Glencoe, Pap of Glencoe and Signal Rock

Today Glencoe village sits comfortably at the foot of the wild and dramatic glen, with Loch Leven beside it. The village has its own museum, the North Lorne and Glencoe Folk Museum, sited in an old thatched cottage with displays showing what life was like here in past centuries.

The main village street leads the eye along and upwards to the Pap of Glencoe, a cone-shaped hill set between the glen and fjord-like waters of the loch. The best views of the pap are from the shores of this sea loch, and from the summit the summit of Ben Nevis can be seen to the north. From the village, follow the road up towards the pap and after turning from eastbound to southeast keep going a mile or so to reach the point where a path on the left leads from the road up to the pap, climbing to the summit and returning via the same way.

Following the climb to the pap and on the return to the road, continue following the road southeast. In the heart of the glen is the Clachaig, an old coaching inn. Running down to it is the huge cleft of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, otherwise the Clachaig Gully (first climbed in 1938). A footbridge over the River Coe leads to the National Trust for Scotland visitor centre where the history of the massacre and information on regional geology are at hand (including a visit to Signal Rock, a rocky hillock with commanding views of the glen).

On the return trip, following the gorgeous River Coe downstream and back towards the village, there is an opportunity to divert from the road and head through attractive woodland to Glencoe Hospital, featuring several forest trails and a lochan surrounded by rhododendrons and wild flowers.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot.