Glencoe and the Kingshouse
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.
I soon forgot the weather when we got to our room and discovered the welcome pack. Slainte!
And how amazing to open the curtains in the morning to this view from the bedroom window.
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.
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.
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!
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.
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
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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Thanks, the light was certainly amazing. I can’t imagine walking to the shops in a skirt, never mind climbing a mountain!
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Wow what a view to wake up to. Such a beautiful place to stay
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It certainly was!
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Hello
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Amazing views of the mountains in that clear air. It could almost be the Rockies!
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Last time we saw the Rockies they were shrouded in smoke from fires – so Scotland is clearer!
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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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Yes, Glencoe is well into the highlands. The highland boundary fault cuts across Scotland diagonally, upwards from west to east, so on the west coast it is not far north of Glasgow and we can get to the hills quite quickly.
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That does look like a gorgeous place to stay – with a beautiful view and that welcome package you must have been thrilled.
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You are correct on all counts! They distill the gin at one of the other hotels in the group so a stay there might well be on the agenda.
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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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That was the best welcome pack ever! Feeding wildlife is foolhardy, as is – in my opinion, but the Ladies obviously disagreed – climbing mountains in long skirts.
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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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It was certainly worth the cold (though I would have been less impressed had the rain continued). I think these deer were relatively tame but I still wouldn’t have wanted to get close to them!
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