Glencoe

Glencoe's hotels and guesthouses trade on the glen's scenery as much as its history. Most are small, family-run places in Glencoe village, Ballachulish or Kinlochleven, many with rooms looking straight up at the surrounding peaks or out over Loch Leven. The Clachaig Inn and the Kings House Hotel are among the best known, both steeped in mountaineering tradition and popular with walkers and climbers who use them as a base for the surrounding hills, while a scattering of smaller B&Bs and self-catering cottages offer a quieter alternative closer to the village. Fort William, twenty minutes' drive north, has a much larger selection of hotels, from budget chains to country house options, and makes a practical base for anyone planning to combine Glencoe with Ben Nevis, the Nevis Range or the wider Lochaber area. Wherever you stay, expect a premium on rooms with a view, and be prepared to book well ahead for summer weekends, when the glen's limited bed stock is stretched thin by walkers, tourers and the passing North Coast 500 crowd who divert through on their way north. Many properties also cater specifically for wet, muddy boots and kit, with drying rooms and boot stores a common feature given the changeable Highland weather. Whether you want a whisky by an open fire after a day on the hill or a comfortable base for gentler sightseeing along the glen road, Glencoe's accommodation, though limited in number, is well matched to the outdoor character of the place.

The glen rewards slow travel as much as strenuous walking, though it has plenty of both on offer.

• Glen Coe valley road — the stretch of the A82 through the glen is one of Scotland's great drives, with pull-ins allowing you to stop and take in the scale of the mountains rising on either side.
• The Three Sisters — the ridges of Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach and Aonach Dubh, seen together from the roadside viewpoint near the Meeting of Three Waters, are the classic Glencoe photograph.
• Buachaille Etive Mor — the near-perfect pyramid of a mountain that guards the eastern entrance to the glen, sometimes called Scotland's most photographed peak.
• National Trust for Scotland Glencoe Visitor Centre — an eco-friendly centre with exhibitions on the glen's geology and the Massacre of Glencoe, a short film narrated by Rory McCann, a reconstructed 300-year-old turf house, and gentle woodland walks right outside the door.
• The story of the Glencoe Massacre — on 13 February 1692, soldiers billeted with the MacDonalds of Glencoe under orders from the government turned on their hosts in the night, killing dozens after weeks of accepted Highland hospitality. Memorials and the visitor centre exhibition tell the full story.
• Glencoe Mountain ski centre — on Rannoch Moor at the eastern end of the glen, this is one of Scotland's longest-running ski areas, with the country's longest and steepest runs, a chairlift running in summer too, and a cafe with tremendous views.
• Hillwalking and Munro-bagging — Bidean nam Bian, the highest peak in Argyll, and its neighbouring tops dominate the skyline south of the road, while the Aonach Eagach ridge to the north is one of the finest and most exposed scrambles on the Scottish mainland.
• Glencoe Folk Museum — a cluster of thatched cottages in the village housing local artefacts, Jacobite relics and displays on Highland life, run by volunteers.

The Clachaig Inn, tucked beneath the Aonach Eagach ridge, is a legendary walkers' and climbers' pub with a huge range of whiskies and real ales, and has been a fixture of Glencoe life for generations. The Kings House Hotel, at the eastern end of the glen near Glencoe Mountain, is one of Scotland's oldest inns and serves hearty food to hillgoers coming off the surrounding peaks. In the village, the Glencoe Café and the Highland Coo Café at the NTS Visitor Centre are good spots for a coffee, soup or a slice of cake between walks, while Fort William, a short drive north, has a wider choice of restaurants and takeaways for evenings out.

Glencoe sits within some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in Scotland, and wild camping here can be spectacular, though it needs to be done thoughtfully. Under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, wild camping is generally permitted on most unenclosed land, including much of the glen and surrounding hills, provided campers follow the principles of leaving no trace, camping well away from roads and buildings, and moving on after a night or two. In practice, a handful of well-known spots, particularly around the Lost Valley car park and popular lochans beneath the Three Sisters, have suffered from litter, human waste and erosion caused by high visitor numbers, and NTS rangers actively manage and, in places, restrict camping in the most sensitive areas of the National Nature Reserve, so it pays to check current guidance before pitching up. For a lower-impact stay, several campsites in and around the glen, at Glencoe village, Invercoe and further along towards Kinlochleven, offer serviced pitches, motorhome hook-ups and facilities, alongside a growing number of glamping pods and safari tents that let you enjoy the setting without carrying a full pack. The best conditions for camping are generally from late May to September, when days are long and the ground has dried out from the winter, though midges can be ferocious on still evenings, particularly close to water and woodland, so midge repellent and a well-sealed tent are essential kit. Weather in the glen changes fast even in summer, and anyone heading up into the surrounding hills to camp wild should be prepared for driving rain, low cloud and sudden temperature drops regardless of the forecast at valley level. Done properly, however, a night under canvas with Buachaille Etive Mor or the Three Sisters looming overhead is as memorable as camping gets in Britain.