Fort William
The bustling town of Fort William lies at the heart of Lochaber – easily reached from Glasgow and the central belt, and only an hour and a half from Inverness. Home to the UK’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, the area offers unrivalled access to outdoor activities and stunning scenery for all to enjoy. Indeed, the town's importance - both to local people and visitors - is shown in the wide range of excellent accommodation, shops, lively pubs, award-winning restaurants, services and recreational facilities on offer.
There is an action-packed events programme and strong music scene. The Fort William Mountain Film Festival brings the best of international film-making to the town in February each year and Lochaber Leisure Centre offers a pool, gym, climbing wall and squash courts. You can study a wide range of courses at Lochaber College. Or join one of the many arts or sporting organisations in town – from running and biking to amateur dramatics – there’s something for everyone.
Glenfinnan and Locheil
If you have seen the first film of Harry Potter series, then you will have seen Glenfinnan. It is home to the elegant Victorian engineering of the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which curves dramatically through the landscape here. The village itself is situated along the main Road to the Isles and has a range of quality visitor accommodation, a National Trust Visitor Centre, train station and access to fantastic walking and fishing. It is situated at the head of Loch Shiel and considered one of the most scenic places in Scotland. Just come to the Glenfinnan Monument and take a panoramic view over Loch Shiel and you will see why. It is only 20-minute away from Fort William. And the road lies along the shores of Locheil. Even the journey itself guarantees scenic views.
Kinlochleven
Kinlochleven is tucked away among the valleys at the head of Loch Leven. Reached by two equally scenic loch-side roads, the village is surrounded by stunning mountains that offer fantastic day walks, as well as longer routes. The West Highland Way passes through Kinlochleven en route to Fort William and the village is a popular stopping-off point for walkers. An imposing presence on the village skyline is the Ice Factor – this former industrial building has been transformed into a climbing centre boasting the largest indoor ice-climbing wall in Europe plus climbing walls, bistro bar, café and sports shop. Local facilities in the village include a community centre with gym, sports hall and the Kinlochleven campus of Lochaber College. The sheltered waters of Loch Leven are a popular place to enjoy water sports – including diving, fishing, kayaking and sailing.
Mallaig and Knoydart
Soak up the atmosphere of a working fishing port in the coastal town of Mallaig. This is a town with a strong sense of community – and it has excellent facilities, including a leisure pool and busy community centre, which also houses the Mallaig campus of Lochaber College. This is a busy town with good visitor accommodation, attractions, entertainment and plenty of good restaurants. Mallaig enjoys a stunning coastal setting and is just a stone’s throw from the Isle of Skye and the Small Isles – all accessible by regular ferry service from the town.
Mallaig is also on the doorstep of Scotland’s last wilderness – the Knoydart Peninsula. This remote and wildly beautiful area is only accessible by foot or by boat from Mallaig. Knoydart is a haven for hill walkers, wildlife enthusiasts and those who just want to get away from it all. But this untouched wilderness does have one or two modern luxuries – including the most remote pub in mainland Britain!
Small Isles
The Small Isles are Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna.
Rum
It was bought by the Nature Conservancy Council (now called Scottish Natural Heritage) in 1957, it is one of Scotland's finest National Nature Reserves. It is of international importance for many of its plants, habitats and birds. SNH offer guided day walks in the summer, looking at the nature, wildlife, archaeology and geology of the island. If you are lucky, you will be able to see deers and otters and seals and goats and eagles in a day. In addition to its natural heitage, overlooking Loch Scresort, sitting at a sheltered bay to the east of the ferry pier is the Kinloch Castle. It was built by the industrialist George Bullough in 1900. It was featured in the BBC 'Restoration' competition in 2003. Guided tours are offered most of the days. Phone 01687 462 037 beforehand though, to avoid disappointment.
Eigg
Eigg is the second largest in the Small Isles group.
The island is formed Its distinctive outline is provided by a sloping ridge of lava known as the Sgurr which runs down the island like the backbone of some prehistoric creature. If you walk along the road from the pier through the moors, you will reach Laig Bay. About a mile to the north are the Singing Sands of white quartz. There are also a few historic ruins on the island including Iron Age forts, a 6th century Christian church and Viking burial mounds.
The isle was bought and sold several times within the ten years before the 60 or so inhabitants bought the isle themselves in 1997. The story was that the inhabitants grew dissatisfied with the many empty promises the previous owner made to them. The owner finally put the island up for sale. In August 1996, the inhabitants launched a fund raising campaign so that they could purchase the island themselvse and managed it in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Highland Council. They had successfully raised 1.5 million pounds and bought the isle in June 1997 successfully. A new pierside complex was opened with tea room and restaurant, craft shop and information centre in 1998.
Muck
Muck is the smallest and flattest of the group. It is run as one large farm. It has a craft shop and a restaurant which offer a wide range of fresh produces between March and October.
Cannan
This is furthest of the Small Isles from the mainland. It is shaped like a small whale, with a stack rising out of the sea at its east coast. It is managed by the National Trust for Scotland. Canna is the only island in the group at which the ferry can actually land. The harbour cliffs are daubed with decades of graffiti from seafarers. You can visit the late 19th century church and even go pony-trekking. Phone Hebridean Trekking Holidays on 01687 462829 for the latter. There is a Harbour View Tearoom and Craft Shop. The licenced tearoom serves lunches and dinners between March and October.
If you want to find out more up-to-date informatio nabout these isles, Read their community newspaper West Word at www.road-to-the-isles.org.uk/westword.
