Where jagged ridges meet brooding glens and Scotland's most photogenic peak stands guard, Glencoe is the Highland basecamp that delivers drama, history, and world-class scrambling.
13th October 2025 | Words by Matt Jones | Photos as credited
Ben Nevis may be Scotland's highest point, but for sheer visual drama, Buachaille Etive Mor ain’t half bad either. This pyramidal sentinel of rock looms over the head of Glen Etive, en route to Glencoe, like something from a fantasy epic, stopping West Highland Way hikers and road-trippers dead in their tracks.
Its Scottish Gaelic name means the 'Great Herdsman of Etive', though its pronunciation has been mangled by English tongues for decades. Still, stand at its foot on Rannoch Moor and you'll understand why this mountain, not Ben Nevis, graces half the postcards in Scotland. But the real magic happens when you climb it. Suddenly, the entire Glen Coe landscape unfolds – a savage playground of knife-edge ridges, hanging valleys, and peaks that have tested mountaineers for generations. The Big Buachaille offers two Munros and proper scrambling, but it's just the appetiser. This valley serves up routes for every ambition: from gentle riverside rambles to the Aonach Eagach, perhaps mainland Scotland's most celebrated ridge scramble.
When the weather turns dreich (and it probably will, since this is Scotland, after all), there's canyoning at Onich, indoor ice climbing in Kinlochleven, or the legendary Clachaig Inn's drying room and real ales. Good luck fitting it all into a weekend...
Great walks from Glen Coe
Glencoe isn't just a pretty face – it's one of Scotland's most versatile mountain playgrounds. The valley sits in the middle of it all: the serrated climbing-frame ridge of Aonach Eagach to the north, the Three Sisters (Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach, and Aonach Dubh) brooding to the south, and Buachaille Etive Mòr standing guard at the eastern entrance.
What makes this place special isn't just the drama, it's the sheer variety packed into such a small area. Technical scrambles that'll test your nerve, valley walks through ancient clan hideouts, classic ridge traverses, and hidden corries that feel like stepping into another world.
The practicalities work in your favour too. The A82 runs straight through, the National Trust for Scotland visitor centre provides essential intel, and you've got everything from wild camping to mountain bothies to proper hotels. Multiple Munros, year-round conditions, and enough routes to fill a lifetime of weekends.
Buachaille Etive Mor
Let's not mess about – the Buachaille is a serious undertaking. This isn't just a mountain; it's a five-mile rocky spine that rises and falls over 500 vertical feet, delivering a proper Highland ridge experience with all the exposure, scrambling, and leg-burning ascents that entails.
The route is a geological rollercoaster: steep rocky climbing out of Coire na Tulaich, four summit tops including two Munros (Stob Dearg at 3,353ft being the crown jewel), and a scrambly descent that demands total concentration. You'll traverse boulder fields, navigate exposed ridge sections, and drink in sweeping views across desolate Rannoch Moor.
Start from the Altnafeadh layby, bag Stob Dearg, continue along the ridge to the second Munro (Stob na Bròige), then turn around and descend via the southwest shoulder of Coire Altrium. The return through Lairig Gartain means squelching through peat hags to reach the A82, but by then you'll be too exhilarated to care. Expect to arrive back in Glencoe utterly knackered and completely buzzing.
The Pap of Glencoe
Standing at the western gateway to Glen Coe, where the River Coe spills into Loch Leven, the Pap (Sgorr na Ciche in Gaelic – yes, it means 'peak of the breast') punches well above its weight. This distinctive cone might be a relative tiddler compared to its neighbours, but the views from the summit are absolutely spectacular.
A reasonably fit hillwalker can knock this out in under five hours, making it perfect for a half-day adventure. Don't let the modest stats fool you though, as the terrain still demands respect. The ascent from the road between Glencoe village and the Clachaig Inn follows a rough pebble path to the bealach (saddle), climbing steeply through boggy ground before finishing with an untidy boulder scramble to the summit.
Save this one for a clear day and you'll be rewarded with panoramic views across Loch Leven to the Mamores, the Ballachulish narrows, and the length of Glen Coe itself. It's one of the finest viewpoints in the Highlands, earned with just a few hours of honest effort.
Aonach Eagach Ridge
The Aonach Eagach needs no introduction – its reputation arrives long before you do. This is, without question, one of Britain's finest scrambles, a knife-edge traverse so narrow it makes Crib Goch look like a pavement. The mainland's thinnest ridge, they say, and it lives up to the hype whether that excites or terrifies you.
Graded as a summer scramble (winter transforms it into something altogether more serious), this route demands more than a decent head for heights and a few hill days. You'll negotiate rocky chimneys, exposed slab traverses, jutting pinnacles, and technical downclimbs. It's long, committing, and offers virtually no escape routes once you're committed, which means you need to be absolutely certain before you start.
The ridge runs east to west, finishing conveniently at the Clachaig Inn for a well-deserved pint. If you've got the skills and nerve to tackle Aonach Eagach, it'll be one of those days you remember for the rest of your life – the kind of adventure that reminds you exactly why you got into mountains in the first place.
Bidean Nam Bian
While Bidean nam Bian is technically listed as a Munro top, the name actually refers to the entire sprawling massif dominating Glen Coe's south side. It’s a complex landscape of crags, corries, ridges, and summits that could occupy serious hillwalkers for weeks.
Most visitors focus on bagging the two Munros: Bidean Nam Bian itself and Stob Coire Sgreamhach. But these high summits hide behind the northern ridges – aka the Three Sisters – which extend like massive buttresses from the main massif.
The classic approach follows Coire Gabhail, the Hidden Glen or Lost Valley, which cuts southwest between Beinn Fhada and Gearr Aonach. This hanging valley, perched high above the main glen, once served as a hideout where Clan Macdonald concealed their livestock, whether legitimately owned or "acquired" from rival clans.
It's worth exploring for the history alone, but the scenery is the real draw. Expect rocky paths, scree sections, and the odd scramble, with steep, loose descents requiring careful footwork. The Lost Valley lives up to its name: a hidden world of dramatic cliffs and Highland legend.
Getting there
From the south, the A82 across Rannoch Moor delivers one of Scotland's most spectacular drives straight to Glencoe itself. The nearest train station is Fort William (17 miles away), with Citylink buses connecting to Glencoe village.
Where to stay
Clachaig Inn
This legendary coaching inn has earned cult status among climbers and hillwalkers. Twenty-three B&B rooms, three bars usually packed with like-minded adventurers, and a food menu designed for mountain-sized appetites. Clachaig Inn
Glencoe Youth Hostel
Alpine-style dorms, private rooms, and deluxe glamping pods run by the SYHA. In other words, proper mountain hostel vibes without sacrificing comfort. hostellingscotland.org.uk
Red Squirrel Campsite
Twenty acres of meadow and woodland on a working farm, including an isolated island pitch for ultimate wild camping vibes. Red Squirrel Campsite
Eating and drinking
Clachaig Inn
So unmissable that it’s worth mentioning twice. Perfect post-mountain refuelling spot with proper Scottish pub atmosphere and ales to match.
The Glencoe Gathering
Elevated chippy meets all-day café and bistro. Solid food, warming drams, and the kind of place that hits the spot after a big day out.
Insider info
Want to sound like a local? Casually drop a few of these little facts into conversation with your mates or partner as you hike, scramble and saunter your way around Glencoe...
Buachaille Etive Mor's photogenic profile has appeared in Braveheart and Harry Potter, and provided the brooding backdrop for James Bond’s tumultuous Highland homecoming in Skyfall.
The valley's beauty hides a dark history. In 1692, during a blizzard, the Campbells betrayed the MacDonalds and murdered them in their sleep – an event that became known as the infamous Massacre of Glencoe. The Clachaig Inn's door still carries a tongue-in-cheek sign: "No hawkers or Campbells."
Glen Coe is a conservation hotspot for rare Alpine wildflowers. Watch for red deer, pine martens, otters, and even wildcats. Lucky visitors might even spot a golden eagle soaring overhead.
The annual Glen Coe Skyline race blends mountain running with technical alpinism in a fearsome test that's attracted legends like Kilian Jornet and Jasmin Paris.
