Start at the car park at the Ballachulish end of Fort William. Follow the loch-side pavement northeast around the town to a roundabout with the old fort, the start of the Great Glen Way, on the left. GGW waymarkers lead along tarred path to left of McDonalds, then through a warehouse area. Dogleg right then left among houses to a road bridge across River Nevis.
Cross, and ignoring a track beside the river, turn right up a fenced path beside houses for 300 metres. Keep ahead along Dubh MacDonald Road, then bear right to the A82. Cross into a street signposted for the Ben Nevis Inn, but after 100 metres turn right on a stone bridge over River Nevis. Turn left on pavement for 400 metres, until a track forks down left to another crossing of River Nevis, a metal footbridge.
Turn right to a small car park, where a good path continues ahead along the river. After 1.2km, cross a footbridge into the car park of the Nevis Visitor Centre (Ionad Nibheis). Pass along riverbank to left of the visitor centre, onto a path through trees to the Glen Nevis road. Continue for 50 metres, to a path on the right signed as the Peat Track to Cow Hill. Head up the wide path; as you enter trees, a gate on the right leads to a footbridge to the nearby burial ground, a place of not terribly antique gravestones and beech trees. Return to the Peat Track and continue up.
At a forest road crossing, right is signed for Fort William, but keep ahead up the steep but good path for Cow Hill. At the top of the trees, keep ahead on the path to meet a track. Turn right, for 1.5km to Cow Hill. At the radio mast, keep ahead for a few steps for a view down onto Fort William.
Return along the track. After it passes the path you came up on, it bends round to the right. Follow the track down to a road at the edge of Fort William.
Turn left up to a car park viewpoint and picnic place. Opposite this, go through a rusty metal gate. Head up, with a fence on the right to start with, to a second rusty red gate onto open hill. A peaty, heathery path leads uphill and follows the rounded crest to the trig point on Druimarbin, with a lovely view along Loch Linnhe.
On Druimarbin, view to Fort William and Great Glen
Turn round – the views now are along the Great Glen – and head back to the road at the viewpoint. Turn left, downhill, past the end of the Peat Track and into Fort William. Keep ahead down Lundavra Road for 500 metres. Just after a bridge over a stream, at a waymark post, turn left down a tarred lane. After it recrosses the stream, turn right down steps then a tarred path. Keep ahead down Ashburn Lane to the A82.
Cross the main road and take paths past flowerbeds along the lochside, to the walk start.
ROUTE 2
Nevis Gorge
| Start/Finish | Glen Nevis top car park (NN 168 691) |
| Distance | 3km/2 miles |
| Total ascent | 150m/500ft |
| Time | 2hr |
| Terrain | Choice: a wide smooth path, or a slippery scramble |
| Max altitude | 285m on upper path |
The Nevis Gorge has high, steep slopes where 1000 pine trees cling to ledges between glaciated slabs. Below, the river rushes under house-sized boulders, and at its head is the 90m-high Steall waterfall.
A deservedly popular path leads up the gorge. It is smooth and engineered, but even so has warning notices because of the drops alongside. However, two older and disused paths, one above and one below, offer slightly better views and a much wilder experience. The lower path, in particular, crosses damp and rather slimy rocks in an exposed position. All three options are given here: my preference is take the lower path up the gorge, and the high one back again.
Start along the big, level main path out of the car park end, with signs for Corrour, and another warning about exposure to come. This path leads straightforwardly up the wooded gorge side to the meadow below Steall Falls.
There are two alternative paths that are much less comfortable.
Lower path
The lower path gives a more intimate acquaintance with the river below. Its untrodden rocks are damp and slippery; there are drops below, so the path in its current condition must be considered a mild scramble (Grade 1).
About 400 metres from the car park, the main path becomes a gangway carved out of pink rock to cross a stream. In another 20 metres, just round a left bend, a small waymark points left along the main path. This is where the lower path forks down right.
The small path drops close above River Nevis. Then it ascends again on a ledge around a craggy slope. There are old iron posts and ringbolts. After its rocky section, the path ascends gently over large stones. It rejoins the main path at another small waymark, at the foot of a grey rock gangway on the main path.
Upper path
The upper path is very small and needs some care to follow, especially in reverse at the Steall end. It is rough but not rocky, and leads to a splendid little shelf below the crags of Meall Cumhann.
About 400 metres from the car park, the main path becomes a gangway carved out of pink rock to cross a stream. It bends left, past the waymarker at the start of the lower path, then rises for 100 metres across a pitched section and then between sheep-sized grey boulders. As it levels, three stream culverts cross it in quick succession. The middle culvert is where the upper path forks up left. It slants gently uphill, but with a couple of little zigzags to look out for. It emerges onto open hill at a grassy platform below crags of Meall Cumhann (small cairn, NN 1751 6896).
The path slants down, to left of a large boulder, then zigzags south down a spur with some birch trees, to join the main path just above the top of Nevis Gorge.
All three routes arrive in the meadow above the gorge, dominated by the high Steall waterfall on the right. At the meadow’s end the path forks, the right branch leading to a bridge over the Water of Nevis marked ‘dangerous bridge’ and consisting of three steel cables. According to your temperament, this crossing is either terrifying or terrific. It is not necessary – return is by the same side of the river – but it does let you reach the foot of the Steall Falls by a muddy path.
Steall Falls
Return is by any of the three paths. Below is given the upper path, as its start is not clear. Should you cross the wire footbridge and find you prefer not to come back over, there’s also a very rough descent by the south side of the river (see variant below). Meanwhile, those unsatisfied by Scotland’s finest 2-mile walk can explore Meall Cumhann on the following Route 3.
Upper path (return)
For every 100 people who come up the main path and return the same way, approximately zero people take this stimulating alternative path back. From the Steall meadow, the path dips to the first trees at the entrance of the gorge. Immediately before this short descent, turn uphill, right, towards a ruined stone terrace among the bracken. From the left-hand end of this, the path heads up left in its first zigzag. Once found, the zigzags rise north up a spur with a few birch trees, towards a boulder visible on the skyline. The viewpoint terrace is just above; there’s an old cairn on the left and a view down lower Glen Nevis.
Contour forward for 20 metres to find the beginning of the descent path. It is small but clear; just watch out for a couple of zigzags where it doubles back on itself as it slants down through the wood to join the main path.
South riverside variant
Across the