Glencoe Lochan – Lochan Trail, Turf House and Hot Chocolate
About 1.5 miles on foot.
Glencoe Lochan is a still little loch in the woods above Glencoe village, with the peak of the Pap of Glencoe mirrored in its water and wooden platforms reaching out over it.
The path round it is short, flat and wide, just right for small legs and pushchairs. Afterwards, the Glencoe Visitor Centre down the road has a warm café, a turf house to peer into and things for children to do.
- Time
- Half an hour to an hour on the Lochan Trail, with time on the platforms.
- The path
- The Lochan Trail is wide and firm, graded Easy for now rather than all abilities.
- Where to start
- Forestry and Land Scotland's car park at the lochan: £1 for up to an hour or £3 all day, by card or RingGo; Blue Badge holders free. The tarred drive in is not suitable for motorhomes.
- When to go
- The lochan is open ground all year, best in daylight; the visitor centre and its café open every day from 9.30am, except 24 to 26 and 31 December and 1 January.
- Dogs
- No site rule published; keep dogs close by the water.
- Children
- Open, deep water beside the path, with wooden platforms out over it.
- Toilets
- None at the lochan: the nearest public toilets are in Glencoe village.
- Before you set out
- The Lochan Trail is 1.6 km (a mile), easy: a wide, firm, smooth path, generally flat with short gentle slopes and rest points; at the far end a stretch up to 3 metres long may be under water after heavy rain.
The walk
For Glencoe Lochan, go through Glencoe village, over the humpback bridge, and take the lane on the left to the Forestry and Land Scotland car park at the end. It costs £1 for up to an hour or £3 for the day, by card or RingGo, and the lane isn't suitable for motorhomes. The Lochan Trail is a mile round the water on a wide, firm path, mostly flat, with benches to rest on.
Wooden platforms reach out over the lochan, and on a still day the Pap of Glencoe is mirrored in it. The tall North American trees round it were planted in the 1890s by Lord Strathcona, for his homesick Canadian wife, the story goes. In very wet weather a short stretch at the far end can be under water.
There are picnic tables but no toilets here; the nearest are in the village. The water is deep beside the path, so hold small hands on the platforms.
If it rains
In light rain the Lochan Trail is still a pleasure under the trees. On a really wet morning, keep the walk short and give more of the morning to the visitor centre, where the exhibition and the café are under a roof.
Afterwards
8 min by car
Glencoe Visitor Centre
An attraction
Then it's 8 minutes' drive back through the village and a mile up the main road to the Glencoe Visitor Centre, run by the National Trust for Scotland. Its car park is charged (pay at the machine), and free to members. Inside, an exhibition tells the story of the glen, with activities for children, and a short gravel path outside leads to a rebuilt turf house, thatched and low-roofed, of the kind families in the glen once lived in. It's all step free, with toilets. The centre is shut on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January.
The Highland Coo Café
A drink
The hot chocolate is waiting inside the visitor centre, so there is no more driving. The Highland Coo Café is a self-service café open every day from 9.30am to 4pm, serving hot chocolate, soup, sandwiches, hot food and home baking, with high chairs for little ones. You don't need to book. It's step free, and dogs on a lead are welcome inside the centre. It is shut on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Woodlands Glencoe, 4 miles away. Sleeps 2.
