Fort William, Scotland
Encyclopedia
Fort William is the second largest settlement in the highlands
of Scotland
and the largest town: only the city of Inverness
is larger.
Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe
just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan
to the west, on 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 known for its nearby downhill mountain bike track and its connection to the West Highland Way
from Glasgow and the Great Glen Way
; a walk/cycle way from Inverness
to Fort William through the Great Glen
.
Around 726 people (7.33% of the population) can speak Gaelic.
was strongly Clan Cameron
country, and there were a number of mainly Cameron settlements in the area (such as Blarmacfoldach
). The nearby settlement of Inverlochy was the main settlement in the area before the building of the fort, and was also site of the Battle of Inverlochy.
The town grew up as a settlement next to a fort constructed to control the population after Oliver Cromwell
's invasion during the English Civil War
, and then to suppress the Jacobite
uprisings of the 18th century. The fort was named "Fort William"' after William of Orange
, and the settlement that grew around it was called "Maryburgh", after his wife
. This settlement was later renamed "Gordonsburgh", and then "Duncansburgh" before being renamed "Fort William", this time after Prince William, Duke of Cumberland; known to some Scots
as "Butcher Cumberland". Given these origins, there have been various suggestions over the years to rename the town (for example, to "Invernevis"). These proposals have led to nothing as of yet.
During the Second World War, Fort William was the home of HMS St Christopher
which was a training base for Royal Navy Coastal Forces.
More on the history of the town and the region can be found in the West Highland Museum
on the High Street.
Fort William is the northern end of the West Highland Way
, a long distance route which runs 95 miles through the Scottish Highlands to Milngavie, on the outskirts of Glasgow, and the start/end point of the Great Glen Way
, which runs between Fort William and Inverness.
On 2 June 2006, a fire destroyed McTavish's Restaurant in Fort William High Street along with the two shops which were part of the building. The restaurant had been open since the 1970s and prior to that the building had been Fraser's Cafe since the 1920s. The site is still empty in 2011 and the adjacent Grand Hotel has now also closed.
Fort William lies near the head of Scotland's longest sea loch, Loch Linnhe
, beside the mouth of the rivers Nevis
and Lochy. They join in the intertidal zone to briefly become one river before discharging to the sea. The town and its suburbs are surrounded by picturesque mountains.
The town is centred on the High Street, which was pedestrianised in the 1990s. Off this there are several squares. Monzie Square (named after the Cameron Campbells of Monzie, Perthshire, former landowners in the town), Station Square, where the long-since demolished railway station used to be, Gordon Square (named for the Gordons, who owned land where the town now stands in the late 18th century, during which time the town was named Gordonsburgh), and Cameron Square — formerly known as Town Hall Square.
The main residential areas of the town are unseen from the high street or the A82 main road. Upper Achintore and the Plantation spread steeply uphill from above the high street.
Inverlochy, Claggan, Lochyside, Caol, Banavie
and Corpach
outwith the town are the other main residential areas. These areas are built on much flatter land than the town.
Glenfinnan, 17 miles (27.4 km) away, is home of the Glenfinnan Monument (Jacobite era) and the famous viaduct (as seen on a Bank Of Scotland £10 note). The viaduct has become known to millions in recent years as the "Harry Potter Bridge" after it featured in the films of the books by J.K. Rowling. Glenfinnan has also been used in: Charlotte Gray and Highlander.
For more details, visit: http://wikitravel.org/en/Glenfinnan
Just outside the town is a large aluminium
plant operated by Alcan
and powered by the Lochaber
hydroelectric scheme, in its day the biggest tunnelling project in the world. This was formerly served by the Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway
better known locally as the Puggy Line.
, the town lies at the southern end of the Great Glen
, on the shores of Loch Linnhe
and Loch Eil
. It is close to Ben Nevis
, the highest mountain in the British Isles
, and Glen Nevis
. When the railway opened to Fort William on 7 August 1894, the station was given prime position at the south end of the town. The consequence was that the town was separated from the lochside by railway tracks until the 1970s when the present by-pass was built, and the station was re-located to the north end.
The West Highland Line
passes through Fort William. Owing to the difficult terrain in the area, the line from Glasgow
, to the south, enters from the northeast and trains from Glasgow to Mallaig
, the terminus of the line, have to reverse at Fort William railway station
.
The Caledonian Canal
connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness
with the west coast at Corpach
near Fort William.
there is a large downhill mountain bike track, this attracts thousands every year, including international competitors and fans. Alongside this, there are the "Witches Trails."
Each year since 2001, Fort William has hosted a round of UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, and in 2007 it hosted the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships ('The Worlds'). Also a trials competition is held, at the various courses at the bottom. The four-cross
track is used and the Witches trail gets used for this cross-country
competition.
Winners of key men's downhill events at Fort William are:
Winners of key women's downhill events at Fort William are:
Winners of key women's 4-cross events at Fort William are:
Motorcycle Trial
(SSDT), held annually in the first full week of May. It attracts many competitors from all across the globe and in 2011 the event will be celebrating its centenary year.
teams, Fort William Shinty Club
and Kilmallie Shinty Club
.
Movies filmed in or near Fort William include Being Human, Braveheart
, Highlander
, Restless Natives
,Harry Potter
and Rob Roy
. The TV series Rockface was filmed mainly around Fort William and some scenes of Monarch of the Glen were filmed around Fort William although mostly near Newtonmore
. Local Hero
shot the internal Houston scenes in Fort William.
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and the largest town: only the city of Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
is larger.
Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe
Glen Coe
Glen Coe is a glen in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the southern part of the Lochaber committee area of Highland Council, and was formerly part of the county of Argyll. It is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland, and is a part of the designated...
just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan
Glenfinnan
Glenfinnan is a village in Lochaber area of the Highlands of Scotland. It is located at the northern end of Loch Shiel, at the foot of Glenfinnan.- Glenfinnan Monument :...
to the west, on the Road to the Isles. It is an important centre for hillwalking
Hillwalking
In the British Isles, the terms hillwalking or fellwalking are commonly used to describe the recreational outdoor activity of walking on hills and mountains, often with the intention of visiting their summits...
and climbing
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
due to its proximity to Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William....
and many other Munro
Munro
A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over . They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet , who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891. A Munro top is a summit over 3,000 ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain...
mountains, marketing itself as the "Outdoor Capital of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
". It is also known for its nearby downhill mountain bike track and its connection to the West Highland Way
West Highland Way
The West Highland Way is a linear long distance footpath in Scotland, with the official status of Long Distance Route. It is 154.5km long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the route...
from Glasgow and the Great Glen Way
Great Glen Way
The Great Glen Way is a long distance footpath in Scotland. It follows the Great Glen, running from Fort William in the west to Inverness in the east, covering 73 miles . It was opened in 2002 and is one of Scotland's four long distance routes. The Great Glen Way is generally walked from west to...
; a walk/cycle way from Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
to Fort William through the Great Glen
Great Glen
The Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
.
Around 726 people (7.33% of the population) can speak Gaelic.
History
Historically, this area of LochaberLochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
was strongly Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands is the mountain Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The chief of the clan is customarily referred to as...
country, and there were a number of mainly Cameron settlements in the area (such as Blarmacfoldach
Blarmacfoldach
Blarmacfoldach is a small croftingsettlement in Scotland, in the Mamore Hills between Fort William and Kinlochleven. In past centuries, Blarmacfoldach was mainly a Clan Cameron settlement....
). The nearby settlement of Inverlochy was the main settlement in the area before the building of the fort, and was also site of the Battle of Inverlochy.
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's invasion during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, and then to suppress the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
uprisings of the 18th century. The fort was named "Fort William"' after William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
, and the settlement that grew around it was called "Maryburgh", after his wife
Mary II of England
Mary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
. This settlement was later renamed "Gordonsburgh", and then "Duncansburgh" before being renamed "Fort William", this time after Prince William, Duke of Cumberland; known to some Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
as "Butcher Cumberland". Given these origins, there have been various suggestions over the years to rename the town (for example, to "Invernevis"). These proposals have led to nothing as of yet.
During the Second World War, Fort William was the home of HMS St Christopher
HMS St Christopher (shore establishment)
HMS St Christopher was a Coastal Forces Training Base of the Royal Navy operational during the Second World War and located in and around Fort William, Scotland.-History:...
which was a training base for Royal Navy Coastal Forces.
More on the history of the town and the region can be found in the West Highland Museum
West Highland Museum
The West Highland Museum, in the centre of Fort William, Scotland, tells the story of the mountainous West Highlands of Scotland and its people. It has seven rooms on three floors, with an extensive collection of exhibits relating to the Jacobites, including the eighteenth century "secret...
on the High Street.
Fort William is the northern end of the West Highland Way
West Highland Way
The West Highland Way is a linear long distance footpath in Scotland, with the official status of Long Distance Route. It is 154.5km long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the route...
, a long distance route which runs 95 miles through the Scottish Highlands to Milngavie, on the outskirts of Glasgow, and the start/end point of the Great Glen Way
Great Glen Way
The Great Glen Way is a long distance footpath in Scotland. It follows the Great Glen, running from Fort William in the west to Inverness in the east, covering 73 miles . It was opened in 2002 and is one of Scotland's four long distance routes. The Great Glen Way is generally walked from west to...
, which runs between Fort William and Inverness.
On 2 June 2006, a fire destroyed McTavish's Restaurant in Fort William High Street along with the two shops which were part of the building. The restaurant had been open since the 1970s and prior to that the building had been Fraser's Cafe since the 1920s. The site is still empty in 2011 and the adjacent Grand Hotel has now also closed.
Future development
A "Waterfront" development has been proposed by the Council though there is not overwhelming support for this in the town. The development will include a hotel, some shops and some housing but it was discovered early in 2008 that it is unlikely to be completed before 2020. It was announced in April 2010 that the project has been abandoned.Geography
Loch Linnhe
Loch Linnhe is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland....
, beside the mouth of the rivers Nevis
Nevis
Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies...
and Lochy. They join in the intertidal zone to briefly become one river before discharging to the sea. The town and its suburbs are surrounded by picturesque mountains.
The town is centred on the High Street, which was pedestrianised in the 1990s. Off this there are several squares. Monzie Square (named after the Cameron Campbells of Monzie, Perthshire, former landowners in the town), Station Square, where the long-since demolished railway station used to be, Gordon Square (named for the Gordons, who owned land where the town now stands in the late 18th century, during which time the town was named Gordonsburgh), and Cameron Square — formerly known as Town Hall Square.
The main residential areas of the town are unseen from the high street or the A82 main road. Upper Achintore and the Plantation spread steeply uphill from above the high street.
Banavie
Banavie is a small settlement near Fort William in the Highland Council Area of Scotland. One of the closest villages to Ben Nevis, it is about 4 km north east of Fort William town centre, next to Caol and Corpach.It has been suggested that Banavie is one of the possible birth places of Saint...
and Corpach
Corpach
Corpach is a large village north of Fort William, in the Scottish Highlands. The canal lock at Corpach Basin on Loch Linnhe, east of the narrows leading to Loch Eil, is the western sea entrance of the Caledonian Canal...
outwith the town are the other main residential areas. These areas are built on much flatter land than the town.
Glenfinnan, 17 miles (27.4 km) away, is home of the Glenfinnan Monument (Jacobite era) and the famous viaduct (as seen on a Bank Of Scotland £10 note). The viaduct has become known to millions in recent years as the "Harry Potter Bridge" after it featured in the films of the books by J.K. Rowling. Glenfinnan has also been used in: Charlotte Gray and Highlander.
For more details, visit: http://wikitravel.org/en/Glenfinnan
Just outside the town is a large aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
plant operated by Alcan
Alcan
Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. is a Canadian company based in Montreal. It was created on November 15, 2007 as the result of the merger between Rio Tinto PLC's Canadian subsidiary, Rio Tinto Canada Holding Inc., and Canadian company Alcan Inc. On the same date, Alcan Inc. was renamed Rio Tinto Alcan Inc..Rio...
and powered by the Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
hydroelectric scheme, in its day the biggest tunnelling project in the world. This was formerly served by the Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway
Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway
The Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway was a gauge narrow gauge industrial railway. It was a relatively long line, built for the construction and subsequent maintenance of a long tunnel from Loch Treig to a factory near Fort William in Scotland...
better known locally as the Puggy Line.
Location
Originally based on the still-existent village of InverlochyInverlochy
Inverlochy may refer to:* Inverlochy Castle* Battle of Inverlochy * Battle of Inverlochy...
, the town lies at the southern end of the Great Glen
Great Glen
The Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
, on the shores of Loch Linnhe
Loch Linnhe
Loch Linnhe is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland....
and Loch Eil
Loch Eil
Loch Eil is a sea loch in Lochaber, Scotland that opens into Loch Linnhe near the town of Fort William.Loch Eil Outward Bound railway station and Locheilside railway station are both situated on the northern shore of the loch....
. It is close to Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William....
, the highest mountain in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, and Glen Nevis
Glen Nevis
Glen Nevis is a glen in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, with Fort William at its foot. It is bordered to the south by the Mamore range, and to the north by the highest mountains in the British Isles: Ben Nevis, Càrn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mòr, and Aonach Beag...
. When the railway opened to Fort William on 7 August 1894, the station was given prime position at the south end of the town. The consequence was that the town was separated from the lochside by railway tracks until the 1970s when the present by-pass was built, and the station was re-located to the north end.
Climate
Transport
West Highland Line
The West Highland Line is considered the most scenic railway line in Britain, linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban on the west coast of Scotland to Glasgow. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the iconic...
passes through Fort William. Owing to the difficult terrain in the area, the line from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, to the south, enters from the northeast and trains from Glasgow to Mallaig
Mallaig
Mallaig ; is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line , completed in 1901, and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".The village of Mallaig...
, the terminus of the line, have to reverse at Fort William railway station
Fort William railway station
Fort William railway station is a railway station serving the town of Fort William in the Highland region of Scotland.- History :The present Fort William station opened on 13 June 1975. It replaced the original terminus which was further west and alongside Loch Linnhe at Station Square, in close...
.
The Caledonian Canal
Caledonian Canal
The Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. It was constructed in the early nineteenth century by engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by...
connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
with the west coast at Corpach
Corpach
Corpach is a large village north of Fort William, in the Scottish Highlands. The canal lock at Corpach Basin on Loch Linnhe, east of the narrows leading to Loch Eil, is the western sea entrance of the Caledonian Canal...
near Fort William.
Mountain Biking
Just outside the town, parallel to the Nevis Range GondolaGondola
The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in...
there is a large downhill mountain bike track, this attracts thousands every year, including international competitors and fans. Alongside this, there are the "Witches Trails."
Each year since 2001, Fort William has hosted a round of UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, and in 2007 it hosted the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships ('The Worlds'). Also a trials competition is held, at the various courses at the bottom. The four-cross
Four-cross
Four-cross , also called Mountain-cross, not to be confused with Fourcross, is a relatively new style of mountain bike racing where four bikers race downhill on a prepared, BMX like, track, simply trying to get down first. These bikes are generally either full suspension with 3 to 4 inches of...
track is used and the Witches trail gets used for this cross-country
Cross-country cycling
Cross-country cycling is the most common discipline of mountain biking. While less publicized than downhill cycling as it is more difficult to televise, it garners the highest levels of participation both recreationally and competitively....
competition.
Winners of key men's downhill events at Fort William are:
- 2007 'The Worlds': Sam HillSam Hill (mountain biker)Sam Hill in Viveash, WA, is an Australian professional downhill mountain biker. He was two time consecutive UCI World Downhill Champion during years 2006-2007 for Iron Horse racing team. . He won the 2010 world championships in Mont Saint Anne, riding for the Monster Energy Specialized team on a...
. Time: 4:51 minutes. - 2008 World Cup: Greg MinnaarGreg MinnaarGreg Minnaar is a South African World Champion mountain bike racer competing in downhill cycling. Greg first started to get noticed as a world class downhill racer at the age of 17, in 1999, racing select World Cups on a local shop team, aboard a Kona Stab Dee-Lux bike with a...
. - 2009 World Cup: Greg MinnaarGreg MinnaarGreg Minnaar is a South African World Champion mountain bike racer competing in downhill cycling. Greg first started to get noticed as a world class downhill racer at the age of 17, in 1999, racing select World Cups on a local shop team, aboard a Kona Stab Dee-Lux bike with a...
. Time: 4:38:98 minutes. - 2010 World Cup: Gee AthertonGee AthertonGeorge David Atherton, known as Gee Atherton is a professional racing cyclist specialising in downhill and four cross mountain bike racing, and is a multiple national champion, multiple World Cup winner, and 2010 downhill World Cup Champion.Since 2007, Gee has been one third of the Animal...
.
Winners of key women's downhill events at Fort William are:
- 2008 World Cup: Tracey Mosely.
- 2009 World Cup: Sabrina Jonnier. Time: 5:17:65 minutes.
Winners of key women's 4-cross events at Fort William are:
- 2009 World Cup: Jana Horáková.
- 2009 World Cup: Jill KintnerJill KintnerJill Kintner is a professional American "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross and professional mountain cross racer whose prime competitive years were 1995-2002 in BMX; 2004–present in mountain cross...
.
Motorcycle trials
Fort William is the home of the Scottish Six DayScottish Six Days Trial
The Scottish Six Days Trial is an internationally recognised Motorcycle trials competition, which has been running since 1909 making it the oldest motorcycle trials event in the world...
Motorcycle Trial
Motorcycle trials
Motorcycle trials, also termed observed trials, is a non-speed event on specialized motorcycles. The sport is most popular in the United Kingdom and Spain, though there are participants around the globe....
(SSDT), held annually in the first full week of May. It attracts many competitors from all across the globe and in 2011 the event will be celebrating its centenary year.
Shinty
Fort William has two major shintyShinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
teams, Fort William Shinty Club
Fort William Shinty Club
Fort William Shinty Club is a shinty club from Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland. The first team were Camanachd Cup holders four times in succession, between 2007 and 2010 but were knocked out in the second round in 2011...
and Kilmallie Shinty Club
Kilmallie Shinty Club
Kilmallie Shinty Club is a shinty team from Caol, Fort William, Scotland. The club's first team will play in the Scottish Hydro Premier Division in 2011 after a four year absence since relegation in 2007 and the second team plays in North Division 2. The team are also renowned for a strong youth...
.
As a film location
Braveheart
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
, Highlander
Highlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
, Restless Natives
Restless Natives
Restless Natives is a 1985 comedy film directed by Michael Hoffman and starring Vincent Friell, Joe Mullaney, and Ned Beatty.Filmed in Scotland, the story follows the adventures of two young men who don masks and hold up tourist coaches in the Highlands...
,Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
and Rob Roy
Rob Roy (film)
Rob Roy is a 1995 historical drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Liam Neeson stars as Robert Roy MacGregor, an 18th century Scottish historical figure who battles with feudal landowners in the Scottish Highlands. Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, and Jason Flemyng also star...
. The TV series Rockface was filmed mainly around Fort William and some scenes of Monarch of the Glen were filmed around Fort William although mostly near Newtonmore
Newtonmore
Newtonmore is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of about 1000. The village is only a few miles from a location that is claimed to be the exact geographical centre of Scotland...
. Local Hero
Local Hero
Local Hero is a 1983 Scottish comedy-drama film starring Peter Riegert and Burt Lancaster. It was directed by Bill Forsyth and produced by David Puttnam....
shot the internal Houston scenes in Fort William.
Festival
In a celebration of mountains and the culture that surrounds them, and in recognition of the importance of climbing and walking tourism to the town, the Fort William Mountain Film Festival is held there each year. For a number of years this volunteer led festival has concentrated mostly around film but, starting in the Year of Highland Culture - Highland 2007, its scope was widened, and it dropped the 'film' from its title. Fort William Mountain Festival websiteNotable people
- Charles KennedyCharles KennedyCharles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
- Former leader of the Liberal DemocratLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
party and current Liberal DemocratLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Ross, Skye and LochaberRoss, Skye and Lochaber (UK Parliament constituency)Ross, Skye and Lochaber is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. Although born in InvernessInvernessInverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, was brought up and educated in Fort William. - Danny AlexanderDanny AlexanderDaniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005....
- The current Chief Secretary to the TreasuryChief Secretary to the TreasuryThe Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
and Liberal DemocratLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and StrathspeyInverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (UK Parliament constituency)Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. Brought up in InvergarryInvergarryInvergarry is a village in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Great Glen, near where the River Garry flows into Loch Oich.Near the centre of the village is the junction between the A82 road and the A87 road which branches off to the west towards Skye.The ruined Invergarry Castle is situated...
, a small village just outside Fort William. - Justin Ryan - interior decorator and television presenter, although born in GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, was brought up in Fort William. - Allan MacDonaldAllan MacDonald (poet)Father Allan MacDonald was a Roman Catholic priest, poet, folklore collector, and activist from the Scottish Gàidhealtachd.-Biography:...
- Roman Catholic priest, Scottish Gaelic scholar, and pastor in South UistSouth UistSouth Uist is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,818. There is a nature reserve and a number of sites of archaeological interest, including the only location in Great Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found. The...
and EriskayEriskayEriskay , from the Old Norse for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council area of the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland. It lies between South Uist and Barra and is connected to South Uist by a causeway which was opened in 2001. In the same year Eriskay became the ferry terminal for...
, was born and brought up in Fort William. - Daniel McLean McDonald - Founder of the BSRBirmingham Sound ReproducersBirmingham Sound Reproducers was a British manufacturer of record player turntables.Daniel McLean McDonald founded Birmingham Sound Reproducers as a private company in 1932 in the West Midlands of England, UK...
company and benefactor of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological ResearchMcDonald Institute for Archaeological ResearchThe McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research is a research institute of the University of Cambridge in England.-History:The Institute was established in 1990 through a generous benefaction from the late Dr D. M. McDonald, a well-known and successful industrialist...
in the University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
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