Your home in the Highlands
Approaching from the south on the A82 over Rannoch Moor, you are greeted by the dark, majestic mountains of Glencoe. As you pass the buttresses of Meall a'Bhuiridh and catch your first real view of the towering Buachaille Etive Mor, the Great Shepherd of Etive, a shiver may run down your spine. A shiver of anticipation if you are here to climb, of sorrow if you recall the treacherous massacre with which Glencoe is forever associated, or, for first-time visitors, simply of awe as the mountains rise up to dominate your passage through the glen.
13 February 1692
The Massacre of Glencoe
Following his succession to the throne, William III required all the Highland clans to swear an oath of allegiance by 1 January 1692. The Jacobite clans of the west Highlands agreed, but MacIain of Glencoe, chief of a small branch of Clan Donald, left his journey too late and, sent first to Fort William and then on to Inveraray, managed to swear the oath only after the deadline had passed.
The government chose to make an example of the clan. Soldiers of the Earl of Argyll's Regiment, many of them Campbells, were sent to Glencoe and billeted with the MacDonalds for almost a fortnight, accepting their hosts' food and shelter. The order to fall upon them was signed on 12 February, and in the early hours of 13 February 1692 the soldiers turned on the people they had lived among. Around 38 of the MacDonalds were killed, MacIain among them, and more died of exposure as they fled into the snow.
The betrayal of hospitality was so grave that a later inquiry branded it "murder under trust", and it is by that name, and with a shiver, that Glencoe remembers it still.
Around the glen
Exploring the glen and its history
Ways to get under the skin of Glencoe, from the National Trust centre to the burial isle.
Glencoe Visitor Centre
In a spectacular setting on the banks of the River Coe, the National Trust for Scotland's visitor centre is the best introduction to the glen, with displays on its geology, wildlife and mountaineering, a shop, a cafe and a picnic area, and of course the full story of the massacre.
Eilean Munde, the burial isle
Just along from Glencoe village, in Loch Leven, lies the MacDonalds' ancient burial isle, Eilean Munde. You can walk among the gravestones and reflect on the aftermath of the massacre. In season, take care not to disturb the breeding terns, there is usually a notice on the island asking as much.
A drive down Glen Etive
An atmospheric diversion runs down the single-track road through Glen Etive, past the scattered settlement of Dalness to the sea loch at its foot. Film fans may recognise it as the road that featured in the James Bond film Skyfall.
Glencoe Mountain
For a bird's eye view, the chairlift at Glencoe Mountain climbs to around 2,400 feet in about fifteen minutes, with breathtaking panoramas at the top. In winter it is one of Scotland's leading ski resorts, and the Museum of Scottish Skiing and Mountaineering is worth a look whatever the season.
Ballachulish and its slate
The nearby village of Ballachulish tells the story of its slate quarries, which once roofed buildings across Britain, through interpretive displays at the local information centre.
Kinlochleven and 'The Aluminium Story'
At the head of Loch Leven, where the West Highland Way arrives from Glasgow, Kinlochleven relates another chapter of the area's surprising industrial past in its exhibition, 'The Aluminium Story'.
