Glencoe

We had a wonderfully peaceful night at our spot adjacent to the River Coe. We shared the space with a number of other motorhome and campervans.
In the morning we walked up the valley to the location of the Three Sisters viewing point, all on a well marked track. Upon returning to our van, we returned to the Glencoe visitor centre as we wanted to join the guided walk to the Turf house.
Our guide for the walk was a charming young woman who first of all introduced herself to us in Gaelic. She actually was born in Nova Scotia, where she grew up in a gaelic speaking community. The visit was very interesting. She described the conditions in the valley at the time of the massacre. The turf house (kreel house) was built by volunteers in 2021 to represent the houses occupied by the McDonalds in 1692.
The massacre at Glencoe is not a glorious event in Scottish history. The McDonalds entertained the forces of the English King William (Orange) for twelve days in their homes in the valley. These were the kings redcoats under the command of the head of the Campbell clan (the 10th Duke of Argyll). Unfortunately the chief of the McDonald Clan was unable to register his support for the King Willie at either Fort William or Inverary, by signing an Oath of Allegiance.
This was deemed a major infraction and despite their hospitality an order was given that all under 70 years old should die by the sword. The guests proceeded to slaughter their hosts in their beds one morning. 38 hosts, up and down the valley, died by the sword and others escaped only to perish in the February snows.
Our stop for the night was the Glencoe Mountain Resort.Lue lisää