I’m finally wrapping up our trip to Scotland with this last post on Glencoe! Following our time on the Isle of Skye, we headed to Glencoe where we spent two days. While Scotland is a beautiful country as a whole, Glencoe blew me away! Around every corner there seem to be prettier views than the one before. It is so green and filled with the most beautiful landscapes and mountain ranges, many of which you can hike! I would highly recommend spending at least two days in Glencoe so you can take in all that this area has to offer. Here’s what we got up to during our two days in Glencoe, Scotland!
Day 1
Eilean Donan Castle
Originally, we were planning to take the ferry from the Isle of Skye to Glencoe. However, after doing some research, we found that it was faster to drive from Portree to Glencoe. The drive would also allow us to visit Eilean Donan Castle along the way – something we missed on the way there. We set out from Portree in the morning and drove straight to Eilean Donan Castle, where we were greeted by moody yet stunning views of the castle on the dreary day.
Eilean Donan is a very famous castle in Scotland and it’s no surprise as to why. Its setting on the water makes it very picturesque! After visiting many castles, we opted just to walk around the outside and take in the views. Even if you choose not to go inside, I would highly recommend visiting Eilean Donan!
Also, the marsh across from the castle can be very boggy and slippery, so be careful! We saw two girls slip and fall while we were there.
Note: while we skipped it, many choose to visit Glenfinnan Viaduct on the way to Glencoe to view the Jacobite train passing over the viaduct. The viaduct is located near Fort William and is famous for being featured in the Harry Potter movies. If you’re planning to go, be sure to check out the timetable in advance. This blog post has more information and tips on how to see it.
The Clachaig Inn
From Eilean Donan, we continued on our way to Glencoe, enjoying the stunning scenery as we drove. About two hours later, we arrived in Glencoe and headed to the Clachaig Inn in Ballachulish for some lunch. While planning the trip, we had looked into staying at this hotel but it was fully booked. As I had heard good things about their restaurant, we decided to come by for a meal. While the food was good, we didn’t find it to be anything too special. However, the restaurant is rather cozy and is a good spot for a warm drink and some comforting food. For us, the real selling point of the Clachaig Inn is the stunning location!
Even if you’re not staying at the hotel, I would highly recommend stopping by to explore the surrounding area – this ended up being one of our main highlights from the trip! Make sure you wear your rain boots (these are the best!) as it can get pretty boggy, especially if it has been raining!
Next to the hotel, we noticed a trailhead and a walking path through the forest next to a stream. From there, the path took us to An Torr, which is a lovely walk with really nice views. If you go to the Clachaig Inn and have nice weather, I would definitely walk around An Torr!
Ballachulish Hotel
After our time spent at the Clachaig Inn and the surrounding area, we headed over to our hotel, the Ballachulish Hotel. The hotel is definitely old (in fact, there was a leak the next morning!), but it was charming and we really liked the location. Other options for nearby hotels are the Clachaig Inn mentioned above, the Glencoe Inn, and the Glencoe House (for a more upscale option).
After settling into the room, my mom and I headed out to explore the nearby area. We spotted a walking trail across the street from the hotel, which led to a pretty beach filled with rocks and shells. My favorite part about traveling is all of the hidden gems that you find by accident, such as this one!
After spending quite a bit of time at the shore, we headed back to the hotel for dinner. We loved our dinner here – the food was delicious and their sticky toffee pudding was the best we had (definitely give it a try!)! The sun was starting to set by the time we left dinner, so we rushed outside to take in the beautiful sunset views and snap a few photos. This was the perfect ending to a wonderful day in Scotland, and a very warm welcome to Glencoe!
Outfit Details:
On this day, I wore a beige raincoat from Charter Club. Raincoats are a must in Scotland as you never know when you’ll get some unexpected rain! This one is great and also comes in Petite sizes (I’m wearing a Petite XS). Underneath, I wore a white sweater from Everlane, which was a staple for me on this trip as it’s warm and goes with everything. I also wore these jeans from American Eagle and the best Hunter rain boots! I would highly recommend packing rain boots as it rains a lot and can be very muddy! Lastly, I finished off the outfit with a plaid scarf (this one is similar).
Day 2
The next day, we had about half a day to spend in Glencoe before driving to Glasgow, where we were ending our trip. If you’re into hiking, I would definitely recommend spending at least a day hiking in Glencoe. There are so many hikes to choose from that the hardest part will be selecting which one to do! Several that we considered doing were Hidden Valley, the Study, the Devil’s Staircase, Buchaille Etive Mor, and Pap of Glencoe. Try to do some research ahead of time to see what may be the best option.
Inchiree Falls
As we were traveling to Glasgow in the afternoon, we decided we didn’t want to do too strenuous of a hike as we wouldn’t be able to freshen up afterwards. Instead, we chose to do two shorter hikes. The first was Inchiree Falls where we did two loops. One was up to the waterfalls, which was a beautiful spot and had lovely views! The second loop was through the forest and to the quarry – we didn’t enjoy this one as much as most of the walk was downhill on a paved fire road.
Glencoe Lochan
From Inchiree Falls, we drove to Glencoe Lochan where we took another short hike. We walked around here on the various paths for about an hour, taking in the beautiful views. My favorite part was walking along the flat path around the lake. The views of the mountain reflecting in the lake were breathtaking! Glencoe honestly surpassed all of my expectations!
Kilchurn Castle
To break up the drive from Glencoe to Glasgow, we stopped at Kilchurn Castle along the way. Another reason I was keen to visit this castle is because it was the home of the Highland Campbell clan! Being Campbell’s, we obviously found that to be exciting! The castle was fun to explore and is located right on the water, providing beautiful views. This is also where we spotted our last coos of the trip!
From Kilchurn Castle, we continued to Glasgow where we spent two nights. Then, it was time to head back home to California!
Outfit Details:
As we were hiking on this day, I threw on a comfortable workout outfit. I wore a zip-up hoodie sweatshirt (similar) and the best Zella leggings! As it was muddy out, I also wore these short rain boots from Everlane. These are super comfortable (even for hiking!) and perfect if you don’t want to wear tall rain boots.
That’s a wrap on how we spent two days in Glencoe, Scotland! Glencoe was easily one of my favorite places we visited in both Ireland and Scotland! If you’re heading to Scotland, make sure to add Glencoe to your itinerary! I would recommend spending at least two days in Glencoe (if not three!), especially if you enjoy hiking.
For more from Scotland, be sure to read about our day in Edinburgh, visit to Loch Ness/Urquhart Castle, and how we spent two days on the Isle of Skye.
