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[Closed] Fort William for first time - any advice?

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Finally getting chance to visit Fort William for the World Cup this year for the first time - cant wait! Just wondered if any one had any advice for taking kids - will have the wife as support but just appreciate any tips if any one else goes with the little ones.

He cant wait either... which is cool

Cheers

Matt


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 9:11 am
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if you can get Gondola tickets that makes a big difference - the walk up the hill is a slog, or a wet and muddy slog, and walking back down can be horrible in the wet, esp with kids. We often do a day trip on the Sunday, park at designated shuttle car park, bus up, wander round for an hour, gondola up, picnic, wander around upper section for an hour or so, gondola back down and a decent spot in the finish area for the last hour or so.

A great experience and our kids love it (now aged 10 and 14, and have been past 5 yrs or more)


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 9:16 am
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Advice not specific to kids, but - take midge nets!


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 9:24 am
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Buy tickets in advance. The ticket queue was really long last year (and was cash only) plus they had sold out of gondola tickets for the Sunday


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 9:30 am
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Cheers - we have Entrance/Gondola tickets in advance so thats great.
Midge spray is a good shout cheers!

iainc - cheers for that seems like a great way to keep the day broken up for little dude - I was thinking of walking down and stopping at various points to watch but sounds like I may be underestimating the walk some what.


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 10:21 am
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If you forgetting everything else, just remember:

take midge nets!
It might be windy enough to keep them away, but not worth risking. Also use lots of Smidge to hopefully keep them away from you too


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 10:55 am
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Genuinely never found the midges to be bad at the WC, even when walking down through the woods from the road gap 😕

None down in the main arena either.

Now, the Glen Nevis campsite once the sun sets... 😯


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 11:00 am
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You've been lucky then! One of my worst ever midge experiences was in the Ft Bill car park


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 11:05 am
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I was thinking of walking down and stopping at various points to watch but sounds like I may be underestimating the walk some what.

we did that a few times, but it's a bit steep and scrambly in bits, which become very slippery if wet. We found that going down on the gondola is a far more pleasurable experience altogether !


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 11:10 am
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How many kids have you and how old are they?

Gondola is a must I'd say.
Also make sure you're where you want to be in plenty time, I made the mistake last year of killing some time by going to the top having a stroll about then coming back down on the gondola but the gondola had to be used to take somebody off the hill so it was shut down for a while. This meant we were late back down to the bottom and missed the Athertons signing session, having said that our daughter took it really well that she missed meeting Rachel.


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 12:06 pm
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I had a full on meltdown due to the midges when I went to WC downhill. Jacket off thrown to the ground, shouting, total loss of control. That was me bathed in skin so soft. They drove me round the bend, I now own a midge net.

I should have known when I saw the camera man. He looked like some sort of sniper, not a bit of bare skin on show.
I hate midge's, apparently it's only the female that bites..


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 1:44 pm
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Just got the one he's 3.5 so attention span is understandably gonna be shortish - all the advice is cracking just trying to get a good plan together so I get to see as much racing as possible! ha ha

Overall theme is Midge prevention then! covering up sounds like a good bet as well!


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 1:48 pm
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for midges, try Smidge - IMO better than Skin so Soft


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 1:49 pm
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Fort William for first time - any advice?

Stay out of FW its an awful place. Every where else around is stunning though.


 
Posted : 17/05/2017 2:07 pm