Claggan Park is a football ground in Fort William in the

West Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland ...

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 ...

, which is the home ground of North Caledonian League side Fort William. It is located on Achintee Road on the outskirts of the town and has a capacity of 1,800 with 400 seated. The ground is often considered the most picturesque in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

due to its proximity to the foothills of

Ben Nevis Ben Nevis ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. The summit is above sea level and is the highest land in any direction for . Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian ...

, the highest point in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

History

Fort William F.C. is one of the youngest members of the Highland Football League, joining in 1985, just over a decade after the club was founded.Fort William F.C.
The Scottish Highland Football League. Retrieved 21 May 2012.Fort William – Claggan Park
''fanzone.co.uk''. Retrieved 21 May 2012. The club's first ever Highland League match at Claggan Park was against Clachnacuddin of Inverness and resulted in the club's first league goal in a 1–0 win. The record attendance at ground came a few months later in early January 1986 when 1,500 spectators watched the club take on

Stirling Albion Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the ...

in the second round of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Ground of the week: Claggan Park
''

BBC London BBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London and parts of the surrounding area. Its output includes the daily ''BBC London News'' and weekly '' Sunday Politics'' on television, ...

''. 13 February 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2012. The match ended in a 0–0 draw but Fort William were thrashed 6–0 in the replay at

Annfield Stadium Annfield Stadium was a football stadium in Stirling, Scotland. The stadium was home to Stirling Albion F.C. for almost 50 years until 1993 when it closed after Stirling Albion moved to Forthbank Stadium. History Before World War II, King's ...

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

a week later.Scottish FA Cup 1985-1986 : Second Round
, ''statto.com''. Retrieved 21 May 2012. Since 1971, Claggan Park has been the start and finish of the annual Ben Nevis Race.

Structure and facilities

The ground has two stands that are able to seat 100 spectators whilst the whole ground can officially accommodate up to 1,800 with standees. However, with the old 400 seater stand being condemned and fenced off, the real capacity is lower.

Transport

The nearest railway station to Claggan Park is

Fort William railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Fort William Station.JPG , borough = Fort William, Highland , country = Scotland , coordinates = , grid_name = Grid ...

, which is about a 20-minute walk of a mile (1600 m) from the ground. The station is located on the

West Highland Line The West Highland Line ( gd, Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean - "Iron Road to the Isles") is a railway line linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban in the Scottish Highlands to Glasgow in Central Scotland. The line was voted the top rail journey in the ...

between

Glasgow Queen Street railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Queen Street railway station (geograph 6687389).jpg , caption = Main entrance in 2020 , borough = Glasgow , country = Scotland , coordinates = , grid_name = Grid reference , grid_posit ...

and

Mallaig railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Mallaig railway station from The Jacobite 02.jpg , borough = Main Street, Mallaig, Highland , country = Scotland , coordinates = , grid_name = G ...

. Trains from Glasgow Queen Street terminate at Fort William before reversing out of the station and continuing on to

Mallaig Mallaig (; gd, Malaig derived from Old Norse , meaning sand dune bay) is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line (Fort Willi ...

References

External links

{{Coord, 56, 49, 20.47, N, 5, 05, 13.47, W, type:landmark_scale:2000_region:GB, display=title Highland Football League venues Fort William, Highland Sports venues in Highland (council area) Fort William F.C.