Lochaber Glencoe
T
he journey through the vast, deer-studded Rannoch Moor to the valley of Glencoe is one of Britain’s most dramatic. The landscape has inspired generations of artists, writers and fi lm
makers – most recently the makers of the James Bond fi lm Skyfall - drawn to its mystique whether the peaks are cloaked in mist or framed with a perfect blue sky. There is plenty of space for the many hill walkers, climbers and cyclists looking to tackle nature’s giant climbing frames, but the sparse vegetation was not quite what the makers of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were looking for – they had extra trees fl own in for scenes shot on the slopes near the Clachaig Inn. Today, as many visitors come to seek Harry Potter habitat as to pay tribute to history, but the shadows of the Shepherd of the Etive (Buachaille Etive Mor) and the towering Three Sisters still serve as a reminder that this part of the West Highlands has a dark past. Glen Coe was the site for Scotland’s most infamous massacre in 1692, when soldiers of the Campbell clan, after receiving hospital- ity from the MacDonalds, slaughtered their hosts on government orders. There were 37 people killed outright, but of those who es- caped into the freezing hills, as many again died from exposure. Today the massacre and other aspects of local history are remem- bered at National Trust for Scotland’s Glencoe Visitor Centre (open- ing hours vary, 0844 493 2222) and there are more artefacts on show at Glencoe Folk Museum, in the village itself. The National Trust is responsible for maintaining the many miles of footpath around the Glen, which is on the West Highland Way route, but only Mother Nature can ensure the best conditions for racing down the Fly Paper piste at Glencoe Mountain resort, Scot- land’s oldest ski centre. Just a few miles from Glencoe as the crow fl ies, Corrour, on Ran- noch Moor (accessible by the Scotrail train from Glasgow/Crian- larich to Fort William) is Britain’s most remote railway station, an outpost that can only be reached by train – though it does have its own restaurant. A popular destination with walkers seeking true isolation, it was the setting for the ‘great outdoors’ scene in Trains- potting (1996).
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