If you are a thrill seeker in search of an open air adrenaline rush, head for Lochaber, where the mountains lochs and glens collide to form the ultimate adventure playground. You’ll find a vast array of outdoor activities here, from orienteering, to snow sports, to high-speed downhill mountain-biking.

Though on one hand the area’s diverse landscapes make it the ideal territory for explorers, most of its activities remain easy to access from its well-connected capital, Fort William, on the shores of Loch Linnhe.

Fort William is the finishing point on the celebrated West Highland Way walk, but its brightest jewel is Ben Nevis, Britain’s tallest mountain, which sees 100,000 people reach its summit each year. You can start your ascent from the town centre, where plentiful sports and camping shops are a good place to stock up on outdoor kit ahead of an expedition.

There is tranquillity to be found here too, whether you choose to enjoy it in its own right, or while gathering your energies for the next challenge.

The atmospheric brooks, gorges and waterfalls of Glen Nevis have made it a popular filming destination, and in 1994 its popular legacy was assured, when it became a location for the epics Rob Roy and Braveheart.

Snow sports fanatics can strap on their skis and boards and head north of Fort William to the Nevis Range, one of Scotland’s best-known ski centres, which, depending on the weather, can be operational well into the spring. Even after the thaw, there are varied activities on offer here, as well as well as a gondola ride for a sedate way to take in the views.

From a Fort William base, you can explore the Great Glen, the Road to the Isles and the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula. From the town pier you can take a boat trip on the loch, or find the station to catch the Jacobite Steam Train to Mallaig, passing over the Glenfinnan viaduct – famous as the route Harry Potter took on the Hogwarts Express.

Glencoe

The journey through the vast, deer-studded Rannoch Moor to the valley of Glencoe is one of Britain’s most dramatic. The landscape has inspired generations of artists, writers and film makers – including the makers of James Bond hit Skyfall – drawn to its mystique, whether the peaks are cloaked in mist or framed with a perfect blue sky.

Glencoe was the site for Scotland’s most infamous massacre in 1692, when soldiers of the Campbell clan, after receiving hospitality from the MacDonalds, slaughtered their hosts on government orders. There were 37 people killed outright, but of those who escaped into the freezing hills, as many again died from exposure.

The massacre and other aspects of local history are remembered at National Trust for Scotland’s Glencoe Visitor Centre (opening hours vary, 0844 493 2222) and there are more artefacts on show at Glencoe Folk Museum, in the village itself.