Glencoe and the Kingshouse

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Kingshouse Hotel, Glencoe

In March we had a wonderful long weekend at the Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe. As you can see (above) the weather was magnificent, which was a joy after the horrible journey north – rain, hail, poor visibilty, the lot. The pictures below don’t make the weather look awful enough – admittedly it was dry at this point, but it was incredibly cold with a wind that cut to the bone and almost prevented me standing upright. They were taken at a viewpoint on the A82 overlooking Loch Tulla with its Munro Memorial Cairn, built in 2000 and dedicated to the hundreds of lives lost climbing Scotland’s mountains. It also commemorates Sir Hugh Munro who died in 1919 – he published the Munro Tables of all Scottish peaks over 3000 feet, and Munro bagging is a popular sport to this day. Not for me – I’m happy to walk at low level and admire the peaks by looking up.

Munro Memorial Cairn
Loch Tulla
Munro Memorial Cairn

I soon forgot the weather when we got to our room and discovered the welcome pack. Slainte!

1881 gin
1881 gin

And how amazing to open the curtains in the morning to this view from the bedroom window.

View of Glencoe from Kingshouse Hotel

There was enough beauty just wandering the hotel grounds – and keeping out of the way of the resident deer. Despite notices warning you not to feed them, it was obvious people had because they always approached humans hopefully. We saw one person who ventured too close getting butted, so once John had got his photographs we backed off.

Glencoe at Kingshouse
Glencoe at Kingshouse
Glencoe at Kingshouse
Carving at Kingshouse
Kingshouse deer
Kingshouse deer
Kingshouse deer
Kingshouse Hotel, Glencoe
Kingshouse Hotel, Glencoe

As you can see from the gallery above, the hotel has been “extended” in recent years – more truthfully, it has been rebuilt with the old (18th century) hotel still tacked on the end. Now a bar, it was in use for a wedding while we were there, so we couldn’t see inside – but externally it hasn’t changed much over the years. Here it is today compared to the same spot in 1911 with the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club, taken from a display board in the Glencoe Visitor Centre.

Kingshouse Hotel, Glencoe
Ladies Scottish Climbing Club 1911

Not far from the hotel is Blackrock Cottage, home to the LSCC since 1947. It lies at the entrance to Glencoe at the foot of Meall a’Bhuiridh, and claims to be one of Scotland’s most photographed cottages. I can see why!

Blackrock Cottage, Glencoe

If you want to know more about the LSCC, which I found fascinating, zoom into some of the other Visitor Centre display boards about them below.

I can’t imaging hill-walking in that sort of gear, and kudos to the women who tried to replicate it for their centenary. Next time, I’ll tell you about the (much tamer) walks we did.

Scotland, UK ,

63 Comments »

  1. As you can see, it’s taking me a while to catch up with the emails that came in while I was on holiday!
    I think I’ve been to the KingsHouse hotel when looking for somewhere to stay when everywhere was full. So were they! I’ve certainly seen the BlackRock cottage before and I’m sure I saw a film of the ladies climbing some mountains in their heavy tweed skirts. I can’t imagine doing it now! They were indomitable then!
    Great photos, as always – and the light was wonderful 🙂

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  5. I looked up Glencoe on the map to get a sense of where you were. The information accompanying the map said this is in the Scottish Highlands, something the view from your hotel window makes clear.

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  7. I do enjoy your weekends away, Anabel, even though I couldn’t physically be there. That was certainly some welcome pack. Yes, I detest seeing wildlife being fed and visitors ignoring the advice from locals. Imagine tramping in those dresses, hard enough in pants.

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  8. That view was worth braving the cold! And isn’t it odd how many people ignore the signs they don’t want to see…. Feeding wildlife is never a good idea!

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  9. You were wise to steer clear of the deer! I never trust the ones in Richmond Park. I once went walking at night and ended up getting surrounded by a pack that was crossing the road, which was really scary. I could barely see them, but I could smell them, and they stank! Seeing them rutting and hearing the stories about dogs that try to chase them getting kicked to death is more than enough to put me off. It’s beautiful scenery, though the weather sounds grim.

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  10. Dad and I and a couple of friends walked the west Highland way back in the 90s. He was my age now and kudos to him. I remember Glencoe was delightful though the end which I think was called the Devil’s Stairs or some such pretty challenging fir all of us! The weather was quite so bonny either

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  11. Those mountains are plenty impressive! I would not go anywhere those deer. Yikes. That weather you described reminded me of driving the western coast of Norway. Brrr. Not pleasant.

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  13. Ah, that’s the Scottish weather for you!
    Looks beautiful there. After my Hebridean adventure I have an appetite to explore of the Highlands and Glencoe has to be on the list of options.
    p.s. I guess you don’t plan to enrol in the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club 😁

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  14. How beautiful this place is. You did have an amazing view. The deer have been fed and, when I was a kid, I got butted by one small deer and that was not fun. I was at Marineland for a school outing. The women who fought to have equal rights to men are on my hero list. I would never climb these mountains today never mind in such heavy gear.

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  15. “I’m happy to walk at low level and admire the peaks by looking up.”
    Me too! Or admire them in pictures in blogs! 😁

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  16. This place looks amazing! As if the views and welcome drinks aren’t enough- resident deer! Throw in a bit of female focused history and that’s a win.

    Speaking of Munro bagging, my husband mentioned that he’d like to do some of that if we get moved up to Scotland next year. And I just agreed thinking, oh hills and things. Lovely. Having actually looked into it, I’m hoping he’ll forget. Or find a friend to go with!

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  17. The lighting in Glencoe is always fantastic. I love seeing the way the light moves across the land and the way it makes all those white walls on buildings glow.

    I absolutely cannot imagine mountain climbing in that gear. Those ladies were clearly made of tough and determined stuff.

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  19. The Kingshouse looks much nicer than when we visited it last, just after being built with mostly newly constructed hollows, mud and gravel surroundings. The ponds make for good reflection shots. I’ve stayed in Blackrock cottage several times and camped wild on the Kingshouse island in mid river, near the old bridge in past decades. Happy youthful times.

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  21. Hi Anabel – amazing views aren’t they … and how interesting to read about the LSCC and the Blackrock cottage … congratulations on that Munro from your earlier more youthful years – not for me either … the best I did was at six months in a rucksack on my father’s back in the Lake District!! Useless hiker … but brilliant photos from John – sounds a happy excursion – cheers Hilary

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  24. That is most definitely what I call a view, Anabel! And I’ve never bagged a Munro in my life. Not even a tame one and there’s not much prospect now. A shame about the deer but they do make for a beautiful shot of the Highlands. 🤗💟

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  25. Wonderful location. The Kingshouse served a welcome bowl of hot soup when I was hiking the West Highland Way, not long after you were there. It was still bitterly cold!

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  28. The Kingshouse Hotel is in a lovely location and that view from the bedroom window is fabulous. I can imagine photos of Blackrock Cottage – without the sign – are on many postcards and calendars, it’s certainly very photogenic 🙂

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