| Fort William | |
| Scottish Gaelic: An Gearasdan | |
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Fort William
Fort William shown within the Lochaber area |
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| Population | 9,908 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | NN103738 |
| Council area | Highland |
| Lieutenancy area | Inverness |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FORT WILLIAM |
| Postcode district | PH33 |
| Dialling code | 01397 |
| Police | Northern |
| Fire | Highlands and Islands |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Ross, Skye and Lochaber |
| Scottish Parliament | Inverness East, Nairn & Lochaber |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Fort William (Scottish Gaelic: An Gearasdan, "The Garrison" pronounced [ən ˈkʲɛrəs̪t̪ən] ) 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.[1]
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Historically, this area of Lochaber 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"[2] 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.[3]
A "Waterfront" development has been proposed by the Council though there is not overwhelming support for this in the town.[4] 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.[5] It was announced in April 2010 that the project has been abandoned.[6]
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 km) away, is home of the Glenfinnan Monument (Jacobite era) and the famous viaduct (as seen on a Bank Of Scotland £10 note[7]). 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,[8] 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.
Originally based on the still-existent village of Inverlochy, 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.
| Mallaig, Portree, Shiel Bridge | Kyle of Lochalsh, Ullapool | Spean Bridge, Invergarry, Fort Augustus, Inverness | ||
| Glenfinnan, Lochailort, Arisaig | Roybridge, Dalwhinnie, Aberdeen | |||
| Fort William | ||||
| Inchree, Oban | Ballachulish, Inveraray, Dunoon | Bridge of Orchy, Crianlarich, Glasgow |
| Climate data for Fort William, United Kingdom | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) |
5.0 (41.0) |
6.0 (42.8) |
10.0 (50.0) |
13.0 (55.4) |
16.0 (60.8) |
16.0 (60.8) |
16.0 (60.8) |
14.0 (57.2) |
11.0 (51.8) |
7.0 (44.6) |
5.0 (41.0) |
10.25 (50.45) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −1 (30.2) |
−1 (30.2) |
0.0 (32.0) |
1.0 (33.8) |
4.0 (39.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
8.0 (46.4) |
8.0 (46.4) |
7.0 (44.6) |
5.0 (41.0) |
1.0 (33.8) |
0.0 (32.0) |
3.25 (37.85) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 303.0 (11.929) |
204.0 (8.031) |
254.0 (10) |
127.0 (5) |
133.0 (5.236) |
144.0 (5.669) |
167.0 (6.575) |
189.0 (7.441) |
272.0 (10.709) |
304.0 (11.969) |
286.0 (11.26) |
299.0 (11.772) |
2,682 (105.59) |
| Source: [9] | |||||||||||||
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.[10]
The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William.
Just outside the town, parallel to the Nevis Range Gondola 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:
Fort William is the home of the Scottish Six Day 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.
Fort William has two major shinty teams, Fort William Shinty Club and Kilmallie Shinty Club.
The town also has a football team, Fort William F.C., whom ply their trade in the Scottish Highland Football League. They play their home games at Claggan Park.
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.
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 website
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