Marian Austin, director and catering manager Peter MacFarlane, director, engineering manager Chris MacPherson and Alastair Fraser, of contractors A R Fraser on the site of the restaurant at Nevis Range

Marian Austin, director and catering manager Peter MacFarlane, director, engineering manager Chris MacPherson and Alastair Fraser, of contractors A R Fraser on the site of the restaurant at Nevis Range

Work has begun on a new restaurant building in a Highland ski resort.

Construction work on the new cafe and bar at the base of the Nevis Range facility on Aonach Mòr in Lochaber is expected to be complete in time for the UK round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup next June.

The restaurant will replace the existing smaller cafe at the bottom gondola station, 7km (4 miles) north-east of Fort William.

The ski centre is popular with mountaineers, hillwalkers and climbers who use the gondola to access the winter climbs and walks during short daylight hours, as well as the skiers, snowboarders and mountain bikers ascending to the Snowgoose station 650m (2,133ft) up on the mountainside.

There are extensive winter routes on the 1,221m (4,006ft) munro and the resort also caters for an increasing number of summer sightseers.

Nevis Range said the restaurant will be built with laminated wooden beams and faced with local larch and will have improved views of the mountain. The project will also incorporate a wood-fuel boiler to heat the new building and adjacent offices, helping the Nevis Range to further reduce its carbon foot print.

The new building will also provide an alternative bad weather venue for functions held at the Snowgoose restaurant and bar at the gondola top station. The old cafe area will be used to increase the size of its ski-hire facility.

Managing director Marian Austin said: “This new restaurant is an integral part of our plan to grow and diversify the business. Since opening in 1989 as a ski area and all-year-round visitor attraction, we have diversified into mountain biking, which led to us becoming the venue for a round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

“And the success of the World Cup has resulted in the Motorcycle Trial World Championships coming in June this year. Last year we also launched the Nevis Bike School and built a new red-graded mountain bike cross-country trail, the only one in the UK accessed by gondola.

“Earlier this year we opened our high ropes courses, High Wire Adventure.”

“The new restaurant has been in planning for several years now and it’s taken us all that time to secure the funding, planning and leases,” she added. “As a business we cannot stand still, we’ve got to keep listening to our customers, and innovate and diversify. As a business located in the ‘Outdoor Capital of the UK’ we are continually working to provide outstanding outdoor experiences for our visitors.”

The development costs of £390,000 are being assisted by a £100,050 funding package from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and £32,990 from the Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme, funded by the Scottish Government, Forestry Commission Scotland and the European Regional Development Fund.

Alison Gainsford, head of business growth for HIE’s Fort William Area Office, added: “Highlands and Islands Enterprise has firmly supported Nevis Range’s aims to develop and grow for many years and the new restaurant is a welcome addition to what is already a world class attraction.

“Nevis Range has proved that Lochaber has a huge amount to offer the outdoor enthusiast and we are delighted to be able to help fund a new activity that will both attract additional visitors to the area as well as serve the local community even better.”