Fort William's Famous Neptune Staircase

Fort William is a town in the Western Highlands and home to the famous Ben Nevis. We visited on a what I call a passing visit. We spent a night at Ben Nevis Holiday Park, before travelling on to Glenridden to see the famous Harry Potter steam train.

If you are visiting on a passing visit, like ourselves, and want to give your legs a good stretch. Here is something that will tick just them boxes:

Neptune Staircase

Neptune Staircase, built by Thomas Telford between 1803 and 1822 is the longest staircase lock in Scotland. It is made up of 8 locks along the Caledonian Canal. It’s truly impressive to see! Sadly at the time we visited, there was no boats passing by. However, even without a boat travelling up and down the lock, it is still worth a visit.

Car parking is free of charge. You can walk on either side of the locks. Depending on how much time you have, you can either just enjoy the locks themselves, or talk a long stroll along the canals. We only saw the locks themselves as we were short of time.

Staying In Fort William

Fort William makes a good stopover on your road trip. They have Morrisons and an Aldi to stock up on fresh food. They have some of the fast chain restaurants: KFC and Costa if you fancy a quick meal or coffee break. They also have restaurants, takeaways, and lots of shops, including outdoor shops and a B&M.

Fort William has a range of different accommodation. We stayed at Ben Nevis Holiday Park with our camper van. It was a lovely campsite. Not cheap, but it had good facilities, an electric hook-up, and a view UK’s largest mountain, Ben Nevis. They also have holiday homes, which you can rent out.

This is nowhere an exhausted list of Fort William. The town has so much more to offer, including the famous Nevis Range Resort. Our visit was a very brief stopover!

We will be back again to explore more. Maybe next time we might attempt the summit of Ben Nevis! I last climbed it when I was 13 years old. I would love to take my partner, Alex to the summit.