We arrived at the little town of Kinlochleven in the early evening, driving through the beautiful mountains in rain and clouds so thick we could barely see them. I wasn't sure how the next couple nights would go over for the kids, so I was relieved that they were excited to be "camping".
We had a four person "pod" and a one man box tent, with pillows and sleeping bags and somehow better cooking facilities than our worst hostel (story for another time.) We somehow managed to have one of our most successful meals with only a kettle, a microwave, and a mini fridge--the instant noodles and chocolate milk went over very well--and Paul found a movie to play on the little TV. That's probably what really won them over, the TV in the pod. Did we get a good night of sleep? Put it this way, I had to go and wake Lee and Arthur in the tent, or they would have slept all day. Yes, Arthur insisted on sleeping in the tiny tent, said it was "his tent" and only reluctantly let Lee sleep there too. We did finally all get up and at 'em and made our way to nearby Glen Coe: the Weeping Glen.
This is one of the bigger tourist destinations in Scotland, so finding a place to park at the trailheads and overlooks can get challenging. We made a first attempt at a hike in the misting rain, surrounded by clouds, but the ground was saturated and boggy, and we got very, very wet in a short amount of time.
The trail I was hoping to take just couldn't be done without soaking our feet, so we gave up and headed back to the car to change our socks. When it's too wet to be out and about, it's time to do a scenic drive instead! We made a drive down the Glen Etive road--12 miles, single track, through the most beautiful place you've ever seen.
The sun even came out! A good chance to air dry our rain jackets in the sunshine and wind. Seriously, this was a highlight among highlights, Glen Etive might be the most beautiful place in Scotland.
The road reaches it's terminus at Loch Etive. There was a smattering of rain here and there, so we had a car picnic and explored the shores of the lovely loch.
I just took an unimaginable number of photos on the way back through Glen Etive. In rain, in not rain, it's a gorgeous place, full of waterfalls and flowers.
We made it back to the start of the Glen Etive road and back into Glen Coe. First we visited the Meeting of the Three Waters in the rain, but the clouds lightened up and sun peaked through, meaning we could actually see Glen Coe properly as we drove through this time!
We made the all important stop at the filming location from Prisoners of Azkaban where Hagrid's Hut was located. We managed to make the walk between drizzles, the views are fantastic.
And then it started to rain again. We hid out under the trees just like Harry and Hermione waiting to rescue Buckbeak.
Once the rain lightened up a bit, we made our way to the Glen Coe Visitor's Centre. There was this beautiful little crofting cottage and the views were, well, see for yourself:
We went for a walk in the woods near the Visitor's Centre, and made our way back to Kinlochleven.
We had dinner at the pub at the MacDonald Hotel, which had a beautiful view over Loch Leven.
We made one last evening stop for a short little walk in Kinlochleven to the Gray Mare's Tail waterfall.
It was a very beautiful walk and the waterfall the most impressive we've seen on this trip. I think the boys were most excited about the "path" used to get close to the falls.
A series of boards, ropes, and rebar allows the daring and coordinated to get right up next to the falls. We didn't get as close as one might because the spray was quite powerful and we didn't want to get soaked through.
Between the Mare's Tail and all the Glen Coe rain, we had a lot of wet shoes, socks, and jackets. Thank goodness our glamping hostel had a drying room! The drying room consists of shelves and hangers in a small room where the dehumidifier and heater are running and full blast on rainy days. We were able to start the next day with dry feet and dry jackets.
We headed out the next morning back into Glen Coe. This time it was sunny, or at least not actively raining, and windy as always.
We took a hike called the Devil's Staircase. Sounds ominous, which maybe should be a tip off. The kids did not care for it, Arthur insisted on being carried and stole my jacket, but the views were lovely.
Our first day in Glen Coe was wet and gave the nickname the "weeping glen" a very literal meaning. But the name actually dates back to a cold February night in 1692, when ~30 members of the MacDonald clan of Glen Coe were massacred by government forces for failing to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs fast enough.
Even worse, those soldiers were quartered with the MacDonalds, had accepted their hospitality, then received their orders to slaughter their hosts. Well, they followed their orders. Of those who escaped into the glen, many got lost in the winter storm and died of exposure.
The Devil's Staircase is named for it's switchbacks up the mountain, and it's part of the old military road. The military road was built in order to "tame" the highlands and better control the highlanders with soldiers. Even the path itself has a tragic back story.
We made it to the top of the pass where you can either follow the West Highland Way to Kinlochleven or head to the top of the mountain, but the kids were officially D-O-N-E. We went back down, much more quickly than the hike up.
We made one final stop in Glen Coe, the Three Sisters Overlook. It's one of the most popular stops in Glen Coe. There was literally nowhere to park, so we just snapped a few photos with the engine running and said our good-byes to the Weeping Glen. Our afternoon drive would take us to new places and on new adventures beyond the tragically beautiful mountains.
