Glen Nevis

Glen Nevis is a steep-sided valley in Lochaber, Highland, lying just east of Fort William. The glen sits between the Mamore hills to the south and the highest mountains in Britain to the north—Ben Nevis, Càrn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mòr and Aonach Beag. Steall Falls, one of Scotland’s three tallest waterfalls, plunges where the Allt Coire a’Mhail meets the Water of Nevis. Below the cascade a narrow gorge cuts deep into the rock. The valley’s dramatic scenery has earned it a place in the Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area, one of forty such protected landscapes across Scotland. Filmmakers have long used the glen for location work, including scenes from Harry Potter, Highlander, Braveheart and Rob Roy. A public road climbs ten kilometres up the glen, narrowing to single track after seven. Near the entrance stand a hotel, a youth hostel and a campsite, with a small hamlet called Achriabhach further up. From the upper car park a rough path leads through the gorge, then climbs to open moorland in the upper glen. A wire bridge once gave access to the foot of Steall Falls, but one cable snapped in 2010 and the crossing stayed closed for three months. The route remains steep and rocky in places, and warning signs stress that it can be dangerous. Every summer since 1973 the glen has hosted a three-kilometre river race down the Nevis, where competitors ride inflatable LiLos through the rapids.