Our intrepid travel writer Virginia Bird has been on another adventure. This time exploring the mountains around Heart of Glencoe Holidays in Scotland. Read about how she got below.
Exploring Glencoe Lochan
It was raining heavily as we travelled along the beautiful coastal road from Oban to Glencoe. My idea of climbing a hill went out of the window and I decided a walk around Glencoe Lochan would fill a couple of hours between arriving and the hostel being open. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/glencoelochan.shtml.
This was an excellent choice. The woodland here was planted by Lord Strathcona, in an attempt to make his Canadian wife feel more at home in the Highlands; sadly this failed and the couple later emigrated to Canada. They are a beautiful mixture of trees with a lily pond, lots of accessible paths as well as some less accessible. They make a good choice for a dog walk as well as orienteering practice. The local orienteering club, Ecko, has a nice map of the area for this, available for members. https://www.ecko.org.uk. We had a good stroll around the three marked paths as well as some random exploration before heading to the hostel for a cuppa.
Friendship, warmth, and comfort at Glencoe Independent Hostel
Heart of Glencoe Holidays has a variety of options for accommodation and we had booked a room in The Alpine Bunkhouse. At the moment they are offering very good discounts to people booking one or two beds in a 4 bedded dorm and I was very happy not to share a room with strangers, but to have very affordable accommodation. The kitchen and dining area is fabulous, with a wonderful map.
Guided Trail Running with Girls on the Hills
On Sunday I had a day booked with Girls on Hills https://www.girlsonhills.com trail running in Glencoe. We parked at the foot of Buachaille Etive Beag opposite the beehive cairn and ran around The Two Lairigs https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/2-lairigs.shtml.
Back to the hostel for a well-earned cuppa and a bacon and egg sandwich (fresh from the chickens on site!) and a shower. We left lots of clothes in the drying room and it was all toasty by bedtime! Another walk down the road for a meal at the Clachaig Inn to replace the calories expended. A comfortable night at the hostel, this time talking with a German family of 5 travelling around Scotland.
Walking the Devil’s Staircase on the West Highland Way
After breakfast the following morning when we met the owner, and chatted again with the Germans before we set off to walk some of the West Highland Way ourselves. There’s an especially interesting section called The Devil’s Staircase https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=26838 which is very accessible if you’re driving the A82 towards Tyndrum as we were.
This came in useful for our conversations later on with Olly and daughter Kia (13) from Germany who were walking the West Highland Way. They needed some advice on shortening their days and using the bus to help them after wet conditions meant that camping wasn’t attractive anymore! After a mile walk to the Clachaig Inn, we cooked some dinner in the hostel and enjoyed chatting with Olly and Kia. I particularly liked the beds in the hostel which have custom-made shelving for charging phones, your book, and bits and bobs.
We practiced our river crossings, navigation, and footwork on wet and steep terrain. Some of the group ascended the Munro – Stob Coire Raineach – which gave us a rocky and short climb in the full force of the wind and rain. Despite the weather conditions, we had a great day out learning lots and gaining confidence.
And finally lunch at The Kingshouse
After getting wet and cold again on this we headed for The Kingshouse Hotel as my husband hadn’t been there and it’s a fine place for some RnR. We warmed up and had a good lunch before heading home. There is also an excellent bunkhouse here which is on the West Highland Way, and the hotel caters well to the different clientele that comes it’s way. Back home after a stimulating weekend away despite damp conditions, we enjoyed our time in the mountains. Glencoe has lots to offer in terms of short as well as more challenging hikes and runs, and there are guides available should you want some support.