Fort William

Fort William works well as a single base for a Highland trip because almost everything sits within a short drive: Ben Nevis, Glen Coe, the road to Mallaig and the Great Glen all radiate out from the town. Where you choose within it changes the character of a stay more than the distances suggest. The town centre puts you beside the station, the shops and the Jacobite steam train's departure point, useful if you are travelling without a car or want an evening meal within walking distance after a day on the hill. Achintore Road, a short stroll south along the loch, trades a little convenience for water views and a quieter feel, and its guest houses are often better value than equivalent town-centre rooms.

Anyone planning an early start on Ben Nevis should look at Glen Nevis itself, where a handful of guest houses and the visitor centre sit right at the foot of the Mountain Track, shaving the drive off a long walking day. Torlundy and the Nevis Range side of town suit mountain bikers and, in winter, skiers, putting the gondola station within a few minutes rather than a full drive. Corpach and Banavie, out towards the canal, are quieter still and useful if Glenfinnan and the road to Mallaig feature heavily in your plans, or if you simply want to be away from the summer crowds on the High Street.

Fort William's accommodation runs from a genuine castle hotel with grounds and a private loch, through comfortable business-style hotels with leisure facilities, down to well-run guest houses that often out-perform hotels on breakfast and local knowledge. Booking ahead matters more than the distances suggest: the town's role as a hub for the West Highland Way, Ben Nevis and the Jacobite train means good rooms sell out well before the summer season, and prices climb steeply for July and August. Outside peak season, particularly spring and early autumn, both value and availability improve considerably, and the hills are quieter for it.

Beyond the town itself, the surrounding glens and lochs offer some of the best outdoor days in Scotland.

• Ben Nevis is Britain's highest mountain at 1,345 metres, and the Mountain Track from Glen Nevis visitor centre takes most walkers seven to nine hours there and back in full summer conditions.
• The Jacobite Steam Train runs from Fort William to Mallaig across the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous by the Harry Potter films, with sea views to Skye at the far end.
• Glen Nevis offers gentler walking than the summit route, including the gorge trail to Steall Falls, one of Scotland's highest waterfalls, reached by a wire bridge over the river.
• Nevis Range at Torlundy runs Britain's only mountain gondola in summer, feeding downhill mountain bike trails and hillwalking routes onto Aonach Mor, and becomes a ski centre in winter.
• The West Highland Museum covers Jacobite history, tartan and the region's railway and mountaineering heritage in a small, well-regarded town-centre collection.
• Neptune's Staircase at Banavie is the longest staircase lock on the Caledonian Canal, worth a stop to watch boats climb from Loch Linnhe with Ben Nevis behind.
• Glen Coe, half an hour south on the A82, offers some of Scotland's most dramatic mountain scenery and is an easy day trip from Fort William.
• Ben Nevis Distillery, on the northern edge of town, runs tours and tastings and is one of the oldest working distilleries in the Highlands.

Loch Linnhe and the surrounding sea lochs supply langoustines, mussels and scallops to several restaurants along the waterfront, while venison from the surrounding estates appears on menus through autumn and winter. The Crannog Seafood Restaurant, on the town pier, has long been a fixture for local seafood with loch views, and the Lime Tree restaurant pairs Highland produce with an art gallery setting. Ben Nevis Distillery offers tours and tastings of its single malt on the edge of town, and a small farmers' market sets up periodically on the High Street selling local cheese, baking and preserves. Casual options along the High Street range from fish and chip shops to outdoor-focused cafes serving the walkers and cyclists who fill the town for much of the year.

Camping around Fort William means camping in genuinely serious mountain terrain: level, sheltered pitches are concentrated in a few valley floors, principally Glen Nevis and the flatter ground around Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil, rather than scattered across open hillside. Glen Nevis itself narrows quickly into gorge and boulder field beyond the established sites, so most caravan and family camping sits close to the glen mouth or along the lochside roads towards Corpach and Roy Bridge, all within easy striking distance of the town.

Weather is the defining factor for any camping trip here. Fort William sits in one of the wettest parts of Britain, with rainfall considerably higher than most of lowland Scotland, and conditions can change within hours even in midsummer. Midges are a serious consideration from late May to September, particularly in still, damp conditions near the glen and loch shores, and many campers plan around them with head nets and repellent as standard kit. Wild camping is legal across most of Scotland under the right of responsible access, and the hills around Fort William see genuine wild camping by walkers on multi-day routes, but it comes with an obligation to leave no trace, avoid enclosed farmland, and move on after a night or two; the West Highland Way's popularity has led to some local byelaws restricting camping at specific pinch points, which are worth checking before pitching off a formal site.

The best months for camping here are May, June and early September, when daylight runs long, midges are less established than in high summer, and the campsites and hill paths are quieter than the July and August peak. July and August bring the longest days and warmest weather but also the heaviest midge activity and the busiest sites, so early booking is essential. Whatever the month, a genuinely waterproof tent, warm layers regardless of forecast, and a midge net are close to essential kit for camping in this part of the Highlands.