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Hidden Glencoe
Scotland Travel Blog.
Hidden Glencoe
20th May 2021
One of the most stunning landscapes in Scotland, well we could say in the world, is Glencoe. And that is an absolute fact! I conduct private tours of Scotland, and travel all over this beautiful land to some of the most unbelievably stunning places. The landscape of Scotland has everything, from the serene rolling beauty of the lowlands to the epic landscapes of the North West Highlands. You can travel and tour it all and be in awe at its wonder, but believe me, you will arrive in Glencoe and it will take your breath away. To be in Glencoe, is a life affirming moment. It is a moment that when you arrive, you are glad you made the effort to travel here, whether it is to take some pictures, walk for the day, or stay a little longer. A visit to Glencoe will stay with you forever.
Glencoe lies in the Highlands of Scotland and is easily accessible from central Scotland. The glen (valley) is in one of the most striking due to the stunning and unique mountains on either side. Approaching from the south, you leave the expanse of Rannoch Moor, which offers endless views to the east, to be greeted by the stunning beauty of Buachaille Etive Mor, one of the most iconic mountains in Scotland. This mountain acts as the entry point to Glencoe, and as you go deeper into the glen, it narrows until you reach the most popular stopping point – The Three Sisters of Glencoe – Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach and Aonoah Dubh.
Glencoe is an ancient volcanic landscape, 420 million years old to be precise! Volcanic activity lasted here for about 5 million years and during this time, at least eight major volcanic eruptions occurred. Over the millions of years since, hundreds of metres of volcanic rock have been removed by huge glaciers, wind and rain; what we see today is a superb record of ancient volcanic eruptions.
Most of our tours of Scotland include Glencoe and after reading the above paragraphs, you can see why! The slight problem is that Glencoe attracts a lot of bus tours and is suffering from over tourism. There have been instances where you cannot get in to either of the car parks at the Three Sisters, as they are full to the brim! This also poses a problem to the fragile environment of this beautiful place. We have taken the decision to stop at alternative places in the glen, but in places that also affords beautiful views. This will make for a much more pleasurable experience for you the visitor, and also is in keeping with our Green Tourism credentials of staying off the beaten path.
We never like to follow the crowds and we are happy to say that we found a few stops we know you will love and stay forever in your memory.
On our trip of exploration, we found beautiful stopping points at Loch na h-Achlaise with amazing views of the mountains in the distance. We stopped at Buachaille Etive Mor where you can photograph one of Scotland’s favourite mountains. Our next task was to find an alternative to stopping at the Three Sisters car parks, and we are pleased to say we did. We found two actually! One involves an easy to moderate walk on a good path with outstanding views of the Glencoe valley. This path can take you further for a longer hike of you wish, and I must say it was very inviting, but we had other gems to find! The next viewpoint took us to a beautiful waterfall with a gorgeous wee pool hold crystal clear water. Further on from the pool and we are rewarded with the stunning views of the Three Sisters of Glencoe, and guess what? We had it all to ourselves! The pictures below will tell you the full story…
When you come on one of our tours, we always include the best sights, and as has been shown here on this short blog post, from places that are away from the tourist mass. Our private tours of Scotland have been recognised and awarded a gold award for Green Tourism. This due to our efforts in avoiding mass tourist sites and our work in supporting local businesses.
Green tourism | Eco tourism Scotland (jamescampbelltours.com)
Get in touch with us to discuss your next trip. We will take you to our favourite off the beaten track gems…
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