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Gondola at Fort William town centreFort William, #1 on this list · Photo: Peter S · CC BY-SA 2.0
Highland rankings · Walkability

Most walkable towns in Highland

Fort William ranks first on walkability among Highland’s 16 towns of 2,500+; 11 of the 16 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The Walkability Grade: the share of commuters who walked, cycled or took public transport to work at the 2021 Census (taken in lockdown). The rank across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland sits beside each letter. How grades work

#1

Fort William

5,766 people
A+

Better than 96% of UK towns·#137 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#2

Inverness

48,257 people
A

Better than 95% of UK towns·#166 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#3

Aviemore

2,841 people
A

Better than 94% of UK towns·#188 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

All 16 towns, ranked

Walkability grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland links to the national list.

Every town in Highland →

16 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns
1Fort William5,766 peopleA+#137 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 96% of UK towns
2Inverness48,257 peopleA#166 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 95% of UK towns
3Aviemore2,841 peopleA#188 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns
4Wick6,905 peopleA#250 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns
5Nairn9,576 peopleA#285 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns
6Thurso7,419 peopleA#289 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns
7Tain3,544 peopleA#292 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns
T8Caol3,200 peopleA−#510 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns
T8Dingwall5,274 peopleA−#510 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns
10Smithton2,905 peopleA−#617 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns
11Invergordon3,801 peopleA−#806 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 76% of UK towns
12Culloden3,699 peopleB+#856 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns
13Alness5,940 peopleB+#867 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns
14Westhill5,681 peopleB+#1,157 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 65% of UK towns
15Muir of Ord2,832 peopleB−#1,597 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 51% of UK towns
16Milton of Leys3,168 peopleC#2,012 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 34% of UK towns
Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the most walkable town in Highland?

Fort William ranks first on walkability among 16 towns, with an A+: better than 96% of UK towns. Inverness and Aviemore follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The Walkability Grade: the share of commuters who walked, cycled or took public transport to work at the 2021 Census (taken in lockdown). The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Highland’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Highland is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Highland lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Highland rankings →
Most affordable towns16 towns · #1 ThursoTowns with the best schools15 towns · #1 SmithtonHealthiest towns16 towns · #1 Milton of LeysTowns with the lowest flood risk16 towns · #1 Culloden and 2 moreTowns with the lowest council tax16 towns · #1 Alness and 15 moreDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters16 towns · #1 CaolDescribed, no lettersTowns with the warmest summers16 towns · #1 Muir of OrdDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers16 towns · #1 Fort WilliamDescribed, no lettersTowns with the fewest frosts16 towns · #1 InvergordonDescribed, no lettersDriest towns16 towns · #1 NairnDescribed, no lettersWettest towns16 towns · #1 Fort WilliamDescribed, no letters
County by county

Most walkable towns, county by county

AberdeenshireBedfordshireBerkshireBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCheshireClwydCornwallCounty DurhamCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetDyfedEast Riding of YorkshireEast SussexEssexFifeGloucestershireGreater ManchesterGwentHampshireHertfordshireHighlandKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireLondonMerseysideMid GlamorganNorfolkNorth LanarkshireNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNorthumberlandNottinghamshireOxfordshireShropshireSomersetSouth LanarkshireSouth YorkshireStaffordshireSuffolkSurreyTyne and WearWarwickshireWest GlamorganWest MidlandsWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshireWorcestershire

Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.