Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
RANNOCH MOOR
Rannoch Moor occupies roughly 150 square miles of uninhabited and uninhabitable peat
bogs, lochs, heather hillocks, strewn lumps of granite and gnarled Caledonian pines, all of it
over one thousand feet above sea level. Perhaps the most striking thing about the moor is
its inaccessibility: one road, between Crianlarich and Glen Coe, skirts its western side, while
another struggles west from Pitlochry to reach its eastern edge at Rannoch Station. The only
regular form of transport here is the West Highland Railway , which stops at Rannoch
and, a little to the north, Corrour station, which has no road access at all. Corrour stole an
unlikely scene in the film Trainspotting when the four central characters headed here for a
taste of the great outdoors; a wooden SYHA hostel is located a mile away on the shores of
Loch Ossian and is only accessible on foot, making the area a great place for hikers seeking
somewhere genuinely off the beaten track. From Rannoch Station, beside which is the
isolated Moor of Rannoch Hotel, it's possible to catch the train to Corrour and walk the nine
miles back; it's a longer slog west to the eastern end of Glen Coe, the dramatic peaks of
which poke up above the moor's western horizon. Determined hillwalkers will find a clutch
of Munros around Corrour, including remote Ben Alder (3765ft), high above the forbidding
shores of Loch Ericht.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
LOCH RANNOCH AND AROUND
By train The West Highland Railway stops at Rannoch
and, a little to the north, Corrour station, which has no road
access at all.
Destinations (from Rannoch station) Corrour (3-4 daily;
12min); Fort William (3-4 daily; 1hr); Glasgow Queen St
(3-4 daily; 2hr 50min); London Euston (sleeper service
Mon-Fri & Sun daily; 11hr-12hr 40min).
By bus A local bus service (Broons Bus #85) from Kinloch
Rannoch provides connections with Rannoch railway
station, sixteen miles to the west.
Destinations Rannoch station (up to 4 daily; 40min).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
LOCH RANNOCH
Macdonald Loch Rannoch Half a mile west of Kinloch
Rannoch along B846 T 08448 799059,
W macdonaldhotels.co.uk . This large and rather plain
hotel has a redeeming loch-side location. Guests h ave a ccess
to a leisure complex with an indoor pool and gym. £63
radio or TV. The fi ve com fy en-suite rooms look out over the
boggy moorland. £104
LOCH OSSIAN
Loch Ossian Youth Hostel A one-mile walk northeast
from Corrour's train station, on the shores of Loch
Ossian T 01397 732207, W syha.org.uk. Only accessible
on foot, this is an excellent option for hikers seeking
somewhere genuinely off the beaten track. There's a self-
caterin g ki tchen for making basic meals, but no fridge.
Dorms £19
RANNOCH MOOR
Moor of Rannoch Hotel Rannoch Station T 01882
633238, W moorofrannoch.co.uk . If it's isolation you
want, this is the place to stay; there's no internet access,
 
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