16 Easy & Low-Level Walks Near Fort William

Completely flat, completely beautiful. This follows the towpath of the Caledonian Canal from Banavie to Gairlochy, about 5 miles of easy walking with Ben Nevis filling the sky to the south. You can turn back whenever you like. It starts at Neptune's Staircase, where eight locks lift boats 62 feet up the canal. Thomas Telford built the whole thing between 1803 and 1822, and the lock-keepers' houses still have their original bay windows that were designed so the keepers could watch the canal traffic. It's impressive engineering and worth a few minutes before you set off. The swing bridge at Banavie carries the Road to the Isles across the canal, taking traffic out towards the west coast beaches. If your timing's right you'll catch the Jacobite steam train crossing it too. Once you're past the locks it goes quiet. The towpath is dead flat and well maintained, so it's fine for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Down at Corpach there are swans on the basin and a wetland area at Tom Moine with wildflowers and water voles, and the sea lock looks out over Loch Linnhe towards the Ardgour hills which makes a lovely picnic spot. There's a bit of history along the way too. Torcastle, near the canal, is linked to Banquo, the real one, not just the Shakespeare character. The castle ruins were the seat of Clan Mackintosh. And apparently the Brahan Seer predicted the canal back in the 1620s when he said full-rigged ships would one day sail round the back of Tomnahurich hill in Inverness. The Moorings Hotel on the opposite bank at Banavie does good food and drink afterwards.

Two things to see here, the viaduct and the monument, and you can do both in a couple of hours. Parking fills up fast in summer so arrive early or come by train. You also get a free hot drink for not arriving by car! The viaduct is really something, with 21 arches stretching 416 yards across the glen at 100 feet high, all finished back in 1898. It's the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland and you'll almost certainly recognise it from Harry Potter. The Jacobite steam train runs across it in summer and a quieter viewpoint is up the hill behind, marked Tom Dubh on the OS map. The whole line was built by Robert "Concrete Bob" McAlpine, who pioneered the use of mass concrete in bridge building. The nearby Loch nan Uamh Viaduct on the same line has its own legend about a horse and cart that fell into one of the piers during construction and is still entombed inside. Down at the loch, the 59 foot monument marks where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard on 19 August 1745 to rally support for the Jacobite rising. It didn't end well, but the NTS Visitor Centre beside it tells the whole story. The old Glenfinnan Station has been turned into a museum that's well worth a look. The views down Loch Shiel from here are some of the best in Scotland, and keep your eyes on the sky because golden eagles and white-tailed eagles are regularly spotted above the loch.

One of our favourite beaches. The water is genuinely turquoise, the sand is white, and on a calm day you'd swear you were in the Caribbean. It's about an hour's drive from us but absolutely worth it - the drive itself (the Road to the Isles) is stunning. You might recognise it as this is where they filmed the beach scenes in Local Hero back in 1983. The fictional village of Ferness was actually Pennan on the east coast, but Camusdarach was the beach with Ben's shack. The views are incredible, with Eigg, Rum, Muck and Canna sitting right there on the horizon. Eigg's Sgurr is unmistakable, like a big rocky nose sticking up, and on a clear day you can see Skye too. The white sand is actually crushed shells broken down over thousands of years, which is what makes the water look so turquoise where the sand continues underwater. Walk along the dunes and you'll see Arctic terns diving, orange-tip butterflies in the grass, and goats grazing behind the beach. Just inland is Loch Morar, the deepest freshwater loch in Britain at over 1,000 feet. It has its own monster too. Morag is less famous than Nessie but there have been plenty of 'sightings', and the best story involves two local lads who hit something with their boat. Up came a brown, 30 foot creature with three humps before sinking back under. Make of that what you will.

This is the walk everyone talks about. The path takes you through the Nevis Gorge, which is steep, wooded and often described as Himalayan, before opening out into a huge meadow with Scotland's second highest waterfall crashing 120 metres down the cliff in front of you. Worth knowing that the gorge path is rough and can be slippery. There have been fatal accidents here, so keep well away from the edge and don't attempt it in icy conditions, or if you're unsure on your feet. Once you're through the gorge the meadow is spectacular. There's a wire rope bridge across the river to a climbing club bothy, and crossing it is optional and can be genuinely nerve-wracking (especially with a watching crowd). In summer you can sit in the grass and watch climbers on the rock faces above. They look tiny from down here. If you want to escape the crowds, walk ten minutes further up the glen past the meadow to the Allt Coire Giubhsachan. It's a lovely small burn with clear pools and small waterfalls, a perfect picnic spot, and you'll probably have it to yourself.

The drive out here is an experience itself. You go through the Dark Mile, or Mile Dorcha, which is a stretch of single track road under a canopy of overhanging trees that blocks out the sky. Stop at Eas Chia-aig waterfall on the way in as it's right by the road and well worth five minutes. This is deep Cameron country. Achnacarry, visible from the road, has been the seat of Cameron of Lochiel, chief of Clan Cameron, for centuries. During the Second World War the whole estate was taken over as the Commando training centre and thousands of troops trained in these hills before being deployed across Europe. The memorial at Spean Bridge on the A82 commemorates them. The Clan Cameron Museum near Achnacarry is open in summer and while it's small it's absolutely fascinating. R.L. Stevenson set parts of Kidnapped around here, and honestly the landscape hasn't changed much since. The art walk itself follows a firm gravel track along the shores of Loch Arkaig with sculptures dotted through the forest. It's gentle, accessible, and on a still morning when the loch is like glass it's absolutely stunning. For a longer day you can keep going beyond the art trail into Glen Mallie. The path crosses a tributary via stepping stones and a vehicle bridge, heading into properly remote countryside with Highland cattle in the fields, muddy paths, and total silence. That's the point.

A peaceful woodland walk just above Glencoe village with three waymarked trails looping around a lochan. The shortest is flat and wheelchair friendly, while the other two climb gently through the trees. There are rest points with platforms looking out over the still water, which on a calm day perfectly reflects the mountains. The lochan was created in the 1890s by Lord Strathcona for his wife Isabella. She'd moved from Canada and was desperately homesick, so he planted Pacific Northwest conifers to remind her of home. It didn't work and she went back, but the trees are still here, and so is Glencoe House, their old place just above the lochan. The bluebells in early summer are beautiful, and you might also spot red squirrels, pine marten and roe deer. Glencoe has been in more films than you'd think, including Skyfall, Braveheart, Rob Roy, Harry Potter, Outlaw King, The 39 Steps and even Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Once you see the landscape you understand why. Ancient volcanoes and glaciers created this valley, and the atmosphere is intense with towering mountains and the road and river squeezed between them. The glen has older stories too. The Celtic hero Fingal supposedly lived here as leader of the Feinn, a band of warriors, and his son Ossian was a poet who drew inspiration from the landscape. You'll see both names on the OS map. Glen Coe itself is Gaelic, Gleann Comhan, meaning the Glen of the Dogs. The Glencoe Heritage Museum in the village is worth a look as it's in a thatched cottage and covers the area's dramatic history. The legendary mountaineer Hamish MacInnes lived here for decades and designed the ice axe and the lightweight mountain rescue stretcher they still use today. The Clachaig Inn is just down the road for food and a pint.

A straightforward riverside walk starting from the Ben Nevis car park. While everyone else heads uphill, you turn right and follow the all abilities path beside the river instead. It crosses to the youth hostel side then loops back through the forest on the other side of the glen, and it's flat, well surfaced and good for pushchairs and wheelchairs on the riverside section. You can carry on further into the Glen instead of crossing the youth hostel bridge but the path is not as smooth. Ben Nevis is right above you at 4,406 feet, formed by a massive volcanic eruption about 400 million years ago. The caldera collapsed in on itself and glaciers carved out the dramatic north face cliffs. Around 120,000 people climb it every year, and the Ben Nevis Race record, up and down, is an astonishing 1 hour 25 minutes set in 1984. There's a bit of remarkable history here too. From 1883 to 1904, volunteers from the Scottish Meteorological Society lived year round in a stone hut on the summit recording hourly weather readings. They'd dig themselves out of 5 foot snow drifts and sit through 100mph winds, and the ruins are still up there. There's a nice local legend as well about Cailleach Bheur, the goddess of winter. She's described as an old hag with white hair and blue skin who is said to have created Scotland's mountains as she strode across the land. She's supposedly resting now, having lost her power. Good story for the kids. The Ben Nevis Inn is right nearby for food, the visitor centre at the car park has a café and the Glen Nevis Restaurant is dog friendly. You might spot West Highland Way hikers arriving from Kinlochleven on the last stretch of their 96 mile walk.

Britain's only mountain gondola, and it's a three minute drive from us. The gondola lifts you from the car park at Torlundy up to 650 metres on the shoulder of Aonach Mor, and the views on the way up are brilliant. At the top there's the Snowgoose Restaurant, a Mountain Discovery Centre, and three waymarked walks. The Meall Beag viewpoint takes about 30 minutes and gives you panoramic views over the Great Glen to Aonach Beag and Ben Nevis. The Short Corrie Walk is about 2½ miles through forest with views down to Fort William, Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil. Or you can just wander the shorter trails on the mountainside. One thing to be aware of is that it can be significantly colder and windier at the top than the car park. Conditions change fast up there so always take a warm layer and waterproof, even if it looks fine at the bottom. The gondola is popular in summer so it's worth getting there early. The Pinemarten Café at the base station is good if the weather shuts things down, and if anyone in your group is into mountain biking, Nevis Range has world class trails and has hosted the World Cup downhill.

A steady climb through forest to the remains of an iron age hill fort about 2,000 years old. The views from the top are superb with Ben Nevis right there, Sgurr a' Mhaim above Steall Falls to the south, Stob Ban behind it, and Loch Linnhe and Fort William to the north. On a clear day it's one of the best viewpoints in the area for the effort involved. The fort itself is a grassy embankment on the hilltop, and what makes it unusual is the vitrification. At some point the fort was deliberately set on fire, and the heat was so intense it melted the stone into a glassy substance. Nobody's entirely sure why, but you can still see the fused rock in the walls. If you're planning to tackle Ben Nevis, this is the perfect warm up walk the day before as it gets the legs going without destroying them. You'll share the lower path with West Highland Way hikers on the last stretch of their 96 mile trek from Glasgow.

A hidden gem that most people drive straight past. It's just off the A82 between Onich and Corran Ferry, tucked away in Glen Righ, which means the King's Glen. Two waymarked trails loop through the forest, one climbing alongside the river to the impressive upper falls and the other following sections of the old military road. You can combine both for a solid half day. The falls are surprisingly impressive given how close they are to the main road. The forest is atmospheric, all mossy and damp and full of birdsong. Keep an eye out for red squirrels in the canopy. There's a brilliant bit of wartime history here too. During WWII a decoy factory was built in Glen Righ to draw German bombers away from the aluminium smelter at Fort William. The idea was to make the enemy waste their bombs on a fake target.

A short but steep forest loop in the heart of Glen Nevis. It's only a couple of miles but the climb gets the legs and lungs working, and the payoff is sweeping views of the glen with mountains crowding in on every side. An Gearanach and the Mamores are right there. The route follows the Allt a' Choire Dhuibh, which means Stream of the Red Corrie in Gaelic. The path gets steeper as you go, with waterfalls and boulders providing plenty of excuses for a breather, and eventually you hit a forestry track higher up with views across to Ben Nevis. On the way back it's worth the short detour to Lower Falls Bridge over the River Nevis where there are dramatic waterfalls right below you. Look out for the lovely whitewashed Achriabhach Cottage as you pass through.

Start at the Three Sisters car park in Glencoe, where the viewpoint alone is worth stopping for. From there you drop down into a gorge and scramble up into a hidden valley that you'd never know was there from the road. It's rough in places and there's some light scrambling. This is Coire Gabhail, the corrie of capture. The MacDonalds of Glencoe used to hide their stolen cattle up here because the valley floor is completely invisible from below, making it the perfect spot. It was also their last refuge during the Glencoe Massacre on 13 February 1692. Campbell soldiers had been staying with the MacDonalds as guests for nearly two weeks before they turned on their hosts in the night. Around 40 men, women and children were killed and their homes burned. The MacDonald chief had been late swearing allegiance to King William, and that was the excuse. The MacDonald Monument in Glencoe village was put up in 1883 to remember them, and Signal Rock, a short walk from the NTS visitor centre on the A82, is traditionally where the command for the massacre was given. Once you get up into the valley itself the silence hits you. Huge boulders block the entrance and you scramble between and over them before the valley opens out into a flat meadow with mountains closing in on every side. It's a powerful place, and slightly eerie too knowing the history.

Castle Tioram, pronounced Cheerum, sits on a rocky tidal island in Loch Moidart and it's a stunning setting that's worth the drive alone. The castle was a Clanranald stronghold given to them by King Robert II, and in 1715 after the Jacobite rising failed the clan chief ordered it burned rather than let it fall to government troops. It's been a ruin ever since but you can get right up close. The Silver Walk follows the coast south from the castle. The path is fairly rough and mildly exposed in places so take care in icy conditions, but on a good day it's a brilliant walk. After a couple of miles of coastal path you'll climb a hill and come across the ruins of a hamlet. It can get boggy here but the views more than make up for it. The name Moidart comes from Old Norse, roughly meaning Place of the Muddy Vikings, which is a reminder that Norsemen were here long before the MacDonalds. Out in the loch you can see Eilean Shona, where J.M. Barrie stayed in the 1920s and is said to have found inspiration for Peter Pan. Keep your eyes up because golden eagles and white-tailed eagles are seen around here, along with merganser and heron on the water.

A walk to the base of the magnificent Ben Nevis North Face. You start from the North Face car park and head up through the Allt a' Mhuilinn valley, the cliffs opening up ahead of you are incredible. See if you can spot climbers on the legendary North Face routes because they look like tiny dots. The CIC Hut sits at about 670m right beneath the cliffs and is named after Charles Inglis Clark, a climber killed in World War I. This can be walked directly from the house. In winter it can get icy and snowy near the hut, and the slopes above are avalanche prone so check the Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecast before you go at sais.gov.uk if you intend to explore the area above the hut. The route is there and back again so you can just turn around whenever it gets uncomfortable.

A lovely walk to a secluded beach with superb coastal views. The route follows a good track before dropping down to the remote bothy and beach at Peanmeanach. It's one of those special places where you feel properly away from it all.

A well marked trail from Kinlochleven to an impressive waterfall that drops about 50 metres into a narrow wooded gorge. The climb is steep and rocky in places but short, and the views back down Loch Leven are great. Kinlochleven has an interesting backstory. An aluminium smelter opened here in the early 1900s, powered by a hydro electric scheme that harnessed the rivers cascading off the mountains. It employed 800 people at its peak and made Kinlochleven the first village in the UK to have every house connected to electricity. The smelter closed in 2000, but the old buildings are now home to the Ice Factor which is the world's biggest indoor ice climbing wall, plus top rope, lead climbing and bouldering. It is currently closed but there are plans to reopen it in the future.