The town lies at the southern end of the
Great Glen. Fort William lies near the head of
Loch Linnhe, one of Scotland's longest
sea lochs, beside the mouth of the rivers
Nevis and Lochy. They join in the intertidal zone and briefly become one river before discharging to the sea. The town and its suburbs are surrounded by mountains. Its suburbs of Lochyside, Caol and Corpach are on the shore of
Loch Eil. It is close to
Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the
British Isles,
Glen Nevis, and the settlement of
Achnaphubuil, which is on the opposite shore of the loch. The original railway station, which was at the south end of the town, was opened on 7 August 1894. The town is centred on the High Street, which was pedestrianised in the 1990s. Off this, there are several squares: Monzie Square (named after the
Cameron Campbells of Monzie,
Perthshire, former landowners in the town); Station Square, where the long-since demolished railway station used to be; Gordon Square (named after the Gordons, who in the late 18th century owned land where the town now stands, when the town was named Gordonsburgh); and Cameron Square—formerly known as Town Hall Square. There is also Fraser Square, which is not so square-like, since it now opens out into Middle Street, but which still houses the Imperial Hotel. The main residential areas of the town are unseen from the High Street and the
A82 main road. Upper Achintore and the Plantation spread steeply uphill from above the high street. Inverlochy, Claggan, An-Aird, Lochyside,
Caol,
Banavie and
Corpach outwith (i.e. outside) the town are the other main residential areas. These areas are built on much flatter land than the town. Fort William is the northern end of the
West Highland Way, a long-distance route which runs through the Scottish Highlands to
Milngavie, on the outskirts of
Glasgow, and the start/end point of the
Great Glen Way, which runs between Fort William and Inverness.
Glenfinnan, away, is home of the Glenfinnan Monument (Jacobite era) and the famous
Glenfinnan Viaduct (as seen on a Bank Of Scotland £10 note). The viaduct has become known to millions in recent years as the "Harry Potter Bridge" after it featured in the films of the books by J.K. Rowling, specifically
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Glenfinnan has also been used in
Charlotte Gray and
Highlander.
Climate Fort William has an oceanic climate (
Cfb) with moderate, but generally cool, temperatures and abundant precipitation. In the towns immediate vicinity, there are significant variations in elevation, which leads to some uninhabited areas near the town having a subpolar oceanic climate (
Cfc), or, at the absolute highest elevations such as
Ben Nevis, a tundra climate (
ET). Fort William does not have an official
Met Office weather station; as such, the values in the table below are simulated, and the record high and low temperatures are not available. }} ==Economy==