The Area
The Highland village of Spean Bridge, named after the structure built there by Thomas Telford, can be found where the Great Glen meets Glen Spean, some 12 miles to the NE of Fort William. The village nestles amongst the foothills of Britain's highest mountains, and some of the best views of Ben Nevis and its substantial neighbours can be seen in the area. Glen Spean stretches eastwards from Spean Bridge, towards Roy Bridge and Glen Roy Nature Reserve. The Great Glen, or "Glen Mor" opens up to the NE and SW of the village. The area makes an ideal holiday destination, whether you come for the walking, climbing, fishing, white water canoeing, riding, skiing, any of the other numerous activities available locally, or simply to relax and soak up the beautiful Highland scenery and warm local hospitality. The attractions of the area are too numerous to list here, but hopefuly this page will help to give you a feel for the area...
In Spean Bridge you will find the Woollen Mill, where you can buy traditional knitwear and tartans, and even watch them being made. There is also a tourist office, village store, post office, railway station, bus stop and a number of restaurants.
Faegour House B&B is close to the Great Glen Way and the East Highland Way long distance walking routes.
All within easy reach of Faegour House you will find:
Anoach Mor
8 miles to the SW of Spean Bridge, just off the A82, is the Aonach Mor Gondola Station. From here you can travel effortlessly up the slopes of Aonach Mor to enjoy some of Scotland's best skiing in the winter, or the walking and spectacular scenery in the summer.
Ben Nevis
The start of the main path up Britain's highest peak, at over 4000ft, is around 20mins drive from Faegour House. The guide books recommend that you leave 7 hours to climb and descend the mountain.
Caledonian Canal
Completed in 1822 by Thomas Telford, this canal system links the various lochs of Glen Mor (the Great Glen) to form a route (which is still navigable today) from West Coast to East Coast, starting in Fort William and ending in Inverness. Watch the boats navigate the Locks at Gairlochy and Neptune's Staircase, or enjoy a leisurely walk along a section of the tow path.
Cillie Chorille
Some miles after Roy Bridge on the A86 there is a turning to the left which proceeds up a steep, narrow road. Here you will find the recently renovated, picturesque 14th century church and graveyard of Cille Choirille, with its dramatic views of Glen Spean. In this graveyard many of the leaders of the last Highland Uprising of 1745 are buried. There are many pilgrims from around the world who come back to the church year after year, and believe that it possesses special healing powers. If you come back down the hill and cross the main road, the track will lead you to the impressive Monessie Gorge, with a section of the West Highland Railway Line clinging defiantly to its side.
Commando Memorial
A short distance to the NE of Spean Bridge, travelling on the A82, you will find the Commando Memorial. Sculpted in bronze, the three Second World War soldiers, whose story is told in the nearby museum, survey their training area to the West. The views from the memorial are breathtaking.
Highbridge
Leave Spean Bridge on the A82, heading for Fort William, and you will reach a cross-roads after about two miles. Turn right here and after a mile or so you come to a small memorial cairn on the right of the road. From here you can walk down to the river to see the remains, which are impressive even as a ruin, of the High Bridge. Once the main crossing point before Telford built Spean Bridge, it dates from 1736. It was here that an important skirmish of the 1745 Highland Uprising took place when a small but fierce band of Highlanders ambushed two companies of Redcoats and sent them fleeing in terror.
Loch Arkaig
Turn off the A82 at the Commando Memorial and head towards Gairlochy. Turn left here for a scenic back- road to Fort William, or right to Loch Arkaig where you will find the Cia-aig Waterfall. There are also several well-marked forest walks from here. Close by is the Clan Cameron Museum in the grounds of Achnacarry Castle, home of the Clan Chief.
Monarch Of The Glen Country
Ardverikie House, made famous as the setting for the Television Series, Monarch of The Glen, is a short distance away, as is the beautiful countryside where many of the scenes were shot.
Parallel Roads
Leaving the village to the East on the A86, you travel up Glen Spean towards Roy Bridge. From here you can follow the narrow road to the Glen Roy Nature Reserve which reaches a spectacular viewpoint from where the "Parallel Roads" of the Glen can be seen. These roads run in perfectly parallel lines along opposing sides of the mountains. Legend has it that they were built by the mythical giant Fingal, the truth is that they represent the changing levels of the glacier that filled the Great Glen during the last Ice Age.
Coming from London
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West Highland Railway
The West Highland Line is a single track railway that runs from Glasgow to Fort William and then on to Mallaig. The train journey takes you through some of the most isolated and stunning scenery in the Highlands, and in the summertime there is a steam train, the Jacobite, running between Fort William and Mallaig. The line recently featured in the Harry Potter films as the route for the "Hogwarts Express".
A little further afeild, but all within 2 hours drive, you will find:
Aviemore
At the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains, this is the activity capital of the Highlands: skiing on Cairngorm, climbing, canoeing, white-water rafting, fishing, canoeing, sailing, horse riding, mountain biking and many more activities can all be arranged from this centre.
Inverness & Loch Ness
The Highland capital, this picturesque town lies on the River Ness and is reached by a scenic drive along Loch Ness. The main road on the NW side of the loch will take you past the famous Urquhart Castle, and on the SE side of the loch there is a smaller road passing through some beautiful countryside. Well worth a day trip.
Mallaig and the Road to the Isles
Mallaig is a busy fishing port reached by a magnificent drive along the Road to the Isles, and passing the brilliant white Sands of Morar.
Oban
A busy ferry town about 1 1/2 hours south of Spean Bridge. Well worth a visit.
Isle of Skye
A visit to the famous "misty isle" is a must if you're in the highlands. It can be reached by car ferry from Mallaig or Glenelg or by bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh.
