Banavie (; ) is a small settlement near
Fort William in the
Highland Council Area
Highland (, ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the United Kingdo ...
of Scotland. One of the closest villages to
Ben Nevis, it is about 4 kilometres ( miles) northeast of Fort William town centre, next to
Caol and
Corpach.
It has been suggested that Banavie is one of the possible birth places of
Saint Patrick. One theory is that Patrick was the son of a Roman tax collector and born at Banavie around AD 389. His family had come with the Romans who had invaded the West Highlands and Islands. The 19th century work 'History of Celtic Placenames' by
William J. Watson notes: "St Patrick was born at Banna-venta, an early town south of the Grampians." A similar placename, ''Bannavem Taburniae'', is mentioned in one of the only two known authenticated letters by St Patrick.
It was formerly where the
Camanachd Association
The Camanachd Association (in Scottish Gaelic, ''Comann na Camanachd'') is the world Sport governing body, governing body of the Scotland, Scottish sport of shinty. The body is based in Inverness, Highland (council area), Highland, and is in ...
, the ruling body of
shinty
Shinty () is a team sport played with sticks and a ball. It is played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and among Highland migrants to the major cities of Scotland. The sport was formerly more widespread in Scotland and even played in Northern ...
was based, but this has now been moved to
Inverness
Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
.
Banavie railway station is on the highly scenic
West Highland Line. The signalling centre at the station uses radio communications to control train movements on the
West Highland Line. It covers a big area from Fort William to Mallaig and from Fort William to Helensburgh including the branch line to Oban.
The
Caledonian Canal
The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford.
Route
The can ...
passes through Banavie, before ascending
Neptune's Staircase, the longest staircase
lock
Lock(s) or Locked may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainme ...
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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The canal is crossed by two swing bridges, one carrying the railway and the other the
A835 road.
Banavie Pier railway station served the canal paddle steamers until 1939. The station building, platform and station master's house still survive as private dwellings.
The village has a number of bed and breakfast, guesthouses, self-catering and hotels.
The scenery around Banavie is exceptional with Ben Nevis dominant in the skyline. The Caledonian Canal passes through the village at Neptune's Staircase, which is a set of lock gates that raise vessels into Banavie upper canal area which has a long pontoon for visiting boats and yachts.
The
Great Glen Way long distance path also passes through the village, mostly following the canal tow-path to
Gairlochy.
Notable people
Besides St Patrick,
Mary Earle (then Mary Cameron) was born here in 1929. She rose to be Professor of Food Technology in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
but she never forgot her links to Scotland.
See also
*
Banavie railway station
*
Banavie Railway Swing Bridge
*
Banavie Swing Bridge
References
External links
Kilmallie Image Library
{{Lochaber
Populated places in Lochaber