Glen Croe
Encyclopedia
Glen Croe is a glen
in the heart of the Arrochar Alps
surrounded by large and rugged mountains characterised by huge boulders.
and Loch Long
, draining into the latter. At the head of the glen is the pass leading to Glen Kinglas. The A83 road
runs the length of the glen, passing the viewpoint known as Rest & Be Thankful. Glen Croe is situated entirely within the Argyll Forest Park. The mountains on either side are:
that ran from Dumbarton to Inveraray
. This was built in the 1740s under the supervision of Major William Caulfeild. A stone inscribed Rest & Be Thankful was erected around 1749, after this section of road was completed.
From 1949 until 1970, motor racing events, including hill climbs and rally stages took place here.
Gilleasbaig Mac an t-Saoir composed a song called 'Oran Ghlinne Chro', detailing the sadness he felt when the gamekeeper moved his flock out of the glen to make room for deer and sport hunting in 1914.
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 heart of the Arrochar Alps
Arrochar Alps
The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the head of Loch Long, Loch Fyne,and Loch Goil, near the villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead in Argyll, Scotland. The mountains are especially popular with hillwalkers, due to their proximity and accessibility from Glasgow...
surrounded by large and rugged mountains characterised by huge boulders.
Geography
Glen Croe is located to the north west of Loch LomondLoch 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...
and Loch Long
Loch Long
Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The sea loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately 20 miles in length, with a width of between one and two miles...
, draining into the latter. At the head of the glen is the pass leading to Glen Kinglas. The A83 road
A83 road
The A83 is a major road in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, running from Tarbet, on the western shore of Loch Lomond, where it splits from the A82, to Campbeltown at the southern end of the Kintyre peninsula.-Route:...
runs the length of the glen, passing the viewpoint known as Rest & Be Thankful. Glen Croe is situated entirely within the Argyll Forest Park. The mountains on either side are:
- Beinn ÌmeBeinn ImeBeinn Ìme is the highest mountain in the Arrochar Alps, in the Southern Highlands of Scotland. There are three usual routes of ascent. From Succoth, one may follow the same path that is used to reach The Cobbler before taking the right fork near the base of the Cobbler's main crags and continuing...
- Ben DonichBen DonichBen Donich or Beinn Dòmhnaich is a mountain located in the Arrochar Alps, near Loch Goil in Argyll and Bute. It is a Corbett and part of the Ardgoil range with its sister The Brack. Ben Donich's nearest town is Lochgoilhead....
- Beinn LuibheanBeinn LuibheanBeinn Luibhean is one of the Arrochar Alps in the Argyll Highlands of Scotland, located to the northern side of Glen Croe between Loch Long in Dunbartonshire to the East and Loch Fyne in the Remote Highlands of Argyll to the West...
- The BrackThe BrackThe Brack is a mountain, located in the Arrochar Alps, on the south side of Glen Croe, near Loch Goil in Argyll and Bute in Scotland. The Brack has two summits: the lower peak, Cruach Fhiarach, can be seen from the shores of Loch Long, and the main peak is seen from Glen Croe and Loch Goil.The...
- Beinn an LochainBeinn an LochainBeinn an Lochain is a mountain in the Arrochar Alps, southern Scotland, on the western edge of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Although included in Sir Hugh Munro's original list of Scottish mountains over 3000 feet, subsequent surveys showed it to be significantly shorter than...
- The CobblerThe CobblerThe Cobbler is a mountain of 884 m height located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland. It is a Corbett...
History
The old road through the glen seen in the photograph is part of the military roadOld military roads of Scotland
A network of military roads was constructed in the Scottish Highlands during the middle part of the 18th century as part of an attempt by the British Government to bring order to a part of the country which had risen up in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715....
that ran from Dumbarton to Inveraray
Inveraray
Inveraray is a royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is the traditional county town of Argyll and ancestral home to the Duke of Argyll.-Coat of arms:...
. This was built in the 1740s under the supervision of Major William Caulfeild. A stone inscribed Rest & Be Thankful was erected around 1749, after this section of road was completed.
From 1949 until 1970, motor racing events, including hill climbs and rally stages took place here.
Gilleasbaig Mac an t-Saoir composed a song called 'Oran Ghlinne Chro', detailing the sadness he felt when the gamekeeper moved his flock out of the glen to make room for deer and sport hunting in 1914.