Glen Coe
Encyclopedia
Glen Coe is a glen
in the Highlands
of Scotland
. It lies in the southern part of the Lochaber
committee area of Highland Council, and was formerly part of the county
of Argyll
. It is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland, and is a part of the designated National Scenic Area
of Ben Nevis
and Glen Coe. The narrow glen shows a grim grandeur. The glen, approaching from the east on the main A82 road
, is surrounded by wild and precipitous mountains. Further west at Invercoe, the landscape has a softer beauty before the main entrance to the glen. The main settlement is the village of Glencoe.
The name Glen Coe is often said to mean "Glen of Weeping", perhaps with some reference to the infamous Massacre of Glencoe
which took place there in 1692. However, "Gleann Comhann" does not translate as "Glen of Weeping". In fact the Glen is named after the River Coe
which runs through it, and bore this name long before the 1692 incident. The name of the river is believed to predate the Gaelic language and its meaning is not known. One possibility is that it was named after a tribe once living in the area; however this remains speculation. It is also possible that the name stems from an individual personal name, Comhan (gen.
Chomhain).
The glen is U-shaped, formed by an ice age
glacier
, about 16 km (9.9 mi) long with the floor of the glen being less than 700 m (0.4 miles) wide, narrowing sharply at the Pass of Glen Coe about half way along.
The entrance to the glen from above is on Rannoch Moor
to the east, below the mountain of Meall a' Bhuiridh
; Glen Etive
runs to the south from nearby. The entrance to Glen Coe is marked by Buachaille Etive Mor
, "the great herdsman of Etive" at the 'junction' with Glen Etive. Glen Coe then runs roughly west for about 12 km (7.5 mi) before turning north-west towards Loch Leven
.
The south side of the glen is marked by a succession of distinct peaks: Buachaille Etive Mòr is followed to the west by Buachaille Etive Beag
, then by the Three Sisters, shoulders of the Bidean nam Bian
massif which itself marks the western end of the glen. By contrast the north side of the glen is a stark wall of mountain, the Aonach Eagach
ridge. The Ridge is crossed at the eastern end by the Devil's Staircase, an old military road opposite Buachaille Etive Mòr. The western end terminates with the conical Pap of Glencoe
(Sgùrr na Cìche), above Glencoe village
, at the point where the glen opens out to Loch Leven.
The River Coe itself — Ossian
's "dark Cona" — rises at the north-eastern base of Buachaille Etive Beag and flows west along the glen, with dramatic waterfalls at the Pass of Glen Coe. It then runs through the small Loch
Achtriochtan before it turns north west. It then passes through Glencoe village
, shortly before flowing into the sea loch of Loch Leven
(a salt-water arm of Loch Linnhe
) at Invercoe. Loch Achtriochtan is Loch Trychardan (three friends or relatives) in Timothy Pont
's map of the area. In the glen to the east of Buachaille Etive Beag, the River Coupall runs north to the head of the glen, but it swings east round the Buachaille Etive Mòr to join the River Etive running south.
Geologically
-speaking, Glen Coe is the remains of an ancient supervolcano
that erupted with a force of VEI
-8. It is considered to be one of the best examples of Cauldron subsidence
. The eruption happened about 420 million years ago during the Silurian
period, and the volcano has long since become extinct. The landscape was further shaped by the processes of glaciation during the last ice age, 10,000 years ago.
Glen Coe was originally part of the lands of Clan Donald
, though since the ending of the clan structure they progressively sold off their estates.
Most of the Glen is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland
whose visitor centre has displays about both the natural and historical significance of the glen. The land was purchased by mountaineer and philanthropist Percy Unna, who then gave it to the trust on condition that it maintained the wild nature of the land. The building of a visitor centre caused some controversy, as some felt this to be a contravention of Unna's "rules". The original centre was later closed, and a new one built further down the glen.
The last area of Glen Coe to be owned by the MacDonalds was the area around Invercoe. In 1894 Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal purchased this area and built a stately mansion, Mount Royal. In 2002 Alistair MacDonald of Glencoe made a successful eleventh-hour bid, and purchased the remaining lands of Lord Strathcona from his descendants. Alistair received unsecured loans from just six donors, and immediately set up the Glencoe Heritage Trust, a non-profit-making charitable trust, to secure the heritage of Glen Coe.
Glen Coe is a very popular tourist destination: partly because of its scenic qualities and historical associations, partly because it is on the main road north (the A82
), and also because of its attraction for walkers and climbers. It is famous for the quality, and variety of its winter climbing
, most of its routes being comparatively easy of access from the main road.
Many walkers come to Glen Coe on the West Highland Way
following the old military "Wade road
" over Rannoch Moor
which crosses the River Etive at the Kings House Hotel. From there it is about 2 km (1.2 mi) to the head of the glen, then about 2 km into the glen the Way ascends the Devil's Staircase, a steep, boulder-strewn "cut" (352 m high) which is part of the old military road and drove road north across the hills to Kinlochleven
.
For hillwalkers there are several good routes on the Bidean nam Bian
(1,150 m) massif which forms a complex Y-shaped hill with several lesser tops, including Stob Coire Sgreamhach
(1,072 m) which also has Munro
status. One attractive way in to these tops ascends from the Pass of Glen Coe up along the Lost Valley
to the ridge. Both Buachaille Etive Beag
(958 m) and Buachaille Etive Mòr
(1,022 m) also offer opportunities to hillwalkers.
Rock climbers concentrate on the Buachaille Etive Mòr
(1,018 m), often called simply "The Beuckle", and on the various routes on the Three Sisters (shoulders of Bidean nam Bian). For adventurous experienced walkers, the finest mainland scramble
in the UK is the Aonach Eagach
. This extended scramble boasts two of Scotland's trickiest Munro hills, Sgorr nam Fiannaidh (996 m) and Meall Dearg (951 m). The Aonach Eagach ridge terminates at the Pap of Glencoe
(741 m).
The Glencoe ski centre
, also known as the White Corries, is actually on the hill of Meall a' Bhuiridh
(1,108 m) which lies on the east side of Glen Etive, outside Glen Coe proper. This centre is popular with locals but is used mostly by nearby Glaswegians. It forms part of the "Black Mount" estate, which is based on Loch Tulla
which is to the South East.
Other points of interest include The Study at the Pass of Glen Coe; the cave of Ossian
, where tradition says that he was born. The Iona cross was erected in 1883 by a Macdonald in memory of his clansmen who perished in the massacre of 1692
. There is car parking at the scenic waterfalls in the Pass of Glen Coe, which was used as the location for "The Bridge of Death" and "The Gorge of Eternal Peril" in filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail
, attracting Monty Python
pilgrims. Sets for the third Harry Potter
film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
, were built near to the bottom of Clachaig Gully, north of the Clachaig Inn
. There is a folk museum in Glencoe village.
Other than a few scattered farms, the only settlement in Glen Coe is the village of Glencoe
, which lies at the western end of the glen close to Invercoe where the river joins Loch Leven
. About 2 km to the west, on the southern shore of the loch, is the village of Ballachulish
, known in the past for its slate quarries, which have been worked since 1760.
The famous Clachaig Inn
, a pub with a nearby camp site much favoured by climbers and hillwalkers, is sited at the bend in the glen about 3 km (1.9 mi) from Glencoe village. A Scottish Youth Hostels Association
hostel is sited about 2 km (1.2 mi) from the village, on the way to the inn, as well as an independent hostel (Glencoe Independent Hostel). The Kings House Hotel, lying about 2 km to the east of the head of the glen towards Rannoch Moor, is a relic of the old coaching days when it was customary for tourists to drive from Ballachulish
via Tyndrum to Loch Lomond
. This old inn
still welcomes visitors, and thrives on the tales of walkers and skiers
, as well as climbers
down from the glen's peaks.
For campers, there are three official campsites in and around the Glen. Wild camping is permitted in certain areas of the Glen, in accordance with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and the principles specified by Percy Unna. However, environmental concerns and increasing pollution of the River Coe in the mid 1990s led to a decision to exclude a specific area and prohibit wild camping within that area. The area is to the east of the Clachaig Hotel
, from the River Coe to the Aonach Eagach, and east as far as the junction of the Old Military Road and the modern A82. The exclusion has led to improvements being observed in the river and the Clachaig area.
Well known residents of Glencoe include Hamish MacInnes
, veteran of Mount Everest
expeditions, climbing consultant for such films as the Eiger Sanction and a mountain rescue pioneer. The disc jockey
Jimmy Savile
also owned a property in the glen.
according to John Cameron (1822–1898), a local bard who was also Bard to the Ossianic Society. "In the middle of the vale runs 'the roaring stream of Cona', the mountain of Malmor rises on the south side, and the celebrated Dun-Fionn - 'the hill of Fingal' on the north. Several of the names referring either to the heroes of the Fingalian race, or to their general occupation, hunting, are numerous in the district. Sgur-mam-Fiann, 'the mountain of the Fingalians'; Coe, the name of the river is supposed to be the Cona of Ossian; Grianan Dearduil, 'the sunny place of Darthula'; Acha-nan-con, 'the field of the dogs'; Caolas-nan-con, 'the ferry of the dogs', and the neighbouring country bear similar traces. Morven is the peculiar name of Fingal's domain; an island in Loch Etive is supposed to be named from Usnoth, the father of Nathos; and Etive itself is named from the deer of its mountains."
Glen
A glen is a valley, typically one that is long, deep, and often glacially U-shaped; or one with a watercourse running through such a valley. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower than a strath."...
in the Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It lies in the southern part of the Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
committee area of Highland Council, and was formerly part of the county
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
of Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
. It is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland, and is a part of the designated National Scenic Area
National Scenic Area (Scotland)
National Scenic Area is a conservation designation used in Scotland, and currently administered by Scottish Natural Heritage. NSAs are defined as having outstanding scenic interest or unsurpassed attractiveness.-Overview:...
of Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William....
and Glen Coe. The narrow glen shows a grim grandeur. The glen, approaching from the east on the main A82 road
A82 road
The A82 is a trunk road in Scotland. It is the principal route from Lowland Scotland to the western Scottish Highlands, running from Glasgow to Inverness, going by Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William. It is the second longest primary A-road in Scotland after the A9, which is the other...
, is surrounded by wild and precipitous mountains. Further west at Invercoe, the landscape has a softer beauty before the main entrance to the glen. The main settlement is the village of Glencoe.
The name Glen Coe is often said to mean "Glen of Weeping", perhaps with some reference to the infamous Massacre of Glencoe
Massacre of Glencoe
Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse, an infamous massacre took place in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. This incident is referred to as the Massacre of Glencoe, or in...
which took place there in 1692. However, "Gleann Comhann" does not translate as "Glen of Weeping". In fact the Glen is named after the River Coe
River Coe
The River Coe rises at the north-eastern base of Buachaille Etive Beag and flows west along Glen Coe, Scotland. After dramatic waterfalls at the Pass of Glen Coe. It runs through the small Loch Achtriochtan before it turns north west...
which runs through it, and bore this name long before the 1692 incident. The name of the river is believed to predate the Gaelic language and its meaning is not known. One possibility is that it was named after a tribe once living in the area; however this remains speculation. It is also possible that the name stems from an individual personal name, Comhan (gen.
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
Chomhain).
Geography
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
, about 16 km (9.9 mi) long with the floor of the glen being less than 700 m (0.4 miles) wide, narrowing sharply at the Pass of Glen Coe about half way along.
The entrance to the glen from above is on Rannoch Moor
Rannoch Moor
Rannoch Moor is a large expanse of around 50 square miles of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch, in Perth and Kinross and Lochaber, Highland, partly northern Argyll and Bute, Scotland...
to the east, below the mountain of Meall a' Bhuiridh
Meall a' Bhuiridh
Meall a' Bhùiridh is a mountain on the edge of Rannoch Moor in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies near the top of Glen Coe and Glen Etive, overlooking the Kings House Hotel inn and the A82 road...
; Glen Etive
Glen Etive
Glen Etive is a glen in the Highlands of Scotland. The River Etive rises on the peaks surrounding Rannoch Moor, with several tributary streams coming together at the Kings House Hotel, at the head of Glen Coe. From the Kings House, the Etive flows for about 18 km, reaching the sea loch, Loch...
runs to the south from nearby. The entrance to Glen Coe is marked by Buachaille Etive Mor
Buachaille Etive Mòr
Buachaille Etive Mòr , generally known to climbers simply as The Buachaille or The Beuckle, is a mountain at the head of Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland...
, "the great herdsman of Etive" at the 'junction' with Glen Etive. Glen Coe then runs roughly west for about 12 km (7.5 mi) before turning north-west towards Loch Leven
Loch Leven (Highlands)
Loch Leven 'is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. It is spelled Loch Lyon in Timothy Pont's map of the areaand is pronounced Li' un. There is a Leven in Lennox and another in Glen Lyon similarly pronounced...
.
The south side of the glen is marked by a succession of distinct peaks: Buachaille Etive Mòr is followed to the west by Buachaille Etive Beag
Buachaille Etive Beag
Buachaille Etive Beag , is a mountain located between Glen Coe and Glen Etive, on the edge of Rannoch Moor in the Scottish Highlands. Viewed from the south in Glen Etive it forms a twin with Buachaille Etive Mòr , from which it is separated by a bealach at a height of about 480 metres...
, then by the Three Sisters, shoulders of the Bidean nam Bian
Bidean nam Bian
Bidean nam Bian, lying to the south of Glen Coe, Highland, Scotland, is the highest point in the former county of Argyll. It is a complex mountain, with many ridges and subsidiary peaks, one of which, Stob Coire Sgreamhach, is classified as a separate Munro....
massif which itself marks the western end of the glen. By contrast the north side of the glen is a stark wall of mountain, the Aonach Eagach
Aonach Eagach
The Aonach Eagach is a rocky ridge lying to the north of Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands, boasting two Munro summits.In length the full ridge continues for 10 km from the Pap of Glencoe at the west to the eastern end at the Devil's Staircase. The central section, some 2 km in length,...
ridge. The Ridge is crossed at the eastern end by the Devil's Staircase, an old military road opposite Buachaille Etive Mòr. The western end terminates with the conical Pap of Glencoe
Pap of Glencoe
The Pap of Glencoe is a mountain on the northern side of Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies at the western end of the Aonach Eagach ridge, directly above the point where the River Coe enters Loch Leven....
(Sgùrr na Cìche), above Glencoe village
Glencoe, Scotland
Glencoe Village is the main settlement in Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It lies at the north-west end of the glen, on the southern bank of the River Coe where it enters Loch Leven a salt-water loch off Loch Linnhe)....
, at the point where the glen opens out to Loch Leven.
The River Coe itself — Ossian
Ossian
Ossian is the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems which the Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. He is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, anglicised to Finn McCool, a character from Irish mythology...
's "dark Cona" — rises at the north-eastern base of Buachaille Etive Beag and flows west along the glen, with dramatic waterfalls at the Pass of Glen Coe. It then runs through the small Loch
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
Achtriochtan before it turns north west. It then passes through Glencoe village
Glencoe, Scotland
Glencoe Village is the main settlement in Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It lies at the north-west end of the glen, on the southern bank of the River Coe where it enters Loch Leven a salt-water loch off Loch Linnhe)....
, shortly before flowing into the sea loch of Loch Leven
Loch Leven (Highlands)
Loch Leven 'is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. It is spelled Loch Lyon in Timothy Pont's map of the areaand is pronounced Li' un. There is a Leven in Lennox and another in Glen Lyon similarly pronounced...
(a salt-water arm of Loch Linnhe
Loch Linnhe
Loch Linnhe is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland....
) at Invercoe. Loch Achtriochtan is Loch Trychardan (three friends or relatives) in Timothy Pont
Timothy Pont
Timothy Pont was a Scottish topographer, the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an actual survey.-Life:...
's map of the area. In the glen to the east of Buachaille Etive Beag, the River Coupall runs north to the head of the glen, but it swings east round the Buachaille Etive Mòr to join the River Etive running south.
Geologically
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
-speaking, Glen Coe is the remains of an ancient supervolcano
Supervolcano
A supervolcano is a volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with an ejecta volume greater than 1,000 cubic kilometers . This is thousands of times larger than most historic volcanic eruptions. Supervolcanoes can occur when magma in the Earth rises into the crust from a hotspot but is...
that erupted with a force of VEI
Volcanic Explosivity Index
The Volcanic Explosivity Index was devised by Chris Newhall of the U.S. Geological Survey and Stephen Self at the University of Hawaii in 1982 to provide a relative measure of the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions....
-8. It is considered to be one of the best examples of Cauldron subsidence
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
. The eruption happened about 420 million years ago during the Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
period, and the volcano has long since become extinct. The landscape was further shaped by the processes of glaciation during the last ice age, 10,000 years ago.
Ownership
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...
, though since the ending of the clan structure they progressively sold off their estates.
Most of the Glen is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
whose visitor centre has displays about both the natural and historical significance of the glen. The land was purchased by mountaineer and philanthropist Percy Unna, who then gave it to the trust on condition that it maintained the wild nature of the land. The building of a visitor centre caused some controversy, as some felt this to be a contravention of Unna's "rules". The original centre was later closed, and a new one built further down the glen.
The last area of Glen Coe to be owned by the MacDonalds was the area around Invercoe. In 1894 Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal purchased this area and built a stately mansion, Mount Royal. In 2002 Alistair MacDonald of Glencoe made a successful eleventh-hour bid, and purchased the remaining lands of Lord Strathcona from his descendants. Alistair received unsecured loans from just six donors, and immediately set up the Glencoe Heritage Trust, a non-profit-making charitable trust, to secure the heritage of Glen Coe.
Tourism, walkers and climbers
A82 road
The A82 is a trunk road in Scotland. It is the principal route from Lowland Scotland to the western Scottish Highlands, running from Glasgow to Inverness, going by Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William. It is the second longest primary A-road in Scotland after the A9, which is the other...
), and also because of its attraction for walkers and climbers. It is famous for the quality, and variety of its winter climbing
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
, most of its routes being comparatively easy of access from the main road.
Many walkers come to Glen Coe on the West Highland Way
West Highland Way
The West Highland Way is a linear long distance footpath in Scotland, with the official status of Long Distance Route. It is 154.5km long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the route...
following the old military "Wade road
George Wade
Field Marshal George Wade served as a British military commander and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.-Early career:Wade, born in Kilavally, Westmeath in Ireland, was commissioned into the Earl of Bath's Regiment in 1690 and served in Flanders in 1692, during the Nine Years War, earning a...
" over Rannoch Moor
Rannoch Moor
Rannoch Moor is a large expanse of around 50 square miles of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch, in Perth and Kinross and Lochaber, Highland, partly northern Argyll and Bute, Scotland...
which crosses the River Etive at the Kings House Hotel. From there it is about 2 km (1.2 mi) to the head of the glen, then about 2 km into the glen the Way ascends the Devil's Staircase, a steep, boulder-strewn "cut" (352 m high) which is part of the old military road and drove road north across the hills to Kinlochleven
Kinlochleven
Kinlochleven is a village in Lochaber, in the Scottish Highlands and lies at the eastern end of Loch Leven, a sea loch cutting into the western Scottish Highlands. To the north lie the Mamores ridge; to the south lie the mountains flanking Glen Coe...
.
For hillwalkers there are several good routes on the Bidean nam Bian
Bidean nam Bian
Bidean nam Bian, lying to the south of Glen Coe, Highland, Scotland, is the highest point in the former county of Argyll. It is a complex mountain, with many ridges and subsidiary peaks, one of which, Stob Coire Sgreamhach, is classified as a separate Munro....
(1,150 m) massif which forms a complex Y-shaped hill with several lesser tops, including Stob Coire Sgreamhach
Stob Coire Sgreamhach
Stob Coire Sgreamhach is a mountain in Scotland, forming part of the Bidean nam Bian massif on the southern side of Glen Coe. It is often considered a subsidiary peak of Bidean, though since the 1997 revision of Munros Tables it has been classified as a separate Munro.The mountain is usually...
(1,072 m) which also has Munro
Munro
A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over . They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet , who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891. A Munro top is a summit over 3,000 ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain...
status. One attractive way in to these tops ascends from the Pass of Glen Coe up along the Lost Valley
Stob Coire Sgreamhach
Stob Coire Sgreamhach is a mountain in Scotland, forming part of the Bidean nam Bian massif on the southern side of Glen Coe. It is often considered a subsidiary peak of Bidean, though since the 1997 revision of Munros Tables it has been classified as a separate Munro.The mountain is usually...
to the ridge. Both Buachaille Etive Beag
Buachaille Etive Beag
Buachaille Etive Beag , is a mountain located between Glen Coe and Glen Etive, on the edge of Rannoch Moor in the Scottish Highlands. Viewed from the south in Glen Etive it forms a twin with Buachaille Etive Mòr , from which it is separated by a bealach at a height of about 480 metres...
(958 m) and Buachaille Etive Mòr
Buachaille Etive Mòr
Buachaille Etive Mòr , generally known to climbers simply as The Buachaille or The Beuckle, is a mountain at the head of Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland...
(1,022 m) also offer opportunities to hillwalkers.
Rock climbers concentrate on the Buachaille Etive Mòr
Buachaille Etive Mòr
Buachaille Etive Mòr , generally known to climbers simply as The Buachaille or The Beuckle, is a mountain at the head of Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland...
(1,018 m), often called simply "The Beuckle", and on the various routes on the Three Sisters (shoulders of Bidean nam Bian). For adventurous experienced walkers, the finest mainland scramble
Scrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
in the UK is the Aonach Eagach
Aonach Eagach
The Aonach Eagach is a rocky ridge lying to the north of Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands, boasting two Munro summits.In length the full ridge continues for 10 km from the Pap of Glencoe at the west to the eastern end at the Devil's Staircase. The central section, some 2 km in length,...
. This extended scramble boasts two of Scotland's trickiest Munro hills, Sgorr nam Fiannaidh (996 m) and Meall Dearg (951 m). The Aonach Eagach ridge terminates at the Pap of Glencoe
Pap of Glencoe
The Pap of Glencoe is a mountain on the northern side of Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies at the western end of the Aonach Eagach ridge, directly above the point where the River Coe enters Loch Leven....
(741 m).
The Glencoe ski centre
Glencoe Ski area
Glencoe Ski area , near Glencoe, Highland, is the oldest ski area in Scotland...
, also known as the White Corries, is actually on the hill of Meall a' Bhuiridh
Meall a' Bhuiridh
Meall a' Bhùiridh is a mountain on the edge of Rannoch Moor in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies near the top of Glen Coe and Glen Etive, overlooking the Kings House Hotel inn and the A82 road...
(1,108 m) which lies on the east side of Glen Etive, outside Glen Coe proper. This centre is popular with locals but is used mostly by nearby Glaswegians. It forms part of the "Black Mount" estate, which is based on Loch Tulla
Loch Tulla
Loch Tulla is a small loch at near Bridge of Orchy and Glen Coe in Scotland and in the central highlands. It contains salmon some of which are bred locally....
which is to the South East.
Other points of interest include The Study at the Pass of Glen Coe; the cave of Ossian
Ossian
Ossian is the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems which the Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. He is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, anglicised to Finn McCool, a character from Irish mythology...
, where tradition says that he was born. The Iona cross was erected in 1883 by a Macdonald in memory of his clansmen who perished in the massacre of 1692
Massacre of Glencoe
Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse, an infamous massacre took place in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. This incident is referred to as the Massacre of Glencoe, or in...
. There is car parking at the scenic waterfalls in the Pass of Glen Coe, which was used as the location for "The Bridge of Death" and "The Gorge of Eternal Peril" in filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1974 British comedy film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones...
, attracting Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
pilgrims. Sets for the third Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 fantasy film directed by Alfonso Cuarón and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the third instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by Chris Columbus, David Heyman and Mark Radcliffe...
, were built near to the bottom of Clachaig Gully, north of the Clachaig Inn
Clachaig Inn
The Clachaig Inn is a famous hotel and pub in Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is popular with walkers and climbers who come to visit the surrounding mountains....
. There is a folk museum in Glencoe village.
Settlements, tourist accommodation
Glencoe, Scotland
Glencoe Village is the main settlement in Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It lies at the north-west end of the glen, on the southern bank of the River Coe where it enters Loch Leven a salt-water loch off Loch Linnhe)....
, which lies at the western end of the glen close to Invercoe where the river joins Loch Leven
Loch Leven (Highlands)
Loch Leven 'is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. It is spelled Loch Lyon in Timothy Pont's map of the areaand is pronounced Li' un. There is a Leven in Lennox and another in Glen Lyon similarly pronounced...
. About 2 km to the west, on the southern shore of the loch, is the village of Ballachulish
Ballachulish
The village of Ballachulish in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred around former slate quarries. The name Ballachulish was more correctly applied to the area now called North Ballachulish, to the north of Loch Leven, but was usurped for the quarry villages at East Laroch and West Laroch,...
, known in the past for its slate quarries, which have been worked since 1760.
The famous Clachaig Inn
Clachaig Inn
The Clachaig Inn is a famous hotel and pub in Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is popular with walkers and climbers who come to visit the surrounding mountains....
, a pub with a nearby camp site much favoured by climbers and hillwalkers, is sited at the bend in the glen about 3 km (1.9 mi) from Glencoe village. A Scottish Youth Hostels Association
Scottish Youth Hostels Association
The Scottish Youth Hostels Association , founded in 1931, is part of Hostelling International and provides youth hostel accommodation in Scotland...
hostel is sited about 2 km (1.2 mi) from the village, on the way to the inn, as well as an independent hostel (Glencoe Independent Hostel). The Kings House Hotel, lying about 2 km to the east of the head of the glen towards Rannoch Moor, is a relic of the old coaching days when it was customary for tourists to drive from Ballachulish
Ballachulish
The village of Ballachulish in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred around former slate quarries. The name Ballachulish was more correctly applied to the area now called North Ballachulish, to the north of Loch Leven, but was usurped for the quarry villages at East Laroch and West Laroch,...
via Tyndrum to Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
. This old inn
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
still welcomes visitors, and thrives on the tales of walkers and skiers
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, as well as climbers
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
down from the glen's peaks.
For campers, there are three official campsites in and around the Glen. Wild camping is permitted in certain areas of the Glen, in accordance with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and the principles specified by Percy Unna. However, environmental concerns and increasing pollution of the River Coe in the mid 1990s led to a decision to exclude a specific area and prohibit wild camping within that area. The area is to the east of the Clachaig Hotel
Clachaig Inn
The Clachaig Inn is a famous hotel and pub in Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is popular with walkers and climbers who come to visit the surrounding mountains....
, from the River Coe to the Aonach Eagach, and east as far as the junction of the Old Military Road and the modern A82. The exclusion has led to improvements being observed in the river and the Clachaig area.
Well known residents of Glencoe include Hamish MacInnes
Hamish MacInnes
Dr Hamish MacInnes is a Scottish mountaineer, leading mountain search and rescuer, author and advisor. He is the leading Scottish winter mountaineer of the generation following W. H. Murray....
, veteran of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
expeditions, climbing consultant for such films as the Eiger Sanction and a mountain rescue pioneer. The disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Jimmy Savile
Jimmy Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG was an English disc jockey, television presenter and media personality, best known for his BBC television show Jim'll Fix It, and for being the first and last presenter of the long-running BBC music chart show Top of the Pops...
also owned a property in the glen.
Mythology
Glencoe is supposed to have been the birthplace of OssianOssian
Ossian is the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems which the Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. He is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, anglicised to Finn McCool, a character from Irish mythology...
according to John Cameron (1822–1898), a local bard who was also Bard to the Ossianic Society. "In the middle of the vale runs 'the roaring stream of Cona', the mountain of Malmor rises on the south side, and the celebrated Dun-Fionn - 'the hill of Fingal' on the north. Several of the names referring either to the heroes of the Fingalian race, or to their general occupation, hunting, are numerous in the district. Sgur-mam-Fiann, 'the mountain of the Fingalians'; Coe, the name of the river is supposed to be the Cona of Ossian; Grianan Dearduil, 'the sunny place of Darthula'; Acha-nan-con, 'the field of the dogs'; Caolas-nan-con, 'the ferry of the dogs', and the neighbouring country bear similar traces. Morven is the peculiar name of Fingal's domain; an island in Loch Etive is supposed to be named from Usnoth, the father of Nathos; and Etive itself is named from the deer of its mountains."
See also
- 2009 Buachaille Etive Mòr avalanche2009 Buachaille Etive Mòr avalancheThe Buachaille Etive Mòr avalanche occurred on Buachaille Etive Mòr in Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands, UK on 24 January 2009. Three mountain climbers were killed and one sustained a serious shoulder injury. Two of the dead were from Northern Ireland and the other was from Scotland...
- Chì mi na mòrbheannaChì mi na mòrbheannaChì mi na mòrbheanna is a Scottish song that was written in 1856 by Highlander John Cameron , a native of Ballachulish and known locally in the Gaelic fashion as Iain Rob and Iain Òg Ruaidh. He worked in the slate quarries before moving to Glasgow where he was engaged as a ship's broker. He became...
, a famous Gaelic songGaelic musicGaelic music is an umbrella term forthe folk music of the Scottish Highlands and of Ireland . It has also been used for any music written in the Gaelic languages of Scottish Gaelic and Irish. Gaelic music could thus be seen as a type of Celtic music....
about Glen Coe
