We landed in Edinburgh in the early afternoon and left for Glencoe right away. We intentionally took a slightly longer route so we could drive up Loch Lomond, and I’m so glad we did! The drive was just gorgeous- I particularly enjoyed our stop in Luss, a village on the banks of Loch Lomond. Within about 30 minutes of leaving the airport we experienced the full range of Scottish weather-sun, rain, thick snow, and even a thunder/snow storm! We had hoped to make it to the glen before it got dark, but the sun sets around 5pm in February, so there just wasn’t enough daylight left. We still had a lovely view of the Buachaille Etive Mor as we arrived.
There are loads of things to do in Glencoe and the surrounding area, one full day there simply wasn’t enough! There were several things we had hoped to see and do that we just didn’t have time or the right weather to do. There’s lots of opportunities for hiking and hillwalking, including Ben Nevis- the highest munro (mountain) in Scotland. There’s nearby Oban and the Isle of Mull. The Jacobite Steam train, most famous for its appearance in Harry Potter as the Hogwarts express, leaves from Fort William. And the list could go on- Glencoe is definitely worth a few days of your trip.
Glencoe & Ballachulish
The Glencoe area was our first stop on our trip to the Scottish Highlands. We chose an Airbnb in Ballachulish because it was basically in the middle of everything we wanted to do in this area, and we found a really lovely AirBnb that was perfect for our little group and had a hot tub! The drive from the airport was reasonable, and it was right on our preferred route to our next stop on the Isle of Skye. The area had everything else we needed- great restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. It’s worth noting that we didn’t stay in Ballachulish village, but just a couple of minutes drive down the road near the golf course.
Also Glencoe refers not only to the village of Glencoe, but to Glen Coe (glen meaning valley), which may be a bit confusing at first. I love learning languages, so I enjoyed learning about Gaelic on our trip, but especially place names because many of them are quite literal and can give you clues about the place. For example, Kinlochleven- kinloch= head of the loch (lake), leven= Loch Leven- so the head of Loch Leven. The word “inver” typically refers to the mouth of a river- so Inverness= mouth of the river ness. I’m by no means an expert, but I did find Gaelic fascinating and super difficult to pronounce!
Dining
Glencoe is a popular tourism area in the Highlands and there are quite a few restaurants to choose from within a 30 minute drive from Ballachulish- with several cafes and restaurants in Glencoe village and Ballachulish and quite a few options in nearby Fort William. Many of the restaurants are in hotels and inns, and for most you don’t have to be a guest of the hotel to dine. Something to keep in mind though is that not all accommodations and restaurants are open year-round in the Highlands, some close during the off season. So if, like us, you find yourself traveling in the winter it pays to call ahead and make sure the restaurant is open ahead of time. We almost always eat breakfast at our accommodation, and this trip was no different. We stocked up at a Co-op Food store, probably the most common grocery store we saw on our trip, and ate breakfast in both mornings. Pretty much every restaurant we visited in the area featured some type of traditional Scottish food.On our first night we had dinner at the Boots Bar at the Clachaig Inn, it was wonderful! We all tried a bite of the haggis that Ryan ordered, and while most of us enjoyed it more than we thought we would, Cody really loved it! He spent the rest of the trip getting haggis at pretty much every opportunity. We had lunch at the Glencoe Gathering the next day- a nice pub-type restaurant with a view out over Glencoe village and Loch Leven. Our final meal in the area was at the Kinghouse Hotel, and it was wonderful. They have several different dining options, but we chose to eat in the bar- which still felt like a very nice restaurant and had incredible food. I’d highly recommend all 3 of these restaurants, they were all wonderful and a great introduction to Scottish food.
Things to Do
Glencoe Lochan
Glencoe Lochan is a beautiful, small lake in a forest just outside of Glencoe village with several walking trails encircling the lochan and the woods. It was the first stop of our day in Glencoe, and it’s a great place to get out and stretch your legs! The lochan and the woods are beautiful, but the real treat was seeing the Pap of Glencoe reflected in the lochan. We took the shorter route around the lochan because it started blowing rain and snow while we were there, but the longer walk thru the woods is supposed to be very nice too.
Cost: free
Parking: free
Glen Etive
Glen Etive is probably best known for being featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Skyfall. But even if you aren’t a movie fan it’s a beautiful drive down single track road to Loch Etive. The views all along the glen were amazing, and we saw some impressive stags very close to the road. There are several hikes in this area as well, but it was snowing heavily on and off (the last photo is snow blowing sideways on our drive to Glen Etive), and we weren’t equipped for hiking in that weather so we opted for a scenic drive with a few stops.
Grey Mare's Tail Waterfall
After lunch we decided to take a drive up to Kinlochleven and see the Grey Mare’s waterfall. The hike to the falls was pretty short and easy, and wound thru a pretty moss-covered forest. The waterfall was pretty impressive, and it made for a nice short little side trip.The trail does go farther, but we just visited the waterfall. But if you’re looking for more of a thrill there’s a Via Ferrata in Kinlochleven, and this waterfall is right on the course.
Parking: free
Cost: free (for the hike, the Via Ferrata is guided and is not free)
Castle Stalker
Castle Stalker is situated on a small island in a inlet of Loch Linnhe. It’s an easy drive from Glencoe down the A828, and it can be seen easily from the road. We stopped at the Castle Stalker View Cafe and took a short walk from the parking lot to get a better view. It’s privately owned and can only be visited on a pre-arranged tour, but there is a neat virtual tour on the Castle Stalker website. The drive down to the castle was beautiful, with great views out across Loch Linnhe.
Parking: free
Cost: free
Glenfinnan Viaduct + Loch Shiel
For all of my fellow Harry Potter fans this one is a must do- two gorgeous film sites in one stop!
Glenfinnan is not actually in Glencoe, but it’s a pretty short drive (about 1 hour), and if you’re a Harry Potter fan it’s 100% worth a visit. Glenfinnan viaduct is a beautiful, curved bridge that the Jacobite Steam train crosses on its journey to Malliag. It’s *that* bridge, the one featured in the movies that the Hogwarts Express crosses. The train wasn’t running while we were there, but there were still plenty of people trekking up the short steep trail to the viewpoint. From the viewpoint there’s also a great view of Loch Shiel, which was used as the Black Lake in the films.
Heck, even if you aren’t a fan it’s worth it- the drive is beautiful and on your way back towards Fort William you might catch a glimpse of Ben Nevis.
