Next Stop - Scotland Road Trip Day 3-5

Published: 13.08.2019

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After our worry that our Scotland trip would be over after two days due to a flat tire and no money for a new one, we breathe a sigh of relief when a new key is handed to us in Glasgow, and I would have loved to hug the nice receptionist at the car rental. Instead, we drive - very carefully - back north. And is there something good in every bad situation? Absolutely! On our forced return to Glasgow, we took a different route and drove through Glen Coe, the Valley of Tears, and there we found the mountains, valleys, and landscapes that we hadn't found before.

That quickly makes it clear that we will return to that exact place and take more time there this time.

3rd Trip: Fort Williams - Glasgow - Glencoe

There they are - the Highlands! And in Glen Coe, every cliché and every romantic image that comes to mind when you hear the word 'Highlands' is fulfilled. The rock walls rise majestically on either side, 'cloud-covered' seems to be the perfect weather for a landscape for the first time, making it mystical and yet somehow gentle.

We definitely want to stay here for a few days, so we set up our tent for the first time near the nearby town of Glencoe.

For the next day, we have chosen a hike to Glen Etive. A scene from James Bond's Skyfall was shot here. We had discovered the parking lot for it along the M82 the day before, and from there it is 5.6 miles to the destination. We thought it would be relaxed and doable, considering the elevation and all. We hike between rock walls, sometimes over small streams, sometimes over boulders. However, the landscape feels like it doesn't change for an eternity. Deep clouds, so you have little view above, mountains, river. Clouds, mountains, river. And so on and so forth. Beautiful. And eventually exhausting. We wonder how long 5.6 miles is here.

Since we have no idea how to recognize the end of our path, we decide to take a break after about 2 hours. The little stone hill a bit further ahead is perfect for that. We arrive there. And we are amazed: before and far below us, the beautiful valley unfolds! Unfortunately, the pictures this time cannot capture how the view felt...

We think about going down the slope to the lake, which we thought was our destination. But a few steps down and we quickly realize that a) the terrain becomes more difficult, b) we don't feel like the effort of going downhill anymore, and c) we certainly don't feel like going uphill on the way back. :) So we grant ourselves this laziness and start our retreat after the break. But: the journey is worth it!