Lochaber

The Walks of Glencoe – Lost Valley, Signal Rock and Memorial

A day by car, from Glencoe and back.

The route

This day strings four walks along Glencoe, each a few minutes' drive from the last.

It begins and ends in Glencoe village, on the shore of Loch Leven. One walk is hard: the rough climb to the Lost Valley, the hollow among the Three Sisters where the MacDonalds are said to have hidden cattle. The rest are easy going: the woodland paths of An Torr, the grounds of the National Trust for Scotland's visitor centre, with its turf house, and the village street. Through all of it runs 13 February 1692, when soldiers lodged in the glen turned on the MacDonalds who had housed them.

Before you go

Book a bed near Glencoe
The day starts and ends in Glencoe village, and there are not many beds between the glen, Ballachulish and Kinlochleven for the number of people who come, so book as soon as your dates are set.
The nearest of ours is Woodlands Glencoe, 3 miles away. Sleeps 2.

The day

Glencoe

Set off from Glencoe village by half past eight and head up the glen, where the morning climbs to the Lost Valley. Lunch is at the Clachaig Inn, with the woodland walk to Signal Rock after it. The afternoon comes back down the glen to the visitor centre and ends on the village street, at the memorial cross, about eight hours after it began.

25 min at the wheelAbout 12 miles by carAbout 5.5 miles on foot

The Lost Valley
An attraction
It's 10 minutes' drive up the glen to the Three Sisters car park. The path drops from the old road by metal steps to a bridge over the River Coe. The path beyond is steep and rocky, beside a gorge, with a short scramble and a burn, or stream, with no bridge before Coire Gabhail, the Lost Valley. Allow two to three hours there and back, and leave it in snow or after heavy rain. With young children, keep to the car park's view and go on to An Torr.
More about The Lost Valley
5 min by car
Signal Rock and An Torr
It's 5 minutes' drive back down the glen to the An Torr car park. Lunch comes first: the Clachaig Inn is 8 minutes' walk away, over the footbridge across the River Coe, and serves food from midday. From the inn, paths lead west through the wood to Signal Rock and round to the car park. The story goes that a fire was lit on the rock to begin the killing of 1692, though no account written at the time says so. Allow an hour to an hour and a half.
5 min by car
Glencoe Visitor Centre
An attraction
Drive 5 minutes to the National Trust for Scotland's visitor centre, free to go in, for the story of 13 February 1692. Soldiers of the Earl of Argyll's Regiment had lodged with the MacDonalds for about a fortnight when, ordered to strike at five that morning, they killed about 30 of their hosts. Sir John Dalrymple, the Master of Stair, pressed for the order and King William signed it. Outside stands a turf house, opened in 2022 on the plan of one excavated up the glen, and the centre has a café inside.
More about Glencoe Visitor Centre
5 min by car
Glencoe village
An attraction
Glencoe village, where the River Coe runs out into Loch Leven, is 5 minutes' drive on. Leave the car in the small village car park, beside the mountain rescue team's base, and the rest of the day is on foot. The main street leads east past the heather-thatched cottages of the Glencoe Folk Museum, closed for rebuilding, so one to admire from the pavement. The village was one of the MacDonalds' settlements in 1692, and its eastern end is Upper Carnoch.
More about Glencoe village
11 min on foot
The Massacre of Glencoe memorial
It's 11 minutes' walk along the village street, past the war memorial, to Upper Carnoch, where a tapering Celtic cross has stood since 1883 in memory of the MacDonalds who died. Some accounts give 38 dead; historians now say about 30. Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon led the soldiers on written orders from his superiors, and the tale of a clan feud comes from Macaulay's History of England, whose Glencoe chapter was published in 1855. The same street leads back to the car, another 11 minutes.

If it rains

The Lost Valley is a dry-day walk. After heavy rain its burn can't be crossed and the rock in the gorge is slippery, so leave it for another visit. Start at the visitor centre instead, where the exhibition, the shop and the café are under a roof, then put on waterproofs for An Torr's woodland paths, and dry off by the fire at the Clachaig. Glencoe Lochan, just beyond the village, is a good wet-weather walk too.

Worth a detour

Glencoe Lochan
Drive on through the village, over the hump-back bridge, and take the second left through the barrier to Forestry and Land Scotland's car park, which charges £1 for up to an hour or £3 for the day and isn't suitable for motorhomes. The Lochan Trail is a mile of wide, firm path round a small loch among tall trees, about half an hour, and a gentle way to end the day if your legs have any walking left in them.