Things to Do at Glencoe For First-Time Visitors
This article has links to products and services we love, which we may make commission from.
Is there anywhere in Scotland as magical as the Glencoe Valley in the Highlands? It offers hikes, waterfalls, mountains, history, and a winding road that leads through it. Let’s discuss the best things to do in Glencoe for people visiting for the first time and some suggestions for the surrounding areas. I’ll accept any excuse to go to Glen Coe; I hope you enjoy it, too – let us know in the comments!
Note: Glen Coe is the glen, and Glencoe is the village.
What to Do in Glencoe During Your First Visit
Rannoch Moor, Near Glencoe
Driving from Callender towards Fort William, Rannoch Moor is one of the area’s first of many viewpoints.
There isn’t much parking; it’s just a layby space if you can grab it.
With its puddles breaking up the moorland, the biggest bog in the UK, Rannoch Moor starts to ramp up the scenery you can expect in Glen Coe.
This area is part of the 96-mile trek, the West Highland Way, which starts in Milngavie and ends in Fort William.
Silver screen facts: Disney’s Castle McDuck is fictionally located here, and Corrour railway station, which features in Trainspotting, is nearby.
Glencoe Mountain Resort
During winter, locals actively check the snow report at Glencoe, apprehensively waiting to find out if they can hit the slopes.
During summer, visitors can bike the trails, go tubing, or take the chairlift up to 2200ft in 12 minutes.
Kingshouse Hotel
The 18th-century Kingshouse Hotel is considered one of Scotland’s oldest licensed inns.
Today, the hotel is a modern accommodation offering rooms and overnight stays in the main hotel or bunkhouse, aimed at hikers.
Visitors can dine at the restaurant with floor-to-ceiling views or the cosy dog-friendly bar.
I’ve dined at the former during summer; the food and hospitality were superb.
The only issue was that the sun was too hot through the windows.
Who would have thought this would be an issue in Scotland?
We moved tables with no problem, just something to consider if it was warm outside.
Behind the hotel is the Devil’s Staircase, a notorious part of the West Highland Way hike that leads to the next stop, Kinlochleven.
While this hotel gets five-star reviews, the real celebrities are the local deer that hang around the front entrance.
Diners and hotel guests can use the car park for free; visitors will need to pay.
You may find our guide to hotels in Scotland helpful.
The Name is Bond, James Bond
“Siri, play Adele Skyfall“.
While Scottish driving laws and fellow tourists on the road will prevent you from driving your Aston Martin DB5 like Bond, you can follow the route, the A82 and Glen Etive road, bypassing the peaks of Buachaille Etive Mor and Buachaille Etive Beag.
Returning to his Scottish roots at scenes at Glencoe, the M16 spy (Daniel Craig) joins M (Judi Dench) as they admire the landscape with low-hanging clouds.
She asks, “Is this where you grew up?”
Ian Fleming, the James Bond author, does have ties with the area; his family previously owned Dalness Lodge in Glen Etive.
However, he is also said to have been so enamoured by Sean Connery’s portrayal of Bond that he segued into a Scottish backstory.
Buachaille Etive Mór
Although it is often difficult to determine which mountain is which in Scotland, Buachaille Etive Mór is obvious with its triangular formation and sharp tip.
It stands proud, living up to its name, “great herdsman of Etive”.
It is also the country’s most photographed mountain!
Buachaille Etive Mór, or The Buachaille, is a Scottish Munro because it is over 3,000 ft (914 m) at 3,351 ft (1,021.4 m) and takes around 7-9 hours to hike.
Buachaille Etive Beag is The Buachaille’s sister mountain.
Buachaille Etive Beag
Buachaille Etive Beag lies west of Buachaille Etive Mór and is smaller in height at 3,143 ft (958 m), with a hiking time of around 5 – 6 hours.
I’ve hiked this as part of a group trek; it has a vast ridge and views over Loch Etive, very enjoyable.
Note: If you plan to hike from spring to summer, prepare for the Scottish midges.
You might also find our guide on the best time to visit Scotland useful.
Wild Swim Spot
A popular wild swimming spot is marked on Google Maps as The Meeting of Three Waters; however, locals are adamant that Google Maps is wrong, and the actual meeting of Alt Coire Gabhail, Allt Doire-Beith, and the River Coe takes place below Coire Gabhail.
The wild swim location has a series of waterfalls and a tub-like pool of water primed for a dook at the top of a small hill.
To get to the “pool,” climb over the small wall on the left side of the waterfall and walk up the hill.
There are a few parking spaces across from the waterfall.
The Three Sisters
The most popular of all Glencoe attractions has to be the Three Sisters Viewpoint, where cars and tour buses try to snatch a space in front of the dramatic mountains: Beinn Fhada (Long Hill), Gearr Aonach (Short Ridge) and Aonach Dubh (Black or Dark Ridge).
The sisters are part of the highest mountain in the area, Bidean nam Bian, and they hide its summit.
These peaks are particularly popular as they face inwards to the road, which makes them the perfect photo spot.
The Three Sisters is featured in our guide to the most beautiful places in Scotland.
The Lost Valley Hike
Avid walkers who love a challenge hike Coire Gabhail, The Lost Valley takes around 2-3 hours.
This secret valley is historically significant as it is considered where Clan MacDonald hid their cattle from rustlers or the cattle they rustled (stole).
Need help planning your trip to Scotland?
Let’s hop on a video consultation call and work out your itinerary together.
Why not join me in my free Facebook group, too?
Wee White House
Blink, and you’ll miss the Wee White House as you drive through the valley as it pops against the backdrop of Buachaille Etive Mor.
Lagangarbh Hut was built as a crofting home and still retains the local Ballachulish slate roof; it is owned by the National Trust Scotland and managed by the Scottish Mountaineering Club.
You can’t stay at the hut unless you are part of a mountaineering club or a member of Mountaineering Scotland or the BMC (British Mountaineering Council).
Clachaig Inn
For a hearty lunch or dinner, head to the Clachaig Inn, which never disappoints with its Scottish menu.
It has indoor and spectacular outdoor seating with views of the majestic valley.
I’ve dined in the bar and patio and still fondly remember eating the towering sandwich with the sun on my face one August.
The restaurant is renowned for its sign proclaiming:
No hawkers or Campbells.
Massacre of Glencoe (Mort Ghlinne Comhann)
In February 1692, 38 members of the MacDonalds of Glencoe (Clann Iain Abrach), also known as the MacIains, were slaughtered in their homes by Scottish government forces who had just spent 12 nights being hosted by them.
The victims included the chief, women and children.
The MacDonalds were one of many clans in the Highlands, some of which were perceived as a threat to William III of England, King William of Orange.
King William ordered all clans to sign an oath of allegiance to William III and Mary II by January 1, 1692.
However, many clans had already sworn to James Stuart, the Old Pretender/King Over the Water, who was hiding in France.
Stuart released clans from that oath on December 12, giving them under three weeks to sign the other.
After a series of events for the MacDonalds’ chief Alasdair MacIain, including snow storms, wrong destinations, and imprisonment, the delayed signed oath was finally administered by Sir Colin Campbell but declined by the Secretary of State John Dalrymple, Master of Stair.
Dalrymple was a Lowlander and a Protestant.
He is said to have disagreed with the Highland way of life and preferred Scotland to be part of a union with England.
The decline of the oath was followed by an order for commanders to initiate the slaughtering of the MacDonalds of Glencoe.
Under the pretence of friends in need, or as some sources say, with a written demand in hand, Campbell and his 120 unknowing Earl of Argyll’s soldiers, a mix of Campbells and other clans, sought bed and board at the MacDonalds’ houses 12 days before the massacre.
Why would the MacDonalds let the soldiers in?
They were honouring the Highland hospitality code.
On the night of February 12, Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon received the order to kill any MacDonald under the age of 70 at 5am the following day.
Glenlyon had a record of drinking, gambling, and debt; he needed to impress the king.
Some soldiers tried to give their hosts time to escape; however, escapees likely perished in the snow.
Others under the command of Colonel Hill, Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton, and Colonel Duncanson arrived late.
Was it the weather, or was this a decision?
That is why the Clachaig Inn has a sign saying no Campbells; a simplified message for a compacted time in history.
Hagrid’s Hut
This is one of the Glencoe activities where Potterheads will need to use their imagination…
Across the road from Clachaig Inn, the Harry Potter filming crew set up Hagrid’s Hut at Clachaig Gully, overlooking the Torren Lochan and Signal Rock.
While the hut isn’t there, fans still take a short walk to picture the scene.
To get to the Hagrid’s Hut filming location:
- Walk past the Clachaig Inn white sign with the pub behind you.
- Stick to the path until you see the path on the grass to the right-hand side.
- Keep walking up as the hill ascends.
Glencoe Visitor Centre
The National Trust for Scotland’s Glencoe Visitor Centre is a friendly place for tourists looking for tips on what to do.
It has various educational tools, including the unique turf house, similar to the homes in which the MacDonalds of Glencoe would have lived.
The NTS archaeologists discovered traces of life around the old settlement of Achtriachtan, and volunteers excavated what appeared to be a home. This became the basis for the model turf house.
You can see the construction at the Visitor Centre cinema and join the guided tours throughout the day.
There is also a cafe on site; I enjoyed a salad box while looking out the cafe window at the garden.
Read next: Do I need an NTS pass to visit Scotland?
Glencoe Lochan Trail
A lovely leisurely walk around Glencoe Lochan is just what the doctor ordered after hopping in and out of the car through the valley.
I’ve personally done this trail after lunch at the Clachaig Inn, and it was an ideal way to get some fresh air after the huge serving.
The walk takes about an hour and follows the calm lochan, a small loch surrounded by dramatic mountains.
The woods around the walk were planted by Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1896 to 1914.
If you think this looks similar to Canada, you’d be right!
Lord Strathcona planted the trees for his wife as a reminder of home.
Parking is available near the walk.
Glencoe Folk Museum
Another historic home in the area is Glencoe Folk Museum, housed in two heather-thatched croft cottages from the early 1700s.
They were occupied until the 1950s but came under threat of demolition years later, with the bulldozer being stopped by one of the museum founders, Mrs Rae Grant.
The others are Miss Barbara Fairweather, MBE, and friends.
They opened the facility in 1972 to promote what local life was like in the past.
The Glencoe Folk Museum is closed and will open in 2025.
There is also the Highland Folk Museum in the Cairngorms, which has 35 historic exhibition homes.
Fort Willaim
Just north of Glencoe is the town of Fort William, a popular overnight stop for Scotland road trippers.
Here, you can marvel at the locks by the Caledonia Canal and photograph the washed-up boat at Caol.
You can also hike or take a chair ride up the UK’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, which sits at 1,345 metres above sea level, although you can’t always see its tip from ground level.
The town has a busy high street with outdoor shops, restaurants, and bars, including The Geographer, The Crofter, and The Stables.
Final Words
There’s a lot to do in such a small area, eh? With its serene landscape and monstrous mountains that make you feel so small, there’s a reason that Scots and visitors return to Glencoe repeatedly, but mainly during the fair weather seasons!
Our Scotland Articles
Ps. Join my free Welcome to Scotland Mini-Course here.
Massacre of Glencoe references BBC, Britannica, NTS and Scotland History Tours.