Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GLENCOE VISITOR CENTRE
(NTS; 01855-811307; www.glencoe-nts.org.uk ; adult/child £6/5; 9.30am-5.30pm Easter-Oct,
10am-4pm Thu-Sun Nov-Easter) About 1.5 miles east of Glencoe village is this modern facility
with an ecotourism angle. The centre provides comprehensive information on the geolo-
gical, environmental and cultural history of Glencoe via high-tech interactive and audi-
ovisual displays, charts the history of mountaineering in the glen, and tells the story of the
Glencoe Massacre in all its gory detail.
| Visitor Centre
LOCHABER WATERSPORTS
( 01855-811931; www.lochaberwatersports.co.uk ; Ballachulish; 9.30am-5pm Apr-Oct) You can
hire kayaks (£12 per hour), rowing boats (£22 per hour), motor boats (£30 per hour), and
even a 10m sailing yacht complete with skipper (£150 for three hours, up to five people)
here.
| Water Sports
The Glencoe Massacre
Glen Coe is sometimes said to mean ʻthe glen of weeping', a romantic mistranslation that stems from the brutal
murders that took place here in 1692.
Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, supporters of the exiled Roman Catholic King James - known as Jacob-
ites - rose up against the Protestant King William. William offered the Highland clans (most of the Catholics and Ja-
cobites) an amnesty on the condition that all clan chiefs take an oath of loyalty to him before 1 January 1692.
MacIain, the elderly chief of the MacDonalds of Glencoe, was three days late in taking the oath, and Willian's
government decided to use that fact to punish the troublesome MacDonalds and set an example to other Highland
clans.
A company of 120 soldiers, mainly from Campbell territory, were sent to the glen under cover of collecting taxes.
It was traditional for clans to provide hospitality to travellers and so the troops were billeted in MacDonald homes.
After they'd been guests for 12 days, the government order came for the soldiers to ʻfall upon the rebels the
MacDonalds of Glencoe and put all to the sword under 70'. The soldiers turned on their hosts at 5am on 13 Febru-
ary, killing MacIain and 37 other men, women and children. Some of the soldiers alerted the MacDonalds to their
intended fate, allowing them to escape; many fled into the snow-covered hills, where another 40 people died of ex-
posure. A monument in Glencoe village commemorates the massacre.
Getting There & Away
ScottishCitylink ( 0871 266 3333; www.citylink.co.uk ) buses run between Fort William and
Glencoe (£7.50, 30 minutes, eight daily) and from Glencoe to Glasgow (£20, 2½ hours,
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