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What is there to do

Walking

With fantastic trails right on our doorstep you are spoiled for walks from True North lodge.

Loch Oich, Loch Lochy and the Caledonian Canal as well as a multitude of Forest Walks provide fantastic family & pet-friendly routes on well trodden trails.

walking boots

The Lodge is located right on the Great Glen Way – One of Scotland’s classic long distance routes covering 79 miles between Fort William & Inverness. Whether by Boot, Boat or Bike, we are the perfect place to base yourself for completing some (or all!) of the GGW. We can also offer you a daily drop-off and pick-up service while you stay with us for an additional fee. Just ask us if this is of interest.

As well as many local walking trails we cannot ignore our proximity to the highest mountain in the UK – The mighty Ben Nevis at 1345m. The main ‘Ben’ car park is about a 35 minute drive from us, with the ‘North Face’ car park only about 20 minutes away.  We highly recommend our friend and local guide Bob from Nevis Summits who specialises in guiding year round adventures on the Ben.  

In addition to Ben Nevis, we have a fantastic range of Munros (Sron a’Choire Garbh, Meall na Teanga) as well as Corbetts (Ben Tee) & Grahams within only a few miles radius. From the less challenging strolls to extreme expeditions, True North Lodge is a cracking base for all your walking adventures.

Our friends at McKenzie Mountaineering offer all types of year round guided walking adventures in Scotland and beyond for all levels of walkers, groups, families and individuals.

Cycling, Paddling


There is world class downhill Mountain Biking to be found in the area.

Dave Cycling

Nevis Range offers routes from beginner to expert on the World Cup downhill trails, as well as having bike hire and tuition on site.

Laggan Wolf Trax is a purpose built forested area open year round with all types of trails available as well as bike hire. They also have orienteering and walking routes too and a fabulous locally run cafe!

Slightly further afield is the mighty Glencoe Mountain where winter ski runs turn into summer Mountain Bike Trails!

If you fancy getting onto Loch Oich or down the Great Glen Canoe Trail then Sailing, Boating, Canoeing and Kayaking is all available locally.  River to Sea Scotland come highly recommended. You are also welcome to bring your own watercraft as you can access the loch only a few metres away from True North Lodge.

Other outdoorsy stuff

Zip Trekking
Swimming in Loch Oich

There are endless local companies offering fantastic packages for Activity Days and tours. The closest activity provider to True North Lodge is Active Highs. They offer everything from Canyoning & White Water Rafting to Canoeing, Climbing and Abseiling. They also have canoe hire if you would simply like to get onto Loch Oich for a paddle.  

Fishing for Brown Trout and other freshwater fish is available at Loch Oich, Glen Garry, River Garry and also on the Canal.  Permits are required in certain places so please check regulations by contacting Aberchalder Estate , Caledonian Canals and Garry Fishings for further info.

There is an abundance of Wildlife and Photography opportunities round True North Lodge. We have a huge amount of red deer on the hills and often have Sika Deer nibbling the grass around the lodge. Otters are spotted almost daily in Loch Oich and Red Squirrels along the Great Glen Way. There are binoculars for you to borrow at the Lodge.

We are perfectly placed for some Wild Swimming! Loch Oich is a wonderful, beautifully clean body of water but beware it’s cold. Even on a burning hot summers day! If you are staying with us at Hogmanay then feel free to join our New Years Day Dook! There are plenty other Lochs & seashores around for your Wild Swimming adventures too.

Wintersports

If you can ski in Scotland... You can ski anywhere!

Ben Nevis from Aonach Mor
Caroline Snowboard Instructor

There are Five Ski Resorts in Scotland and Nevis Range is the closest to True North Lodge at only a 25 minute drive door to door.  

Snowboarding Lessons can be booked here with True North ACTIVE!

The other main Scottish resorts are Glencoe  Mountain Resort (1hrs 15mins), Cairngorm Mountain (1hr 45mins), The Lecht (2hrs 15mins) and Glenshee (2hrs 30mins).

All resorts offer on-site equipment hire and lessons, and all are family friendly with a range of runs from beginner to expert.  Nevis Range is accessed by Scotland’s only Gondola and you can just go up sightseeing too if snowsports isn’t your thing.  Each resort is a wee bit different in it’s own right and if you ask any local, they will always say their local hill is the best!  Winter sports in Scotland can begin as early as November, and run as late as May or even June(!) however the best days are often to be had mid week in Spring – We always suggest keeping your eye on the weather and being flexible with your ski-day plans as often a wet West-coast can mean a dry & sunny East or vice versa! Just check our availability, make a booking and then jump in the car and get up here.

Summit of Aonach Mor

As qualified Independent Snowboard Instructors with CASI & Snowsport Scotland, Caroline also offers Private Individual,  family or group Snowboarding lessons at Nevis Range.  If Skiing is your thing then we have a network of qualified Ski Instructor colleagues that we can recommend for personalised lessons tailored to you and your families needs.  We would love to help plan your family Ski & Snowboard Trip to Scotland!

Snowboarding Instructor

Sightseeing & Daytrips

With Fort William being The Outdoor Capital of the UK there’s no shortage of resources telling what you should see!   However here we thought we’d share with you some of our favourite days out and places to go… Right from your base at True North Lodge.

We would also highly recommend our friends at Inverness Custom Tours for real, insightful, interesting, funny and very personalised tours of the Highlands.

The Locks at Fort Augustus