15 best day trips from Fort William, Scotland

Fort William calls itself the Outdoor Capital of the UK, and as a base for days out it’s hard to beat. Glencoe is half an hour south, the Road to the Isles runs west to some of the best beaches in Scotland, and the West Highland Line carries you out across Rannoch Moor to the remotest railway station in Britain.

This is my locally-curated guide to 15 of the best day trips from Fort William. I’ve grouped them by direction so you can plan a logical itinerary, and I’ve included how to get there (with and without a car), what to do when you arrive, where to eat, and where to stay if you want to stretch the day into a weekend.

Day trips from Fort William – at a glance

• Easiest by train (no car needed): Glenfinnan, Arisaig, Morar, Mallaig, Corrour
• Best for mountains: Glencoe, Glen Nevis, Glen Etive
• Best for beaches: the silver sands of Morar and Arisaig
• Best for a proper adventure: Knoydart, Corrour, Ardnamurchan
• Best for film fans: Glenfinnan (Harry Potter), Glen Etive (Skyfall), Castle Stalker (Monty Python)
• Best with kids: Glen Nevis and Steall Falls, the Jacobite steam train
• Best in autumn: Glencoe Lochan

More day trips: Days out in Scotland · from Edinburgh · Glasgow · Aberdeen · Inverness · Perth

South into Glencoe and Appin

1. Glencoe

The most famous glen in Scotland, and only half an hour from Fort William. With the Three Sisters rear up on one side and the Aonach Eagach ridge on the other, the whole place carries the weight of the 1692 massacre. Behind Glencoe village, Glencoe Lochan is a wooded loch with mountain reflections, planted by a Victorian laird to remind his homesick Canadian wife of home.

• Visit: The Glencoe Visitor Centre (National Trust for Scotland), the Three Sisters viewpoint and the Study viewpoint.
• Walk: Glencoe Lochan’s three easy trails, or climb the Pap of Glencoe for the best view in the glen.
• Eat at: The Clachaig Inn, a Highland institution.
• Get there: 30 minutes by car. Citylink buses run through the glen from Fort William.

Read more: how to visit Glencoe.

2. Glen Etive

Turn off the main road at the top of Glencoe and a single-track road runs 14 miles down Glen Etive to the sea. It’s where Bond takes M in the closing act of Skyfall, and the view back up the glen is one of the most photographed in Scotland.

• Visit: The glen itself, and the sea loch at the end.
• Get there: 45 minutes by car from Fort William. Single track with passing places, and no facilities at all once you turn off – go prepared.
• Good to know: wild camping pressure has been a real problem here. Take everything home.

3. Kinlochleven and the Grey Mare’s Tail

A former aluminium town at the head of Loch Leven, now a walkers’ stop on the West Highland Way. The Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall is a short, steep walk from the village.

• Walk: The Grey Mare’s Tail (around 1 hour return).
• Get there: 25 minutes by car around the loch.

4. Castle Stalker and Port Appin

Castle Stalker sits on its own tidal islet in Loch Laich, and it’s one of the most photographed castles in Scotland – partly because it appears at the end of Monty Python and the Holy Grail as the Castle of Aaargh. From Port Appin, a tiny passenger ferry crosses to the island of Lismore in ten minutes.

• Visit: The Castle Stalker View café for the classic photograph, and Lismore via the Port Appin ferry.
• Eat at: The Pierhouse at Port Appin, right beside the ferry slip, for seafood.
• Get there: 40 minutes by car south on the A828.

5. Oban

The seafood capital of Scotland and the gateway to the isles, with ferries leaving for Mull, Coll, Tiree, Barra and beyond. McCaig’s Tower, the Colosseum-like folly above the town, gives the best view over the harbour.

• Visit: McCaig’s Tower, Oban Distillery in the middle of town, and the harbour.
• Eat at: The green seafood shack on the pier for langoustines straight off the boat.
• Get there: 1 hour 30 minutes by car, or Citylink bus.

West along the Road to the Isles

6. Glenfinnan

The Glenfinnan Viaduct is the one from the Harry Potter films, and when the Jacobite steam train crosses it in summer the viewpoint is packed. The monument at the head of Loch Shiel marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in 1745.

• Visit: The Glenfinnan Monument and visitor centre (National Trust for Scotland).
• Walk: The viaduct trail from the visitor centre car park (around 30 minutes up).
• Get there: 25 minutes by car. Or take the train – Glenfinnan is on the West Highland Line, around 30 minutes from Fort William, and you cross the viaduct itself.
• Good to know: the car park fills by mid-morning in summer and the Jacobite sells out months ahead. The scheduled ScotRail service crosses the same viaduct for a fraction of the price.

Read more: the Jacobite steam train and the Jacobites and Bonnie Prince Charlie.

7. Arisaig and Morar: the silver sands

An hour west of Fort William, the coast turns extraordinary – white shell-sand beaches, turquoise water and the Small Isles on the horizon. Camusdarach, Traigh and the silver sands of Morar are among the best beaches in Britain.

• Visit: Camusdarach beach, the silver sands of Morar, and Traigh.
• Get there: 1 hour by car. Trains on the West Highland Line stop at Arisaig and Morar.
• Important: the coast road (B8008) now has miles of double yellow lines at Traigh, Camusdarach and the Silver Sands – no roadside parking at any time. Use the designated car parks.

Read more: the beaches of Arisaig and Morar.

8. Mallaig

The end of the Road to the Isles and the West Highland Line, Mallaig is a working fishing port with some of the best seafood in Scotland and ferries to Skye, the Small Isles and Knoydart.

• Eat at: The Cornerstone, a family-run seafood restaurant overlooking the harbour – book ahead, it’s small.
• Get there: 1 hour 15 minutes by car, or the train to Mallaig, around 1 hour 25 minutes.

9. Knoydart: Britain’s remotest pub

Knoydart has no road in. You reach Inverie either by ferry from Mallaig or on a two-day walk over the hills, and around 120 people live there. The Old Forge is mainland Britain’s most remote pub, and it’s now community-owned.

• Visit: Inverie, the Old Forge, and the coastal paths around the bay.
• Get there: Drive or take the train to Mallaig, then the passenger ferry to Inverie. Check the timetable carefully – there are only a few sailings.

Read more: a day trip to Knoydart from Mallaig.

10. Ardnamurchan

Cross Loch Linnhe on the Corran Ferry, eight miles south of Fort William, and you’re on the West Highland Peninsulas – one of the emptiest, loveliest corners of the country. Ardnamurchan Point is the most westerly point on the British mainland, and Sanna Bay is a white-sand beach most people never reach.

• Visit: Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, Sanna Bay, and Castle Tioram on its tidal island.
• Get there: The Corran Ferry takes five minutes, then it’s a long, slow, beautiful single-track drive. The Corran Ferry has had service disruptions in recent years – check it’s running before you set off.

Read more: things to do in Ardnamurchan.

North and east

11. Glen Nevis and Steall Falls

Ben Nevis starts here, but you don’t have to climb it. The road up Glen Nevis ends at a car park, and from there a path through the Nevis Gorge opens out into a hanging valley with Steall Falls pouring 120m down the far side – the second highest waterfall in Scotland. A three-wire bridge crosses the river if you fancy it.

• Walk: The Nevis Gorge to Steall Falls (around 3 miles return, 1.5 hours).
• Get there: 15 minutes by car.
• Climbing Ben Nevis? Read my full guide first.

12. Loch Arkaig and Achnacarry

A quiet, wooded loch north of Fort William, reached through the Dark Mile – an avenue of trees so overhung it barely sees daylight. This is Cameron country, and the Clan Cameron Museum at Achnacarry tells the story of the clan and the Jacobite risings. Seasonal opening.

• Visit: The Clan Cameron Museum, the Dark Mile and the Eas Chia-aig waterfalls.
• Get there: 30 minutes by car.

13. Corrour and Rannoch Moor by train

The best rail day trip in Scotland. Corrour is the highest mainline station in Britain at over 400m, it has no public road access at all, and it sits in the middle of Rannoch Moor. There’s a station house restaurant, a loch to walk to, and nothing else. Film fans will recognise it from Trainspotting.

• Visit: Corrour Station House for lunch, and the walk to Loch Ossian.
• Get there: Train from Fort William, around 45 minutes. Only a few trains a day – check your return before you go, because there is no other way out.

14. Fort Augustus and Loch Ness

At the southern end of Loch Ness, Fort Augustus is built around a flight of five locks on the Caledonian Canal. It’s the easiest way to see Loch Ness from Fort William without driving all the way to Inverness.

• Visit: The lock flight, the Caledonian Canal Centre, and a loch cruise.
• Get there: 45 minutes by car up the A82. Citylink buses run this way to Inverness.

15. The Isle of Skye

Skye is a big day from Fort William, but it’s doable – and there are two ways in. Drive north to the Skye Bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh, or take the train to Mallaig and the ferry to Armadale, arriving in the gardens of Sleat.

• Visit: Armadale Castle and the Museum of the Isles if you come by ferry, or Eilean Donan and the Cuillin if you drive.
• Get there: Around 1 hour 45 minutes by car to the Skye Bridge, or train to Mallaig plus a 30-minute ferry to Armadale.
• Good to know: if you want to see Skye properly, stay a night or two rather than trying to do it in a day.

Read more: things to do on the Isle of Skye and is Skye overhyped?

Day trips from Fort William without a car

Fort William sits on the West Highland Line, which makes it one of the best bases in the Highlands for car-free days out:

• Glenfinnan for the viaduct (30 min)
• Arisaig and Morar for the beaches (around 1 hour)
• Mallaig for seafood and the ferries (1 hour 25)
• Corrour for Rannoch Moor (45 min)
• Knoydart, via the train to Mallaig and the passenger ferry

Citylink buses run south through Glencoe to Glasgow, and north along Loch Ness to Inverness. The Corran Ferry takes foot passengers to Ardgour.

When to visit

• Spring (April–May): the Jacobite steam train starts running, the glens are green and the midges haven’t arrived.
• Summer (June–August): long days and everything open, but the busiest – Glenfinnan’s car park fills by mid-morning, and the midges are at their worst on still evenings.
• Autumn (September–October): my favourite. The midges have gone, Glencoe Lochan turns gold, and the light is extraordinary.
• Winter (November–March): snow on the Ben and Glencoe at its most dramatic, but short days, and some ferries and attractions close. Check everything before you travel.