Kinlochleven

Kinlochleven is a small village situated about 20 miles from Fort William.

To get there from Glencoe, the road takes you through some fine scenery, overlooking loch leven and surrounded by wild mountainous landscapes. The village itself lacks of interest. The only features there are the Atlas brewery and the Ice factor, featuring an indoor ice climbing wall.
The main interest there are the scenic surroundings and the walks.
The village is the last stop on the West highland way before Fort William.
Walks to do there include the last portion of the West Highland way, the grey mare's tail waterfall(short walk through woodland), and some of the mamores.(series of munros, for fitter walkers ) Here are a few pictures taken in the woodland near the village and the village itself.

The village(1)

Walk to the waterfall

The village(2)

Grey mare's tail waterfall

A crisp summer morning in Glencoe

The following pictures were taken near Loch Achtriotan, early in the morning, from the roadside.
Glencoe is great in all weather, some say it is at its most dramatic in poor weather, which lets you with an impression of what the fleeing people after the massacre might have felt, but as far as I am concerned, the views are most magnificient on a day like this.

Walk up the Pap of Glencoe

The Hill itself.

The Pap of Glencoe is a very recognizable hill at the North end of the Glen, towering above Glencoe village. At 742m, it is not classified as a Munro but a Graham. Nonetheless, it is still a fine hill to climb with great views throughout and a pleasant scramble at the top.

Great views from the summit of the Pap of Glencoe

The walk up to the Pap of Glencoe starts from the end of Glencoe village, there is some parking space just before a bridge. This is a nice walk up a famous hill which has an ideal position, with views over to the Glen itself, Kinlochleven and the Mamores, and towards Loch Linnhe and the West. The views are great all the way up but get nicer when you reach the foot of the conical summit. Views then open towards Loch Leven and the Mamores. The Mamores are a collection of summits separating Glen Nevis from Kinlochleven, most of them Munroes (over 3000feet/914metres) joined together by a ridge.

Difficulty and advice

There is no major difficulty even though the path is quite steep and muddy in places. There is a small burn to cross at the start of the walk.
The final climb up to the summit is quite steep and some scrambling is required.
Good care should be taken on the way back down. From the top. Needless to say that good solid hillwalking shoes are required. Despite its height at 742m only, it is a good serious walk for fit walkers. I enjoyed it very much, the best part was that I only met two other walkers that day. Try setting off early in the morning to get some peace and quiet. Make sure you check out the weather forecast as well. The weather is very unpredictable in the area, what seems to be a nice sunny day ahead can turn into a very rainy one indeed. Make sure you set off with good waterproof clothing and a map or GPS. Hope you enjoy the pictures and the walk itself if you try it.

Pictures taken from the path up to the Pap of Glencoe

The Pap of Glencoe from Glencoe village

View down towards Ballachulish and the West(1)

View down towards Ballachulish and the West(2)

View down towards Ballachulish and the West(3)

From the summit, towards Glencoe

View from the summit, Ballachulish

View from the summit, the West

View from the summit, Loch Leven on the left

View towards Kinlochleven from near the summit

Approaching the summit

On the path, looking towards Glencoe

On the path, looking towards Glencoe(2)

On the path, looking towards Glencoe(3)

Views from Glencoe Lochan and Glencoe village towards Loch Leven

Glencoe is situated about 15 miles South of Fort William, in Lochaber( North West of Scotland ). It stretches from the shores of Loch Leven in the North to Rannoch Moor in the South. The Glen's dramatic sceneries, surrounded by impressive mountains, made its reputation as well as its history. The event that put Glencoe on Scottish history maps is the "massacre of Glencoe" which took place in 1692.

Find out more about the massacre of Glencoe with "wikipedia"

The Pap of Glencoe and Glencoe Lochan

Below are some pictures taken from Glencoe Lochan and Glencoe village. Access to Glencoe Lochan after crossing the village, turn left after the bridge. Nice easy walks start from there, the lochan is surrounded by woodland and the scenery is pleasant, nice for a morning walk.
There are three walks marked starting from the car park. They all take you around the lochan and through nice woodland. The levels differ in the lenght.
The Pap of Glencoe ( 742m )is probably the most famous hill in the Glen, its conical shape visible from the North is present in many photographs and postcards representing Glencoe.

The Pap of Glencoe from Glencoe Lochan(1)

The Pap of Glencoe from Glencoe Lochan(2)



View from the lochan towards the hills of Glencoe(1)

View from the lochan towards the hills of Glencoe(2)

Loch Leven from Glencoe village

Glencoe village and the visitor center

Glencoe village

Glencoe village is on the southern shore of Loch Leven, mainly just a long narrow street. Just outside the village, one can find the monument dedicated to the fallen Macdonalds of Glencoe during the 1692 massacre. A small folk museum is the sole attraction in the village, which relies more on the beautiful surrounding mountains to attract visitors.

The monument to the Macdonalds of Glencoe

Museum in Glencoe village

Museum in Glencoe villageGlencoe village church

Glencoe visitor center

A few miles South of Glencoe village is the visitor center, part of the National Trust for Scotland, set in fine woodland, with views over to the pass of Glencoe. The visitor center presents an exhibition (£5 for an adult) about the area's history and nature. There is also a small cafe.

The pass of Glencoe from the visitor center

The pass of Glencoe from the visitor center(2)

The pass of Glencoe from the visitor center(3)

See pictures of Ben Nevis, Glen Nevis and Glenfinnan