Wild Camping Spots: The Kings House, Glencoe

Near the Kings House, Glencoe

This spot by the Kings House Hotel is almost always busy with wild campers - and you can see why. Just a quick right hand turn off the A82 you are in a central location for pretty much any outdoors pursuit for the area, whether it be skiing, hillwalking, fell running, sightseeing - or for myself - kayaking the river Etive! We got there annually with the canoe club and wild camping there provides us with free accommodation. The Kings House are excellent and are supportive of wild campers using the toilet facilities, provided you are still wiling customers - so whilst you are there make sure you give back by treating yourself to a well earned pint, a delicious venison burger, or a big breakfast for the inevitably big day ahead! You are sure to meet a wide variety of other campers there too because the spot it so popular.

The location is in a spectacular valley and the views are most likely some of the best Scotland has to offer. If you are on a limited time scale this valley is one that is popular with tourists because of it's overwhelming beauty and its location. 

Pros

- the world is near by - if you are not so keen on going without proper facilities this can be a great spot for a slightly more comfortable wild camp. Especially if you are away for a couple of days. 

- location - close to a lot of major munros, the ski centre and some great white water. 

- world class views - look at the pictures, enough said!

- you may meet some inspiring people - the social side can definitely be nice as people are friendly in the Kings, and also at the camp site. Have met some nice people!

- wildlife - the deer in this area are super tame and it is not uncommon at all to see them wandering about

Cons

- can be busy - if you want to get away from it all, this is probably not the spot for you. There are also obviously people around so you may be asked to keep quiet as it gets late / have some drunk guys think your tent is theirs (hopefully a one off experience!

- terrain - it is possible to camp there but the area is very boggy and if you don't get a good spot it is not as flat as the ideal camping spot. Bring waterproofs and good shoes!

Extra bonus points

- mountains

- river 

- clear skies

Rating: 6/10 

Beautiful and definitely something to try - but I do love to have a spot to myself to get a real feel for wild camping, and to truly get away. I would also love to stay in the Kings House sometime - on the bucket list! 

Up North to Aviemore

Aviemore and the Cairngorms 

So this is what the Cairngorms looks like early March! Beautiful and covered in snow! This was my first time driving up to the Cairngorms, and we did it in one day. From Glasgow I reckon it was just under a three hour drive one way. We were trying to keep the trip low budget which is why we didn't stay overnight, but I think you could definitely justify the cost of accommodation. It is a big day if you are driving! So at least bring coffee. We made a point of leaving Glasgow early to get there around ten, and left at five and had plenty of time to do and see what we wanted. 

The drive is pretty easy and mainly straight forward from Glasgow. Take the M8, get onto the M80 until it becomes the M9. Past Perth it becomes the A9 and you just follow signs for the A9 North until Aviemore becomes signposted.

Once you hit the Caringorms it gets pretty spectacular...

What to do?

Once we arrived in Aviemore, we went to the main town area and went into the visitor centre where they gave us some good leaflets and recommendations. Before I left all my friends who had been had talked about the funicular railway at the ski resort, and also Loch Morlich, which is pretty much what we ended up doing. We also picked up some stuff for lunch in the wee tesco in the town, pretty essential as once you leave the town there is nothing but nature 

Going up...

One of my most favourite pictures

Funicular Railway

I don't know if I was being daft but everyone kept talking about this and I had no clue. Maybe it's coz I don't ski so I am uneducated about how to get up mountains quickly... But! We figured it out. If you aren't at Aviemore to ski (which I shall be putting on my bucket list!) you can just get a pass to get up the mountain on the train cart. One of the leaflets we got given actually had a 20% voucher in the back of it, so have a look if you do go to visitors information. You might also be able to get discount vouchers online! If you are a student you are also able to get a discounted ticket. As we were walking through the car park a lady gave us a free ticket! So if you are done with yours, make someone's day and give your ticket away.

Mel was surprised at how much snow there was! The views are obviously incredible at that time of year and it was great being up high on such a clear and sunny day! You can see Loch Morlich from the top. There is a nice enough looking cafe at the top with a shop, and outside a lovely viewing platform! 

It was really, really bright and that is why we are squinting in this photo

Loch Morlich

We got to Loch Morlich at around lunch time so we started off the only way we know how - with a tasty lunch. We were again lucky that the weather was so great, so we just made use of the picnic benches. There are a few options that we found for various walks in our leaflets. There is a really obvious path around the perimeter of Loch Morlich and that is the one we walked around. It took us a couple of hours at an easy pace, and is pretty flat with a few gentle inclines. Ideal for people who don't want to do anything intense, but do want to spend a decent amount of time walking. I think it was just over a 5km or 6km walk from what I am able to remember. 

It's pretty cool, because you could see the ski resort we had just left. Even though it didn't take us that long to get down to Loch Morlich, it looks like it was miles away.

The photo below makes me feel so calm when I look at it. Everything was so still and wonderful. The walk was really nice as it wasn't overly busy either.

And driving back was pretty great too... I love the texture on all the mountains, with the way the snow has melted in different patterns. A sucker for scenery really!

Searching for Faeries

Puck's Glen

This has been on my to do list for a little while, and when we had some sunshine today I didn't really need an excuse to avoid the library. 

Puck's Glen is reasonably easy to get to from Glasgow. Follow the A82 from Glasgow, and when the road splits at the top of Loch Lomond go left onto the A83 following the coastal route. Keep going and eventually you will see a turning on the left for the A815 - I believe signposted Dunoon. Then you follow the road. We had a bit of a mishap in that we thought we had driven past it - only to turn around and end up pulling into the forest park for Glenbranter. We then realised we had been walking distance from it - as we turned around in Benmore Botanic Gardens, which I believe if you want a longer day of walking, you can add onto your walk!

When I go on adventures I have noticed that there always seems to be a 'peril point' where you think the walk is doomed and  are about to give up, and then it all falls into place. Ours was at the car park for Glenbranter when the heavens opened and we were sat in the car wondering how on earth we had driven past Puck's Glen. But then we figured out we had gotten really close and went back, and it was really worth it. The sun even started to shine as we got there and we had a great afternoon.  I think this may have been my favourite walk in a while!

Such an excellent model 

There is the option to do two walks - one of which (the red one) takes you through Puck's Glen and the other around Eckford House Estate (the yellow). From the carpark we set off to the left following the red route. Eventually you come to a split in the walk, where you can choose a couple of options. We followed the sign for the Upper Glen. Eventually you come out at a kind of Cross Roads, which has a sign post. We followed the sign again for Upper Glen, until you get to a split, at 'Black's Gate' where we followed the sign left. Then you continue down the path, which is signposted for Benmore Gardens, and we took another detour on the left which takes you down the side of the hill, along the last bit of the Yellow path, and brings you back to the beginning.

The last set of photos were taken from the Upper Glen section

The walk itself wasn't overly long - I reckon what we did took us around an hour and a half or so. It is a pretty steep walk, with a lot of rocky steps. Make sure you wear lots of layers so you can take them off as you walk. I didn't really think what I was wearing through all that much and was left with the choice of a really stuffy thick jacket, or bare arms and I got really hot! ha.


The pictures I have taken in no way do the settings justice. The forestry commission website talks about how magical the Glen is and I must say, I completely agree. The Glen is so lush and green, and there is a lot of water dripping down which makes it really atmospheric. One of the things I liked best is that the walk has minimal human presence - by which I mean that there is very minimal sign posting (it is only where necessary) and all the hand rails are very minimal and subtle. I loved that the path wasn't immediately obvious, and there was absolutely no litter (yay!) and the Glen was so quiet and secluded. I think as we got there later in the evening we were lucky to not really run into many people which made it so nice and peaceful.


Was so scenic, with lots of great little bridges, and the sound of the burn was so nice and relaxing. So many really cool old trees, and felt genuinely enchanted...

On the way down

Am hoping to bag one of these hills...

Would highly recommend if you have a free afternoon! Would also be great to go back a bit earlier and do a longer walk form Benmore Gardens, and along the same bit of road there were a few other bits signposted to explore. I am also pretty keen to bag one of the nearby hills, so watch this space!


More info:

Forestry Commission - Puck's Glen

Walk Highlands - Puck's Glen

And we even saw a rainbow on the way home

Rouken Glen

Even though I live in one of the biggest cities in the UK, and especially one with such a heavy industrial past, Glasgow has some truly spectacular country parks. It makes it really easy to spend an afternoon getting outside, without too much planning.

You can find out more about Rouken Glen on their website. 

When Lara and I went, we got to see it in lovely snow!

I was really impressed by the park, it had a little river, with a gorge style section, a play park which would be ideal for children, as well as a less busy field section. There is a lovely cafe called the boat house and we got a hot drink to warm us up. 

Seeing Skye: Part 3

This post is long over due!


Whilst we were in the Isle of Skye we tried to do as much as possible, so we got to see a lot of things. I think if I was to go back again, I would like to go with much more time, and also plan some longer walks to really see the most remote parts of the Island.

That said, we saw a lot and we had a brilliant time!

Arrival:

As you can see it is pretty scenic on the drive in. We decided that on the day we travelled we would go to Neist Point before going to the hostel. I reckon it took just over an hour to get there after we first got onto the Island. It was a lot of driving for me as I had done the whole drive from Glasgow (with some breaks) but the roads are pretty nice and the scenery makes up for it.

We were really lucky that we did go to Neist point when we did, as the weather was mostly dry and we got some great views! As it is a cliff, and it's pretty exposed, it was incredibly windy and I really wouldn't have wanted to do it if it was raining! It has been a little while now, but from what I can remember it took us around an hour and a half to have a leisurely walk to the end of the cliff and the lighthouse and look about etc. and take in the views!

Day 2:

As I said, we were trying to see a lot of things whilst we were there, so Saturday was a pretty busy one! So, a wee reminder, we stayed in Portnalong, and headed North on the A87 to get to Portree, which is the Islands big town. We spent most of the day following the round round the North East segment of the Island, as it has a lot of the things we wanted to see all in one big loop!

Portree

The Old Man of Storr 

If I was to go back to Skye I would like to devote a much larger chunk of time to going the full way up the Old Man of Storr. We only climbed up half the way as we were conscious of not doing too much too soon and not having the time to explore the rest of the Island like we planned. We still got some excellent views and I cannot recommend it enough! It was foggy and moody and truly spectacular! It was also very windy, so wrap up warm folks...

Skye is great because you can follow the roads around as they are so simple. This just pops up if you head North from Portree going anti-clockwise round the North East part of the Island. You can obviously see it appear from further afield and the views on the way are also pretty great! Lots of dramatic hills and the water! Make sure you give yourself enough time to pull over and take in the views, or try and take turns driving so you get a chance to properly enjoy!

Some lovely views very early on on the climb

It was honestly so windy

She is making that face coz she can barely stand for the wind

The Cliffs and Kilt Rock 

So the first couple of photos we actually hadn't planned on going to, we actually thought they were where we would find kilt rock! As it so happens, on the loop we did at various intervals after the Old Man of Storr there are a series of signs that give you info and a few small walks with some great views of the sea. The one we stopped at had a view of an old mill (I think). I would recommend these for anyone who is not big on the cold/walking or if it is bad weather as you don't need to commit much time, and you can get back in the car to be warm! A good way to make sure you see lots but don't get tired!

We literally always end up in matching clothes

Kilt rock is obviously pretty gorgeous - it is a cliff waterfall that flows straight into the sea. You can't see it in the photo very well but I believe it is called Kilt Rock because of the pleating effect on the cliffs similar to an actual kilt! It is definitely worth seeing, but expect it to be quite crowded, and there is not much else to do there apart from the viewing platform. There is a reasonable car park and we had our pack lunch there so we were content (and away from the wind)

Staffin Beach 

We had heard about this beach from the lady who ran the hostel. This one has quite easy car access and the turning sneaks up on you from the right. I think this is another one that would potentially offer some good walks. We had a bit of a caffeine slump! I will take the opportunity to say there are not a lot of places to get coffee past this point in the road so maybe bring a flask or a jet boil if you are prone to get a bit sleepy! We spent a lot of time driving in the hope that we would fine somewhere - whoops.

After we did a loop around that bit of the Island we eventually ended up in Portree where we had a pit stop. We did drive all the way to Uig. I probabally wouldn't bother stopping there, from what we saw, unless you are interested in the pottery place, there wasn't an awful lot there. But, you will go through it if you do a loop of the Island like we did. We drove past the Quiraing as well but didn't go anywhere near it or try to walk up. Will definitely be a walk I want to do when I go back!

Coral Beach 

Another famous beach on the Island, which we ended up stumbling upon by accident, despite being told about it. We followed signs for Dunvegan. I think had you wanted to go you would be able to get more clear directions! It was a great little walk, that turned into rain. It was also pretty funny coz for a long while we weren't even convinced the beach was going to show up! It took a while before it became clear where it was, so persevere!

Cow friends (Mel crapped her pants) you have to walk through their field to access the beach

Keep walking, the beach will be soon!

After a long day we went to the Old Inn for amazing food. Have the mussels and scallops, you will not regret it. Mains were awesome too, and they had live folk music on Saturday. Ideal.

Last day and home time

Glen Brittle and the Fairy Pools:

The Fairy Pools were one of the places we really really wanted to see. When we got there it had rained a lot the night before, and there is a stream you have to cross by stepping stone. Some other people turned around and didn't go through, but we persisted and took our shoes off and waded across. The area itself was really beautiful but I think a lot of the photos of the pools have been quite edited. It was a lovely walk, but I would suggest you bring snacks because I don't think we anticipated how long it would be and we got a bit hangry! haha

When it hails, you have wet feet and no snacks.