Glen Nevis ( gd, Gleann Nibheis) is a glen in

Lochaber Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation ...

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 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, with Fort William at its foot. It is bordered to the south by the Mamore range, and to the north by the highest mountains in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

Ben Nevis Ben Nevis ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in 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 ...

, Càrn Mor Dearg,

Aonach Mòr Aonach Mòr is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. It is located about northeast of Ben Nevis on the south side of Glen Spean, near Fort William. The mountain has a summit elevation of and is classified as a Munro. The name Aonach Mòr (' ...

, and

Aonach Beag Aonach Beag is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. It is located about 3 km east of Ben Nevis on the north side of Glen Nevis, near the town of Fort William. Apart from Ben Nevis, Aonach Beag is the highest peak in the British Isl ...

. It is home to one of the three highest

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

s in Scotland, Steall Falls, where the Allt Coire a'Mhail joins the

Water of Nevis The River Nevis flows from the mountains east of Ben Nevis to its mouth near the town of Fort William in Scotland. Overview The river rises in the Mamores mountain range approximately halfway between Ben Nevis and Loch Treig, 370m above sea l ...

in the glen. Below the waterfall is a steeply walled and impressive

gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

. The scenic beauty of the glen has led to its inclusion in the

Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area Ben Nevis and Glen Coe is a National scenic area (Scotland), national scenic area (NSA) covering part of the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland surrounding Ben Nevis and Glen Coe, in which certain forms of development are restricted. It i ...

, one of 40 such areas in Scotland. A public road runs for 10 km up the Glen, becoming single track after 7 km. There is a hotel,

Scottish Youth Hostels Association Hostelling Scotland (SYHA; Gaelic: ''Comann Osdailean Òigridh na h-Alba'') is part of Hostelling International and provides youth hostel accommodation in Scotland. the organisation represents 58 hostels: 31 run by Hostelling Scotland and 27 af ...

hostel, and campsite at the bottom of the glen, near Fort William, and a small hamlet further up at Achriabhach. From the car park at the end of the Glen Nevis road, a path continues through a gorge. After a scramble up this rocky path, the view opens up and the path leads into the peaceful upper glen. A wire bridge crosses to the base of the waterfall. Rebuilt by the famous engineer Tom Russell while a member of the Junior Royal Engineers (Dover) JLRRE 82 Fld Sqn MacPhee troop. This bridge was closed for three months in 2010 when one of the cables snapped. The path has been improved periodically to ease access and to reduce the damaging effects of

soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...

caused by many walkers, but it remains challenging in places and, as the sign at the car park warns, potentially fatal. There have been several accidents in Glen Nevis, including the death of a young walker in August 2006. Several films have been shot in Glen Nevis, including some scenes from the

Harry Potter movies ''Harry Potter'' is a film series based on the eponymous novels by J. K. Rowling. The series is produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ...

, Highlander, Highlander III: The Sorcerer,

Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American historical drama film directed and produced by, and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays Sir William Wallace, a late-13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence ag ...

and Rob Roy.

Glen Nevis river race

A race down the River Nevis has been run in the summer since 1973. Competitors use floating aids such as LiLos to navigate the river. The race can take from 20 minutes to 2 hours dependent upon water flow. After a hiatus of several years, the race was run again from 2008 to the present. View of Glen Nevis from Ben Nevis

Footnotes

{{Lochaber Lochaber Glens of Scotland Waterfalls of Highland (council area) Valleys of Highland (council area)