Dùn Deardail hill fort from Glen Nevis

The walk starts from the Braveheart car park in lower Glen Nevis. A forest track, which soon becomes the West Highland Way, heads south above the glen. At a fork the route takes the uphill branch, which climbs gently, then zigzags, with views back down the glen and across to Ben Nevis. Just before the top of a rise a signed path turns off for Dùn Deardail. It skirts the edge of the trees, crosses a boardwalk and climbs a grassy mound to the fort. The return is the same way.

It is 9.9 km with 317 m of ascent; allow about 3¼ hours. The grade is Moderate: mostly on good forest tracks, with a short path to finish.

Dùn Deardail is an Iron Age fort whose stone wall was heated until it fused, leaving a grassy bank round the summit. Walk round the rampart for the view: Ben Nevis stands across the glen at its full height, and the Mamores rise to the south. The track is shared with walkers on the West Highland Way.

The car park charges. Fort William station is about 1.7 km from the start.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.