Anderspluscindy

With much anticipation, we are going to explore Glencoe today! This is the place that represents Scotland and its way of living. The beauty of Scotland is always being featured in movies such as Skyfall, Harry Potter and Braveheart, and now, it’s finally our turn to see it in person! 

13th May 2017

08:00 | Breakfast at Huntingtower Lodge with the view of Loch Linnhe
Such a pleasure to have our breakfast in the dining area beside the huge windows that overlook Loch Linnhe. The friendly host, Chris, shared with us some information such as the weather and gave us suggestions on what route we can take for the day! 

10:00 | Scenic drive along A82 road
During the drive, we were completely blown away by the epic landscape with the mountains and rivers along the never-ending road. Everywhere looks so picture-perfect that we had to stop by the roadside numerous times with the hope of capturing down the amazing view.

11:00 | Search for the Blackrock Cottage near Glencoe Mountain
Before the trip, we saw many Glencoe photos featuring the Blackrock cottage. It is located on the access road towards the Glencoe mountain ski area. Little did we know, there are actually people living in the cottage. So we only took a few photos from a distance so as not to disturb the residents’ privacy.

The white cottage sitting against the majestic Buachaille Etive Mòr mountain is indeed very photogenic. However, we also spotted many other isolated cottages along the drive that looks equally nice. So our advice for you is to look for photo spots elsewhere if this place is not along your planned route.

12:00 | An adventure into Glen Etive 
Sky was clear when we began our drive on the narrow single track road that meanders down Glen Etive towards the head of Loch Etive. We were greeted by the pristine scenery of Glen Etive with river flowing and mountain top hiding amid the clouds. It’s as if we had been teleported into a surreal world!

The drive was really lovely until one point where we felt like we were driving to nowhere in the rain. There was no phone signal for us to check our location and how far are we from the end of the road. Despite the uncertainty, we still drove on and finally reached the end of the road. So happy to finally reach the head of Loch Etive after feeling lost! 

The superb view there totally screamed “Scotland!”. We saw two paddlers back from their canoeing trip and they were picked up by their family whom we had a chat with. There were also people camping near the loch. Lucky us, we spotted a few wild deers by the roadside during our drive back!

This was a much longer drive than we expected, with us clocking in 28 miles for a round trip. Do note that this is a single lane road with passing places at almost every 100 yards, hence we had pull over our car several times to allow cars of opposite direction to pass through. This drive was definitely not easy and we suffered slightly from carsick due to the frequent stopping at passing place. But I am thankful that Anders overcame it. He’s the best (and only) driver of our trip!

16:00 | Late lunch at The Glencoe Gathering
Passed by The Three Sisters of Glencoe – Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach and Aonach Dubh mountains along our way to the nearby restaurant. We were feeling very cold and hungry after drive in Glen Etive, so we did quick search online to find this cosy place full of Scottish charm coming from the staff and decor. 

18:00 | View the Castle Stalker from The Old Inn 
Last stop of the day is to go view Castle Stalker from afar. We parked our car near The Old Inn and walked down a short footpath to the viewpoint. The wind was very chilling that evening, so we could only stay for awhile to take some pictures. Castle Stalker is truly stunning! The weather, casting a grey sky, added a nice background to the isolated castle.

19:00 | Dinner at Lochleven Seafood Cafe 
Lochleven Seafood Cafe was recommended by Chris and we made a reservation before heading down as it’s quite a small restaurant with limited seatings. The seafood here is very fresh and affordable. We ordered fresh oysters, small pot of Mussels cooked in wine and fish of the day. Two thumbs up and we strongly recommend you to eat here!

It has been a very adventurous day for us! Went back to admire the sights and sounds of Loch Linnhe just outside our B&B followed by a very restful night.

Scotland is really beautiful.

You can read up on the rest of our 17 days’ adventure in Scotland and England here