Glencoe and The Proper Scotland

July 05, 2022

Glencoe and The Proper Scotland

Our car rental agent was happy to hear we would be getting out of Edinburgh and Glasgow. "Nice to hear you are going to the proper Scotland."

If you are taking a tour out of Edinburgh, there is a very good chance it will take you through "Glen Coe" Valley and you will learn about the "Glencoe" massacre. The words are used interchangeably so I will refer to the area as Glencoe. The valley has spectacular Highland scenery and loads of outdoor activities.

Driving through breathtaking Glen Coe Valley along A82 from the Bridge of Orchy to the Village of Glencoe takes 30 minutes (if you don't stop). By far the most popular stop is The Three Sisters (Bidean nam Bian Mountain) pull off.

This narrow valley is where the bloody massacre of the MacDonald's took place in 1692. It's a complicated tale of clan politics and betrayal. The simplified version is this: Thinking they were on the same side from a recently sworn alliance, the MacDonald Clan hosted the king's soldiers for 10 days before the soldiers killed all of them in the middle of the night.

Instead of stopping to enjoy one of the many hikes, we drove Glen Etive road, a single track, dead-end road said to be one of the most scenic roads in Scotland. (If we had taken a hike in Glen Coe, it would have been to either Steall Waterfall or Signal Rock.)

We only went along Glen Etive Road as far as the viewpoint from the James Bond Skyfall movie, but you can drive all the way to the lake at the end. To drive along Glen Etive Road, at the foot of Buachaille Etive Mor, turn left and drive through Glen Etive all the way to Loch Etive.

You can't miss Glen Etive Road – everyone stops here to take a picture of Scotland Buachaille Etive Mor, the most photographed mountains in Scotland.

View along Glen Etive Road

Before driving to Skyfall, Bond and M make a stop here

Since Fort William was along our route, we stopped there to pick up a take away lunch. Fort William is a popular area. Before I added York to our itinerary, we had a night there. There are tons of lodgings in the area - and they all book up! The area is full of things to do, mostly outdoor activities. Popular Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain, is near the town of Fort William.

Fort William near Ben Nevis is the "Outdoor Capital of the UK", the second largest town in Highlands and the main town in Lochaber.

We were on a tight schedule today so we wouldn't miss the day's highlight. We arrived at the Glenfinnan visitor's center / parking lot over an hour early. After we walked up to the viaduct and snagged our spot, we ate our sandwiches while we waited.

Glenfinnan Viaduct is an iconic scene for any Harry Potter fans. Built in the 1890s, this railroad viaduct was the first structure in Britain to be built with mass concrete. It is 100 ft tall and is composed of 21 impressive arches.

The giant curving Glenfinnan Viaduct is 100 feet tall

And now we wait

Watching the Jacobite steam train (aka Hogwarts Express) cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct is super cool!

The crowds there to watch the train pass by - both parking lots were completely full

Tips to see the Jacobite steam train cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct:

Check the current timetables here: https://westcoastrailways.co.uk/jacobite/timetables
Arrive to the parking lot at least 30-45 minutes ahead; it gets very crowded; both lots were full when we got back down
Generally the higher up the path the better the view, but it depends. We didn't go high at all.
Bring midge spray, just in case
Careful when you are reading instructions on what time to arrive because weekends have a different schedule. We saw the train cross on a weekday at 1:27 pm.
Don't go to the wrong viewpoint. You want Glenfinnan Viaduct Viewpoint (out the back of the parking lot), not the Glenfinnan Viewpoint (behind the visitor's center).

The view of the viaduct from Glenfinnan Viewpoint is too far away to watch the train pass

Glenfinnan Viewpoint has a great view of the Glenfinnan Monument

The Glenfinnan Monument, now over 200 years old, honors the Scottish soldiers who fought and died in the Jacobite Rebellion of the 18th century. It represents the Raising of the Standard (flag) on August 19, 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie brought the clans together at Glenfinnan to fight the English for his right to the crown.

Eilean Donan Castle, along the route somewhat near the bridge to Skye, is recognized as one of the most iconic images of Scotland all over the world. Though Bishop Donan chose the spot in 634AD, the current castle is actually less than a century old.

Eilean Donan Castle is a Scottish icon and probably the most photographed fortress in all of Scotland

Portree, the hub of Skye, is chaos. Almost everyone we met so far on our trip was headed to Isle of Skye … it is the busiest the locals have ever seen it. You for sure have to make dinner reservations if you want to eat out. Portree is the only city outside of Edinburgh that we've seen anything open past 5:30 pm. It is also our most expensive lodging outside of Edinburgh.