Fort William is a settlement in the Highlands of Scotland. Initially built upon the still-extant village of Inverlochy, the town lies at the southern side of the Great Glen, Fort William lies in close proximity to the head of Loch Linnhe, one of Scotland's longest sea lochs, beside the mouth of the rivers Nevis and Lochy. It is close to Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the British Isles, Glen Nevis and the town of Achnaphubuil is on the opposite bank of the loch. When the railway opened to Fort William on 7 August 1894, the station was offered prime position at the south side of the town. The outcome was that the town was separated from the lochside by railway tracks till the 1970s when the present-day by-pass was developed, and the station was re-located to the north end. In accordance with the 2001 Census, it has a permanent resident population of about 9908. This makes Fort William the second largest settlement in the Highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger. Within this population, around 726 people, comprising 7.33 percent of the population, can speak Gaelic. Fort William is a leading tourist centre, with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the east and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles. It is a centre for hillwalking and climbing due to its distance to Ben Nevis and many other Munro mountains. It is also known for its surrounding downhill mtb track. It is the start and end of both the West Highland Way (Milngavie-Fort William) and the Great Glen Way (a walk/cycle way Fort William-Inverness). For all of your home refurbishments, make sure to identify trusted specialists in Fort William to make certain of quality.