08 Sep East of the Glen, Glen Coe
A few miles of east of the Glencoe proper is the base station for the Glencoe Mountain Resort where commercial skiing in Scotland first began back in 1956. The Lodge Café Bar has comfy sofas where you can soak up the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The chairlift continues to operate in summer, there’s a grand view over the Moor of Rannoch from the top station – and provides access to a downhill mountain – biking track. In winter a lift pass costs £25 a day an equipment to hire is £20 a day.
Two miles west of the ski centre, a minor road leads along peaceful and beautiful Glen Etive, which runs south west for 12 miles to the head of Loch Etive. On a hot summers day the River Etive contains many tempting pools for swimming in, and there are lots of good picnic sites.
The remote Kings House Hotel claims to be one of Scotland’s oldest licenced inns, dating from the 17th century. It lies on the old military road from Stirling to Fort William, and after the Battle of Culloden it was used as a Hanoverian Garrison – hence the name. The hotel serves good pub grub – its famous for its haggis, neeps, and tatties (haggis, mashed turnip and mashed potato), and has long been a meeting place for climbers, skiers and hill walkers. The lounge has a picture window with a stupendous view of Buachaille Etive Mor, a great place to site and enjoy the scenery with a glass of malt whiskey.
This area is full of spectacular scenery which is worth a visit on your tours of Scotland.