FORT WILLIAM

Fort William is the largest town in the West Highlands of Scotland and is the commercial centre of Lochaber, an area renowned for magnificent scenery with an important history.

It is close to the highest mountain in the UK - Ben Nevis, and Loch Morar - the deepest loch, with beautiful glens, forests and beaches in between.

Fort William and Lochaber offer the modern traveler an enormous choice for recreation, discovery and relaxation. Fort William and Lochaber is the Outdoor Capital of the UK.

Historically, this area of Lochaber was strongly Cameron country, and there were a number of mainly Cameron settlements in the area (such as Blarmacfoldach). The nearby settlement of Inverlochy was the main settlement in the area before the building of the fort, and was also site of the Battle of Inverlochy. However, the town is not of local origin. It grew up as a settlement next to a fort constructed to control the population following Oliver Cromwell's invasion during the English Civil War, and then to suppress the Jacobite uprisings of the 18th century. The fort was named Fort William after William Of Orange, and the settlement that grew around it was called Maryburgh, after his wife. This settlement was later renamed Gordonsburgh, and then to Duncansburgh before being renamed Fort William, this time after "Butcher" Cumberland. Given these origins, there have been various suggestions over the years to rename the town (for example, to Invernevis). These proposals have led to nothing as of yet. During World War II, Fort William was the home of HMS St Christopher which was a training base for Royal Navy Coastal Forces.