Caol ( Gaelic: ''An Caol'') is a village near Fort William, in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

council area of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. It is about north of Fort William town centre, on the shore of Loch Linnhe, and within the parish of

Kilmallie Kilmallie ( gd, Cill Mhàilidh) is a civil parish in Lochaber, in the west highlands of Scotland. It is centered on the village of Caol, near Fort William and extends to Banavie and Corpach. It gives its name to the local shinty club, Kilmallie Sh ...

. The name "Caol" is from the Gaelic for "narrow", in this case the narrow water between Loch Linnhe and

Loch Eil Loch Eil (Scottish Gaelic, ''Loch Iall'') is a sea loch in Lochaber, Scotland that opens into Loch Linnhe near the town of Fort William. ".. the name of the Chief of Clan Cameron is spelt LOCHIEL, while the name of the loch is spelt LOCH EIL,.. ...

. The Caledonian Canal passes by to the north-west of Caol, while the

Great Glen Way The Great Glen Way ( gd, Slighe a' Ghlinne Mhòir) is a long distance path in Scotland. It follows the Great Glen, running from Fort William in the southwest to Inverness in the northeast, covering . It was opened in 2002, and is designated as ...

long distance footpath passes through the village before following the canal towpath. The village is largely residential, and has three primary schools, Caol Primary School, St Columba's R.C Primary School and Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Loch Abar The local shinty team is Kilmallie Shinty Club, who play at Canal Park in the west of Caol.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Lochaber Populated coastal places in Scotland