Ben Nevis and Glen Nevis – Steall Falls and the Lower Falls
A day by car, from Fort William and back.
The route
Glen Nevis begins at the edge of Fort William and curves round the foot of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain.
This is a day in the glen, with short drives between its stops. It goes to the end of the glen road first, for the rocky path through the Nevis Gorge to the meadow under Steall Falls, then comes back down to the Lower Falls and the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre. Lunch is at the Ben Nevis Inn at Achintee, an old barn across the river from the centre. The day stays below the mountain throughout. The path to the summit starts here too, and it is a long, serious hill day of its own, for walkers who already know big hills.
Before you go
Book a bed near Fort William
The day starts and ends in Fort William, which fills in summer and at holiday weekends, so book as soon as your dates are set.
Book a table at the Ben Nevis Inn
The inn opens at noon and cannot promise a table to anyone who has not booked, so book lunch for about 12.30pm, or for 1pm if you mean to walk the riverside path at the Lower Falls.
The day
Glen Nevis
Set out from Fort William by 8.15am, while the glen is quiet. The one rough walk comes first, and after it the drives are short and the stops easy: a waterfall beside the road, then films and a mountain forecast under a roof. The day is over by early afternoon, after a long lunch, with Fort William five minutes down the road.
36 min at the wheelAbout 14 miles
Steall Falls
An attraction
It's 18 minutes' drive from Fort William to the small car park where the Glen Nevis road ends, the last stretch single track; if it is full, see the Lower Falls first and try again after lunch. Wear boots with a good grip: the path is rocky and slippery when wet, with sheer drops into the Nevis Gorge, and a sign at its start warns of danger of death. After about 40 minutes it opens onto a meadow below Steall Falls, a drop of more than 100 metres. The wire bridge is optional.
7 min by car
The Lower Falls
Drive 7 minutes back down the glen to the Lower Falls car park, which has public toilets. A path built for all abilities leads the short way to the falls, where the River Nevis drops beside the road. With small children, leave out Steall and give the morning to this stop instead. With an hour in hand and lunch booked for 1pm, there is time for the riverside path upstream to Paddy's Bridge, the next bridge up, about 25 minutes each way. Come back the same way: the road is single track with no pavement.
6 min by car
Ben Nevis Visitor Centre
It's 6 minutes' drive down the glen to the visitor centre, for its films, hot drinks and mountain forecast. Lunch is at the Ben Nevis Inn, open from noon: leave the car here and walk ten minutes over the footbridge. The Mountain Path up Ben Nevis begins beside the inn. It is a full day of 6 to 9 hours, begun early and not for this afternoon, with boots, waterproofs, map and compass. People get into difficulty when cloud, snow or darkness hides the path.
If it rains
Steall is a dry-day walk. After heavy rain the gorge path is slippery and the river rises quickly, so leave it for another visit. The Lower Falls are at their fullest in the wet and are a short made path from the car, and the visitor centre is under a roof. Then go back into Fort William for the West Highland Museum on Cameron Square, off the High Street, which is free and takes about an hour. Its hours change with the season, so look at its website before you go. Viewforth car park is close by.
Worth a detour
- Neptune's Staircase
At Banavie, about 10 minutes' drive north of Fort William, the eight locks of Neptune's Staircase lift the Caledonian Canal 19 metres in a quarter of a mile, with Ben Nevis standing over them. Thomas Telford built the flight, and a boat takes about an hour and a half to work through it. The towpath beside the locks is free, open at all hours and an easy half hour after the morning's rough path. Keep small hands held beside the lock chambers, which are deep.
Make it a weekend
More days out in Lochaber.
Photographs by Michael Eaglestone and Naeem via Google