Falling in Love with Scotland Part 3: Adventuring Glencoe!

After returning from my travels to the UK, people asked where I would revisit if the opportunity arose. If money and life allowed, I would never tire of visiting Glencoe, our portal to all things idyllic about Scotland. It is romantic in the truest sense of the word.

I long to visit places
my heart
craves to visit again.

**Disclaimer: This is simply my account of what I loved about Glencoe, not a travelog of all its wonderful activities, even though there are enough to fill a lifetime.

My pictures don’t reveal all the majesty of Glencoe.

I often forget details after a trip, but I won’t forget feeling fortunate to visit this stunning place.

Strath Lodge was the perfect scenic B&B stay.

*This is not a paid endorsement. If you’re visiting, check out Strath Lodge’s website.

Strath Lodge

We loved that the natural amphitheater of Glencoe is not commercialized, meaning the landscape is not burdened with the sight of hotels and restaurants and buildings.

Because we know where we stay accentuates our experience of an area, my husband and I wanted to be in the heart of the valley.

Strath Lodge felt secluded, tucked in the serene setting of stunning mountains, but it’s actually a short stroll from the village of Glencoe. We enjoyed relaxing at beautiful Strath Lodge, although we attempted to spend as much time outside as possible. Tucked along a forested single road, this meticulous and architecturally modern designed home complements the majesty of the surrounding mountain landscape.

Glencoe views inspire you to wander.

Hard working hosts Dawn and Laurence are warm, welcoming, and engaging. They offered tips on lovely hikes, drives, and restaurants, all things I expect from a great B&B. We had a few spots of rain (you probably will too when you visit), so Dawn even offered a place to dry wet shoes and coats. Spacious ensuite rooms with king-sized beds and a couch.

Strath Lodge hosts Dawn, Laurence, and Meg are big adventurers.

For a day exploring in the highlands, a hearty breakfast is a must. There were plenty of delicious breakfast choices, but the second morning I looked forward to another large bowl of scrumptious porridge. (I’m Scottish by heritage, but I’m not an any kind of sausage, haggis, or baked beans for breakfast kind of girl.) What could be so good about porridge? It’s just oatmeal, after all, right? I wondered about that myself as I offered my compliments to the chef (Laurence).

Laurence’s yummy porridge makes Glencoe all the more wonderful.

I must brag that after forty-five days of travel throughout the UK, it remained the best I’d ever had, anywhere. I emailed Dawn for the secret recipe. I haven’t perfected it yet, but I’m trying.

I tried Dawn and Laurence’s recipe and got close. Nothing beats theirs.

Try the recipe yourself if you can’t get your own at Strath Lodge.

• 125ml of rolled porridge oats
• Lots of full cream milk (not cream)

Put your oats in a pan, cover with milk, add a pinch of sugar, and soak overnight in the fridge. Cook on a low heat until it begins to simmer, and then add milk. Keep repeating that for approximately 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until you have a lovely creamy consistency. Serve in warm bowls.

They topped their porridge with honey and blueberries. I haven’t perfected it to their standard yet, (I don’t know if it’s the honey, the milk, the oats, or the cook), but my oatmeal is 100% better! Try it or better yet, stay at their lodge and experience it for yourself.

On an equally scrumptious note, if you’re lucky, you’ll also get to meet bubbly Meg, their cute border collie. For a dog lover like me, she was a treat.

Every trail was a scenic walk.

Thistle is the national flower of Scotland.

Glencoe is the essence of natural beauty, begging us to hike and pause to take it in. This place draws you in with its cozy, at-home feeling, I can’t quite put into words.

Somewhere in Glencoe

The Orbital Trail was literally just outside the Strath Lodge. We could also walk fifteen minutes to a nearby Red Shed Pizza (bridge over the River Coe), picnic outside, get a handsome picture of my husband, and take in the sunset as we walked along Loch Leven.

Flirting with my husband at the Red Shed Pizza.

My husband looks good in Glencoe.

A very short drive from our B&B, we visited the Glencoe National Nature Reserve, hiked a few trails, and saw a 300-year-old turf and creel house.

Orbital Trail

Orbital Trail landscape

From our bed and breakfast, we walked to lunch at the Clachaig Inn, legendary for its music vibe, and returned to enjoy an evening of Scottish music in one of its three pubs.

If Sam Heughan (Outlander) ate and snagged a picture in this famous inn, I certainly should.

Clachaig Inn was a filming location for Hagrid’s Hut in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.(Sets were removed.)

We walked! And absorbed as much as possible at that pace.

Quite a bit of maneuvering is required to accommodate two cars on some roads.

Trickling water invites me to stop and ponder.

Every drive was a scenic drive.

We drove into Glencoe Valley on A82 from Balquhidder, (home of Clan McClarren—my maiden name).

Surrounded by towering mountains formed by glaciers and volcanic eruptions, the vistas astounded. Pictures don’t do the scenery justice, so I prayed my soul would catalog the beauty of the glen.

On our drive through Glen Coe Valley, we experienced it all: wildlife, summits, valleys, waterfalls, lochs, and munros (mountains) galore. Of course, we watched for specific tourist markers along the way such as Three Sisters Waterfall and the viewpoint of Three Sisters, but we didn’t worry ourselves to name all the mountains. We had maps for that.

Loch Leven

Hollywood has tried to frame this area. You may be familiar with Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail, Braveheart, Rob Roy, and the Harry Potter movies. We attempted to shoot my personal favorite, the meandering road through Glen Etive, the location of James Bond reflecting on his childhood home in the movie Skyfall. Watch the video and see why this is a wild road to travel.

The scene where James Bond and M overlook Glen Etive.

Glen Etive road is 12 miles of pure Scottish scenery – mountains, moorland, lochs, and misty skies.

Outdoor activity lovers come to Glencoe as a base for other nearby adventures. On our way out of town, we experienced the majesty of Ben Nevis, Scotland’s tallest mountain. We chose to view it from afar. (It was my birthday and I wanted to catch a ferry to the Isle of Skye.)

On the drive to Mallaig, we’d hoped to snap a picture of the Glenfinnan Viaduct, but our timing was most unfortunate. The Jacobite Steam Train, scheduled to chug along any minute, made for an awesome opportunity to duplicate the iconic photo made famous by the Harry Potter movies. However, they’d closed the car parks, being completely full, and the main road was congested for at least a mile.

I’ll leave that and the many other adventures I couldn’t fit into our two days in the area as an impetus for a second visit. Fingers crossed! Rick is an expert now at driving a manual on narrow, single lane roads.

The stunning beauty of
Glencoe Valley is not a secret,
no matter how much I want it to be,
if only to preserve its majesty.

Glencoe brings out the explorer in me.