort William, is Caol Beach where the Corpach Shipwreck lies. This is an old fishing boat that was washed up on the shore, known as ‘MV Dayspring’. Caol Beach is a 10 minuet drive from Fort William, with a lovely walk along the pebbled shore, starting and finishing at Corpach Canal Locks, with a free carpark next to the beach front.

Things for next time

My aim is to go back to Scotland sometime in the Spring. To experience a new location and mountain walks.

During our stay, we were a little underprepared with how much rainfall we were about to experience. Resulting in soaking wet clothes everyday! Things to remember for next time, are more base layers and socks. As well as staying somewhere with washing and drying facilities, so we don’t have to wait for our clothes to dry every evening!