The view from our little caravan was so calming

We really enjoyed our five nights near Fort William. The town was cute and had plenty of restaurants and shops, the surrounding nature was stunning, and our Harry Potter fans were excited to see all the different film locations in the area.

One afternoon the girls and I headed out to see the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, known for the Hogwarts Express crossing it in the second film of Harry Potter. It’s also the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland and quite impressive. There is a steam train that comes through that was used in the film (Jacobite Train), but it has been under maintenance for a long time, so we just saw the bridge and tracks, but it was still fun.

From there, we stopped off at the cafe and shop before walking down to Loch Shiel, where there is the Glenfinnan Monument. Loch Shiel is another Harry Potter location, used in several films as the “Black Lake” at Hogwarts.

Then we drove a few minutes west to Dumbledore’s final resting place, the island of Eilean Na Moine.

We then continued on the A830 to Mallaig, a fishing village at the end of the mainland. We had heard it was a cute little town, but we weren’t that impressed and couldn’t find a spot to eat dinner. But we snapped a few photos, including this bench that made me think of my beloved Grandma Helen.

So we drove back to Fort William for dinner at a cozy pub. A great way to end another great day exploring the Highlands. And we made it back to the caravan park in time for the sunset.

The next day the girls and I took a boat trip on Loch Linnhe. It was quite cold and windy but beautiful. We saw some seals and pups hanging out on their favorite rock and got a great view of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK.

The next morning, Charlotte, Steffen and I went on a lovely hike along Loch Arkaig. It was an easy 4 mile hike through the forest and then along the bog to Invermallie, a little house that overnight hikers can stay in, where we had a snack break before heading back. (The first few photos are of the Chia-Aig Falls bridge, where they filmed “Rob Roy“. Steffen was excited!)

And then the next morning, it was time to pack up, say goodbye to this beautiful view and head further north.