A Guide to Visiting Glencoe, Scotland

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Glencoe is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on the planet. With towering mountains, calm lochs, clean air, cascading waterfalls, and scenic routes that take your breath away at every angle. Glencoe is just a 30-minute drive away from Ben Nevis and the town of Fort William, in the Scottish Highlands.

When my parents asked my sister and me if we would like a holiday in Scotland, of course, we said yes! We spent a few days in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival then headed north to Glencoe. I’d actually just landed from Cairo a few days prior - it’s needless to say the contrast between the two places couldn’t have been any more different.

In this post, I’ll take you through where we stayed, walking routes, the best restaurants, and other must-sees in this beautiful area.

Getting to Glencoe

From Edinburgh, it takes just under 3 hours to reach Glencoe by car. For most of the journey, the view is spectacular - it really is quite the welcome. I remember just staring out the car window and thinking wow! The route drives through Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park which is the perfect place to stop on the way. From here the A84 and A85, join the A82, which takes you straight to Glencoe. As you approach the village, look out on the left side for Scotland’s most photographed mountain - Buachaille Etive Mor.

Where to Stay

We stayed at the Invercoe Caravan and Camping Park in a two-bedroom cottage overlooking Loch Leven. At Invercoe they offer all types of accommodation which are super affordable - camping, caravans, lodges, and cottages. The park is a 10-minute walk away from the village of Glencoe which has a few restaurants, a grocery store, post office, visitors centre and other accommodations. This was the view from our little cottage. Waking up surrounded by mountains and greenery will never get old.

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Where to Eat

  • For breakfast and most meal times we cooked at the cottage, however, we did come across some wonderful restaurants in the area. Less than a 10-minute walk from the caravan park, you’ll find The Glencoe Inn. We all had yummy fish and chips which in their opinion is the best in The Highlands!

  • We also came across The Creagan Inn in Appin - after getting caught in the rain, the cosy restaurant was the perfect place to dry off and play card games.

  • After exploring the Grey Mare’s Waterfall in Kinlochleven, we had a delicious meal at the Highland Getaway Inn which has incredible views of the waterfalls.

  • Finally, on a couple of mornings, we had breakfast at the Glencoe café. A quaint place to grab a coffee and some eggies before setting off on a long day hiking. It's best to get there once they open as it’s very popular!

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Loch Leven

Loch Leven is a sea loch situated between Glencoe and the Ben Nevis mountain range. This fresh body of water also joins Loch Linnhe to the west, which flows out into the North Atlantic Ocean. The Invercoe Caravan and Camping Park is located on the coast of the Loch, which is ideal for a morning walk in your pyjamas and letting the doggies paddle their paws. Even though it was August when we visited, it rained most days! Watching the storm clouds roll down the Loch and brush past the mountains was incredible. The best way to enjoy Loch Leven is either hiking up one of the surrounding mountains or joining the Glencoe Outdoor Centre. They have plenty of available activities, including sailing, canoeing, and kayaking. Visit their website here: www.glencoeoutdoorcentre.org.uk.

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Glencoe Lochan Trail

Located on Glencoe Lochan road, just off Gleann Comhann is the Lochan Trail. A circular 1.5-mile loop trail, surrounded by huge trees, wildlife, and views of the Pap of Glencoe (see below). The whole area is tranquil and the perfect place for an afternoon walk, come rain or shine.

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Pap of Glencoe (Sgorr na Ciche)

One of the hardest hikes of our lives! When researching for a relatively easy mountain to climb, the Pap of Glencoe (742m) proved to be the most popular. The hike is easily accessible from the Glencoe village and the trail entrance is off the Gleann Comhann road, opposite the Strath Lodge. We set off early and aimed to be back down by just after lunchtime. Oh, how we were wrong! It was SO tough - I think my parents wanted to kill me at one point.

The first half of the hike is easy, walking through lush greenery and alongside streams. However, the terrain quickly changed and we were literally climbing up waterfalls. The ground was super boggy and it felt like we had lost the path at one point. We were muddy and our walking boots were soaked right through, but we kept pushing on. Once we passed the waterfalls and steep terrain, my parents and lil doggy decided to call it a day. My sister and I carried on and made it to the top. We had to scramble (use our hands and knees) for the last 15 minutes of the rocky summit which was interesting… but we did it! The view was incredible - we could see the whole of Loch Leven and Ben Nevis in the distance.

An ‘easy three-hour hike’ turned into a grueling 7km in seven hours - whoops! After completing 25,000 steps in total, thankfully we made it back down safely and were reunited with our parents. All we could think about was food… I still think they wanted to kill me hehe.

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Signal Rock & An Torr

Just outside the Glencoe village on the A82 is another super easy walk with impressive views. After arriving at the An Torr car park, follow the path for a few minutes, which is where you’ll be greeted with some of the best views in Glencoe. If you’re brave enough, in places the water is deep enough for a little swim. If you don’t fancy freezing your bits off in the River Coe, then you can follow the nature trail for a few hundred metres to the historic Signal Rock. After a little explore, come back towards the bridge and find a spot to enjoy your picnic.

This is also the location where Hagrid’s Hut was filmed, in the Harry Potter films!

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Kinlochleven - Grey Mare’s Waterfall

A 15-minute drive from Glencoe, following the B863 east alongside Loch Leven, you will reach the village of Kinlochleven. The walk starts off pretty steep but you will reach the waterfalls in no time at all. There are a few climbing aids to reach the base of the falls - prepared to get soaked! Or you can happily enjoy the falls from a distance. The rocks are super slippery however there’s nothing better than being blasted by freezing, natural water to wake you up! After enjoying the waterfalls, continue along the steep path until you reach the abandoned Mamore Lodge hotel. If you can ignore the creepy building, the views from the top of the path are some of the best in the area! From here, follow the tarmac road back down to Kinlochleven.

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Glencoe Three Sisters

The ridges of Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach, and Aonach Dubh are collectively known as the Three Sisters of Glen Coe. They are three of the most impressive peaks in the area. There is a visitors car park located along the A82, just a 10-minute drive from Glencoe village. We stopped off at the side of the road - there were huge waterfalls on one side and the monstrous Three Sisters on the other. This was the only time during our trip that there were blue skies, which made the scenery even more magical.

There’s a short, beautiful hike up into a river valley between two of the three sisters. There’s also the Hidden Valley walk, which begins from the car park. This is the route to the main viewpoint of the Glencoe Three Sisters.

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Let me know if you’ve visited Glencoe or planning to? After writing this post and going back through all my photos, I’m seriously dying to get back in the mountains. This whole place is heaven on Earth!

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