Fort William is a settlement in the Highlands of Scotland. Originally formed on the still-extant village of Inverlochy, the town lies at the southern end of the Great Glen, Fort William is found close to the head of Loch Linnhe, one of Scotland's longest sea lochs, next to the mouth of the rivers Nevis and Lochy. It is near to Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, Glen Nevis and the town of Achnaphubuil is on the opposite bank of the loch. When the train line opened to Fort William on 7 August 1894, the station was offered prime position at the south side of the town. The result was that the town was divided from the lochside by railway tracks up until the 1970s when the present by-pass was built, and the station was re-located to the north end. According to the 2001 Census, it has a permanent resident population of around 9908. This makes Fort William the 2nd largest settlement in the Highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger. Within this population, around 726 people, making up 7.33 percent of the population, can speak Gaelic. Fort William is a significant 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 vicinity to Ben Nevis and lots of other Munro mountains. It is also known for its neighboring 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 improvements, make sure to find dependable experts in Fort William to make certain of quality.