GLENCOE TO FORT WILLIAM

Scotland’s biggest, boldest scenery awaits you on this bucket-list adventure from bustling Glasgow through to beautiful Loch Lomond and land of the giants; Glen Coe, eventually taking you to the historical town of Fort William which lies on the shores of stunning Loch Linnhe.

The route through these epic and awe-inspiring locations requires an early start as there is so much to fit in and there will be almost continual photo opportunities and places you just have to stop, get out and enjoy the view.

A complete drive from Glasgow through Loch Lomond, Glencoe and then arriving in Fort William will take you just 2.5 to 3 hours of the most spectacular driving views in the UK, but the great sights and suggestions suggested on our tour may well have you spreading your Scottish adventure over a couple of days or more.

GLENCOE

PHOTOGRAPH BY @_ANDREWALEXANDER

GLENCOE

PHOTOGRAPH BY @SIMONHIRD

GLASGOW TO LOCH LOMOND

Approx Drive Time – 45 minutes to an hour

The drive from Glasgow to the bonnie shores of Loch Lomond brings plenty of opportunity for walks, photography, wildlife views and some exceptional Scottish history. On route you will go through the wonderful winding road of Dukes Pass which takes in the gorgeous scenery of the Trossachs and provides views of haunting Loch Katrine, the subject of SS Sir Walter Scott’s ‘The Lady Of The Lake’. You’ll also have the chance to enjoy waterfalls, forest parks and the famous Dumbarton Castle which sits on a volcanic rock, looking out onto the majestic River Clyde.

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LOCH LOMOND TO GLASGOW

Approx Drive Time – 1 hour 30 minutes

Driving along the shores of Loch Lomond you’ll take the magical A82 through to jaw dropping Glencoe. As Glencoe is an area that is protected by law, the Glencoe valley allows safe passage through the vast and giant mountains and peaks made many years ago by mammoth glaciers and ancient volcanoes. This road will keep you in the park all the way to Loch Leven and Glencoe village. The main Glencoe road through the mountains and scenery takes around 30 minutes with non-stop driving, but we assure you, you’ll be wanting to make numerous stops to try and capture this incredible scenery on your camera, and to take it all in so the memory never leaves your mind.

Glen Etive, Glencoe Lochan, Devils Staircase and The Lost Valley are just some of key stops you’ll want to take during your drive through. Towards the end of this leg of the tour, you must make time for a lovely stop in the Village of Glencoe for a cosy hot chocolate and wander to stretch your legs before you move on to Fort William.

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GLENCOE TO FORT WILLIAM

Approx Drive Time – 30 minutes

This leg of your tour has plenty of great stops along the way including: the Meeting of the 3 waters waterfall, the Three Sisters and Loch Achtriochtan. It is important to be mindful that although you might want to suddenly brake and pull over, or even turn around, this is a fast road joining the main Scottish cities and towns so you should avoid turning around, and if you do want to stop, be cautious and give lots of warning.

This is a short journey although, as with the previous parts of the tour you’ll likely be stopping plenty of times. If you want to add an extra historical stop to this part of the trip and enjoy a really great photo opportunity, you could drive 30 minutes out of the way to Castle Stalker. This picturesque little castle has history dating back to 1320 but was built in 1440 as you see it today. It sits on a tidal islet on Loch Laich and the mountains, trees and loch surrounding it make for an absolutely incredible set of images if you do want to capture it on camera.

As you continue on you’ll arrive in beautiful Fort William for your stopover. Your opportunities for exploration in this area are vast, with the Steall Waterfall, Ben Nevis and Great Glen Way all providing ample scenery, wildlife and nature to immerse yourself in. Harry Potter fans simply must book a seat on the Jacobite Steam Train which takes you all the way from Fort William to Mallaig. It only operates at set times of the year though so booking ahead is essential. If you cannot be on the train to travel across the Glenfinnan Viaduct, as seen in Harry Potter, then waiting there to see the steam train go across it is almost compulsory as a true fan. The sound of the train meandering its way across, as it chuffs past slowly blowing a plume of steam will have even the least likely Harry Potter fans believing it’s on route to Hogwarts.

Once you’ve seen everything there is to see in the day, Fort William has a wide range of pubs, bars and restaurants to cosy up in and enjoy local ales and high quality Scottish food as you chat about the day’s adventures.

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