The Great Glen - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 190

Glen Coe and around
Glen Coe , half-an-hour's drive south of Fort William on the main A82 road to Glasgow,
is one of Scotland's most inspiring places, a breathtakingly beautiful mountain valley
between velvety-green conical peaks, their tops often wreathed in cloud, their flanks
streaked by cascades of rock and scree. Arriving from the south across the desolate
reaches of Rannoch Moor, you're likely to find the start of the glen - with Buachaille
Etive Mhòr to the south and Beinn a'Chrùlaiste to the north - little short of forbidding.
By the time you've reached the heart of the glen, with the three huge rock buttresses
known as the Three Sisters on one side and the Anoach Eagach ridge on the other
combining to close up the sky, you'll almost certainly want to stop. Added to the
compelling emotional mix is the story of the notorious massacre of Glen Coe in 1692,
nadir of the long-standing enmity between the clans MacDonald and Campbell (see
box, p.194). At its western end, Glen Coe meets Loch Leven: the main road goes west
and over the bridge at Ballachulish en route to Fort William.
At the eastern end of Glen Coe, meanwhile, beyond the looming massif of Buachaille
Etive Mhòr, the landscape opens out onto vast Rannoch Moor (see p.150). From the
Glencoe Mountain Resort (see p.194) a chairlift climbs 2400ft to Meall a Bhuiridh,
giving spectacular views over Rannoch Moor and to Ben Nevis. At the base station,
there's a simple but pleasant café. Beyond the mountains at the eastern end of Loch
Leven is the slowly reviving settlement of Kinlochleven , site of the world's largest
indoor ice-climbing centre and a waypoint on the West Highland Way long-distance
footpath (see box, p.133).

3

WALKS AROUND GLEN COE
Ordnance Survey Explorer map 384
Flanked by the sheer-sided Munros, Glen Coe offers some of the Highlands' most challenging
hiking routes, with long steep ascents over rough trails and notoriously unpredictable
weather conditions that claim lives every year. The walks outlined below number among the
glen's less-ambitious routes, but still require a map. It's essential that you take the proper
precautions (see p.42), and stick to the paths, both for your own safety and the sake of the
landscape, which has become badly eroded in places. For a broader selection of walks, get
hold of the Ordnance Survey Pathfinder Guide: Fort William and Glen Coe Walks .
DEVIL'S STAIRCASE
A good introduction to the splendours of Glen Coe is the half-day hike over the Devil's
Staircase , which follows part of the old military road that once ran between Fort William
and Stirling. The trail, part of the West Highland Way (see p.133), starts at the village of
Kinlochleven and is marked by thistle signs, which lead uphill to the 1804ft pass and down
the other side into Glen Coe.
ALLT COIRE GABHAIL
Set right in the heart of the glen, the half-day Allt Coire Gabhail hike starts at the car park
opposite the distinctive Three Sisters massif on the main A82. This explores the so-called “Lost
Valley” where the Clan MacDonald fled and hid their cattle when attacked. Once in the valley,
there are superb views of the upper slopes of Bidean nan Bian, Gearr Aonach and Beinn Fhada,
which improve as you continue on to its head, another twenty- to thirty-minute walk.
BUACHAILLE ETIVE BEAG
Undoubtedly one of the finest walks in the Glen Coe area that doesn't entail the ascent of
a Munro is the Buachaille Etive Beag circuit, which follows the textbook glacial valleys of
Lairig Eilde and Lairig Gartain, ascending 1968ft in only nine miles of rough trail. Park near the
waterfall at The Study - the gorge part of the A82 through Glen Coe - and walk up the road
until you see a sign pointing south to “Loch Etiveside”.