Magic in the Mountains

May 10-11, 2024

Scotland Day 9 (Honeymoon Part 2: Day 1-2)

Hiking the West Highland Way is what drew us to Scotland. In planning for this epic adventure, we knew we wanted to spend more time in the beautiful country of Scotland after completing the trail. We decided to dedicate two weeks to this trip: the first to hike 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William, the second to sightsee.

The second leg of our trip began at the trail’s end in Fort William. The terminus of the West Highland Way is located smack dab in the middle of Fort William. The final miles of the trail came out on the outskirts of town and followed the sidewalk into the city center. It was disorienting to come out of the Highlands and walk down the cobblestone streets into the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan area. It was a stark contrast from the seemingly isolated glens and moors we traversed in previous days, but it marked a noticeable transition to our return to civilization. To read the full account of our final day on trail, check out my WHW Day 8 trail journal.

After completing the WHW, we celebrated the following day by summiting the tallest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis. The town of Fort William is basically at the foot of this 4413′ tall mountain. We wanted to check another item off our bucket list, so we dedicated our final day in Fort William to this endeavor. To read the full account of this celebratory hike, check out my Ben Nevis Summit trail journal. We opted for the “easier” tourist route (also called the Mountain Track) rather than the more strenuous Carn Mor Dearg Arête Route (CMD). We chose the easier route because we didn’t know how difficult it would be, but in hindsight I wished we had chosen the CMD for more of a challenge. Just another reason to visit Scotland again soon!

Where We Ate, Drank, and Stayed

Accommodations

The night we finished the WHW we had camping reservation at Glen Nevis Holidays. This “campground” was swanky for a campground and had all the amenities you could think of! The campground is located at the base of Ben Nevis and looks right into the face of the mountain. The campground itself is huge with multiple “fields” dedicated to a variety of sleeping arrangements. We stayed in our tent so we were situated in one of their tenting fields along with car campers. There were multiple bathhouses within easy walking distance of our tent, all with clean toilets, showers, electrical outlets, and hot water. Glen Nevis Holidays also has several fields dedicated to “caravans and motorhomes”, plus camping pods for rent as well as “holiday caravans” which looked like cabins for rent. Staying here the night before climbing Ben Nevis was perfect because we were camped basically at the trailhead. Between the proximity to town and Ben Nevis, the amenities on site, and multiple resultants, I was very impressed with Glen Nevis Holidays and think it was a fantastic stay to round off our WHW hike!

After climbing Ben Nevis we walked back into Fort William to check into our hotel. The Highland Hotel looks like a castle perched on a hilltop overlooking the water in Fort William. The location made for a beautiful backdrop, and the hotel itself was stunning. The hotel first opened in 1894 but was most recently renovated in 2008. Because it hadn’t been renovated in 16 years the room itself wasn’t the nicest, but after having been mainly sleeping in our tent for the past week it was a wonderful respite! It was clean and had a working bathroom, that’s more than most hikers can dream of. I accidentally booked us in a room with two twin beds instead of single queen, but we made the most of it and were especially thankful for the ensuite bathroom. Our only complaint was that there was no air-conditioning in the room, something we learned was common in Scotland (our stay at the Premier Inn in Milngavie at the start of our trip also didn’t have AC). We were able to prop the window open with one of our trekking poles, though, and slept just fine.

Food and Drink

Black Isle Brewery This hip pizza joint was right behind the terminus of the WHW. It just made sense to venter inside to grab a pint (or two) and pizza. We enjoyed talking to the bartenders and the food was great after a long day of hiking. I remember especially liking the Hibernator Oatmeal Stout and Cade tried the Treehouse Pale Ale. This was a great place to celebrate the end of our week long trek!

Glen Nevis Restaurant and Bar We had a delicious dinner here the night prior to hiking up Ben Nevis. The Restaurant located on the Glen Nevis Holidays property so it was quick and easy walk from the campground over to the restaurant. I had made a reservation online and we were seated immediately. Our food was tasty and fueled us well for the big hike the following day.

Campfire Kitchen This looked like a larger version of a glorified food truck and it was great! The Campfire Kitchen is located in the middle of the Glen Nevis Holidays park so it was very convent for coffee and breakfast. We both got coffee and different varieties of breakfast rolls. This was our breakfast before climbing Ben Nevis, so it was literally on our way out of the campground to the trailhead.

Cafe Mango We weren’t sure what to expect from this restaurant based on the Google Reviews, but we were impressed by the food and the service here. The decor was also very cute and the location was right downtown.

The Highland Hotel Our accommodations for our final night in Fort William boasted a bar and restaurant. We chose to venture into town for dinner, but were happy to return to the hotel afterwards for a nightcap at the bar. The staff were so friendly and eager to chit chat. From them we learned that the hotel mainly caters to older folks on coach tours of the Highlands, so I think they were happy to see young faces in the crowd. The bartender introduced me to gin and lemonade (instead of tonic water) and I haven’t looked back since. A key reason we booked at The Highland Hotel was because breakfast was included in our stay. We were served a traditional Scottish breakfast on the morning of our departure and it was a great final meal in Fort William.