Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
arr Aonach (the first and second of the Three Sisters). The route leads steeply up through
a maze of giant, jumbled, moss-coated boulders before emerging - unexpectedly - into a
broad, open valley with an 800m-long meadow as flat as a football pitch. Back in the days
of clan warfare, the valley, which is invisible from below, was used for hiding stolen
cattle; its Gaelic name, Coire Gabhail, means ' corrie of capture'.
The summits of Glen Coe's mountains are for experienced mountaineers only. Details
of hill-walking routes can be found in the Scottish Mountaineering Club's guidebook
Cen-
tral Highlands
by Peter Hodgkiss.
East of the Glen
GLENCOE MOUNTAIN RESORT
(
www.glencoemountain.com
)
A few miles east of Glen Coe proper, on the south side of the
A82, is the car park and base station for the Glencoe Mountain Resort, where commercial
skiing in Scotland first began back in 1956. The
Lodge Café-Bar
has comfy sofas where
you can soak up the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The
chairlift
(adult/child £10/5; 9.30am-4.30pm Thu-Mon)
continues to operate in summer
- there's a rather grand view over the Moor of Rannoch from the top station - and
provides access to a downhill mountain-biking track. In winter a lift pass costs £30 a day
and equipment hire is £25 a day.
Two miles west of the ski centre, a minor road leads along peaceful and beautiful
Glen
Etive
, which runs southwest for 12 miles to the head of Loch Etive. On a hot summer's
day the River Etive contains many tempting pools for swimming in, and there are lots of
good picnic sites.
| Outdoors
KINGS HOUSE HOTEL ££
( 01855-851259;
www.kingy.com
; s/d £35/70; )
The remote Kings House Hotel claims to be
one of Scotland's oldest licensed inns, dating from the 17th century. It has long been a fa-
vourite meeting place for climbers, skiers and hill walkers - the rustic
Climbers Bar
(bar
meals £8-12; 11am-11pm)
round the back is more relaxed than the lounge - and serves
good pub grub and real ale.
The hotel lies on the old military road from Stirling to Fort William, and after the Battle
of Culloden it was used as a Hanoverian garrison - hence the name.
| Hotel, Pub
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