Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RANNOCH MOOR
Rannoch Moor occupies roughly 150 square miles of uninhabited and uninhabitable peat
bogs, lochs, heather hillocks, strewn lumps of granite and a few 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 is the West Highland Railway , which stops at Rannoch and, a little
to the north, Corrour station, which has no road access at all. There is a simple tearoom in the
station building at Rannoch, as well as a pleasant small hotel, the Moor of Rannoch , but even
these struggle to diminish the feeling of isolation. Corrour , meanwhile, 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 it's possible to catch the train to Corrour and walk
the nine miles back; it's a longer slog west to the Kingshouse Hotel at 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.
2
further on: the road goes no further. Here you can contemplate the bleakness of
Rannoch Moor (see box above), a wide expanse of bog, heather and wind-blown pine
trees that stretches right across to the imposing entrance of Glen Coe (see p.193).
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
LOCH RANNOCH
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; up to 4 daily;
40min) from Kinloch Rannoch provides connections with
Rannoch railway station, 16 miles to the west.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
LOCH RANNOCH
Macdonald Loch Rannoch Half a mile west of Kinloch
Rannoch along B846 T 08448 799059, W macdonald
hotels.co.uk. This large and rather plain hotel has a
redeeming lochside location. Guests h ave a ccess to a leisure
complex with an indoor pool and gym. £63
the place to stay; there's no internet access, radio or TV.
The five c omfy en-suite rooms look out over the boggy
moorland. £104
LOCH OSSIAN
Loch Ossian Youth Hostel A 1-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 is eeki ng some-
where genuinely off the beaten track. Dorms £19
RANNOCH MOOR
Moor of Rannoch Rannoch Station T 01882 633238,
W moorofrannoch.co.uk. If it's isolation you want, this is
The Angus glens
The high country in the northern part of the county of Angus , east of the A9 and
north of the Firth of Tay, holds some of the Central Highlands' most pleasant scenery
and is relatively free of tourists, most of whom tend to bypass it on their way north.
Here the long fingers of the Angus glens - heather-covered hills tumbling down to
rushing rivers - are overlooked by the southern peaks of the Grampian Mountains.
Each has its own feel and devotees, Glen Clova being, deservedly, one of the most
popular, along with Glen Shee , which attracts large numbers of people to its ski slopes.
Handsome market towns like Kirriemuir and Blairgowrie are good bases for the area,
 
 
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