| Lochaber, Morar and Fort William |
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Lochaber, another former Highland local government district, is a large and scenic area of the Scottish west Highlands with the popular town of Fort William, on the shore of Loch Linnhe and the Ben Nevis mountain range. The area includes Fort Augustus in the north, the Ardnamurchan, Morvern, Morar and Knoydart peninsula's in the west, the impressive Nevis range in the centre and Glen Coe and Rannoch Moor in the east.
Fort William is a major tourist centre sitting on the banks of Loch Lynnhe and on an important crossing between the A82, running from Glasgow to Inverness, and the A830 heading west, also known as "The Road to the Isles". It is an important centre for hillwalking and climbing due to its proximity to Ben Nevis and many other Munro mountains, marketing itself as the "Outdoor Capital of the UK". It is also well known for its nearby famous Downhill Mountain Bike Track and its connection to the West Highland Way from Glasgow (more below) and the Great Glen Way; a walk/cycle way from Inverness to Fort William through the Great Glen. Popular as it may seem, for many visitors Fort William is not their thing. The town is busy and offers endless bed and breakfasts along the main road, but lacks the charm of other Highland settlements. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland, and the British Isles. Ben Nevis attracts an estimated 100,000 ascents a year and a large number do so using the well-constructed Pony Track from Glen Nevis on the south side of the mountain. The summit, at 1,344 metres (4,409 ft) above sea level, features the ruins of an observatory, which was permanently staffed between 1883 and 1904. The meteorological data collected during this period are still important for understanding Scottish mountain weather.
Glen Coe is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland, and is a part of the designated National Scenic Area of Ben Nevis and Glen Coe. The narrow glen shows a grim grandeur. The glen, approaching from the west at the main village of Glencoe n the main A82 road, has a softer beauty just after the main entrance to the glen. To the east the glen becomes surrounded by wild and precipitous mountains. A famous mountain range halfway the glen is "The Three Sisters" consisting of three similar and grim looking mountains. Further east is the Glencoe Ski area opposite the Kingshouse Hotel, a traditional Highland Hotel and a highly recommended place to stop. Further east is Rannoch Moor, one of the most remote and desolate areas of Scotland. Rannoch Moor is a large expanse of around 50 square miles (130 km²) of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch and is designated a National Heritage site. Glen Coe was the scene of a terrible tragedy which occured in 1692. The Massacre of Glencoe occurred in Glen Coe, in the early morning of 13 February 1692, during the era of the "Glorious Revolution" and Jacobitism. The massacre began simultaneously in three settlements along the glen—Invercoe, Inverrigan, and Achnacon—although the killing took place all over the glen as fleeing MacDonalds were pursued. Thirty-eight MacDonalds from the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by the guests who had accepted their hospitality, on the grounds that the MacDonalds had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, Mary II and William III. Another forty women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned. In the old days the A830 from Fort William heading west was an important connection to reach the Western Isles, hence its name "The Road to the Isles". The road ends at Mallaig and the area known as Morar. Besides a name for the area, Morar is also the name for the small village at the western end of Loch Morar which divides the Morar peninsula into North and South Morar. The south-western tip of the Morar peninsula is called Arisaig, after the village.
Besides the A830 this area is also connected by rail through the West Highland Line, in Gaelic referred to as the "Iron Road to the Isles". The West Highland Line is one of the most scenic railway lines in Britain, linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban on the west coast of Scotland to Glasgow. Passenger services on the line are operated by First ScotRail: three daily return services between Glasgow Queen Street and Mallaig/Oban, and one nightly (except Saturdays) Caledonian Sleeper service between London Euston and Fort William. During the summer season a steam locomotive-hauled daily return service between Fort William and Mallaig known as "The Jacobite" is operated by West Coast Railways. The steamer is also known from the Harry Potter movie when it crossed the famous viaduct at Glenfinnan. The West Highland Line is one of two scenic railway lines which access the remote and mountainous west coast of Scotland, the other being the Kyle of Lochalsh Line which connects Inverness with Kyle of Lochalsh.
The fishing village of Mallaig, end of the line for both the iron and asphalt roads of the isles, offers onward ferry connections, operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, to the Isle of Skye, to the small isles of Rùm, Eigg, Muck, and Canna, and to Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula. One of the most famous features of Morar are The Silver Sands, the other one being Camusdarach beach, one mile south of Morar on the old road to Arisaig. This beach was one of the locations for the Scottish movie Local Hero. Because of the movie, the beach is also known as Ben's beach. Another location for this movie was Pennan in the north east. As in the movie, Camusdarach beach is famous for its stunning sunsets and stunning views towards the Isle of Skye and the Isles of Muck, Eigg and Rum.
Loch Morar is worth a visit as well, it is the deepest fresh water loch in Europe, 310 meters, and has its own monster called Morag! There are several boat hires in Morar and a boat trip on Loch Morar is a great experience, as long as you stick to the sheltered parts of the loch. The water from the loch ends up in the nearby sea through the shortest river in Scotland, river Morar, with a length of only 500 metres. The Small Isles are a small archipelago of islands in the Northern Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Arisaig and Morar. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland. The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck. The largest is Rùm with an area of 105 square kilometres.
Morar Rum and Camusdarach Beach Picture Galleryclick on a picture for an enlargment
The Scottish Highlands | Sutherland and Caithness | Moray - Speyside | Aberdeen and Grampian | Wester Ross | Inverness, Loch Ness and Nairn | Badenoch and Strathspey | Morar, Rum, Lochaber and Fort William | Argyll and Bute | Stirling, Loch Lomond and Perth | Angus and Dundee | Fife and St Andrews | Glasgow and West Central Lowlands | Dumfries and Galloway | The Scottish Borders | Edinburgh and Lothian |
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