Fort William Warnings and Dangers

Lovers of caravans seem to enjoy driving very slowly around Scottish lanes and, hardly, ever pull over.

Large, large, cues of traffic form behind them.

Then some mad, impatient, idiot tries to overtake 200 cars on a blind bend.

I`d seriously consider driving around Scotland off peak (early morning and late night) for this reason.

The Scottish weather in winter is serious. You should remember that high up full blown winter conditions (white out/hailstones) can be expected between October and May (sometimes even outside these conditions).

Keep a eye out on the forecast and the weather throughout the day. Throughout the winter you will find snow reports throughout Fort William and Glencoe. These are generally reliable. Pay close attention to the avalanche risk.

If you are not experienced do not venture out. You need full winter clothing and an expertise in navigation.

Your full winter clothing consists of ice axe and crampons. These can be hired at Fort William from Nevis Sport. It is much better to take these in your rugsack and not use them than get up high and wish you had had them.

Ben Nevis is around 4,400 feet high (don't ask me to convert to metres). This might not sound like much to those in alpine areas but the conditions can change quickly, as we found. Every year people are killed on Ben Nevis, and in some cases they have simply stepped off a cliff in the mist or dark.

So, dress warmly, leave early and take a map.