When you’re waiting to pick up your motorhome keys in Edinburgh, you’ll find there are plenty of coffee shops to kick your feet up with a steaming Americano before your journey begins. Spark up a conversation with anyone inside these coffee shops, tell them what your holiday plans are, and you’ll find a vast majority of them (if not all) will tell you that Glencoe is an absolute must visit.
Located in the west of the Highlands, Glencoe is a national nature reserve which is renowned for its beauty and history. Whether you’re travelling there to admire the quaint Scottish scenery, spot some of the local wildlife, or try your hand at skiing up the Glencoe mountain; there is always a vast range of things to do and see.
Then again, that could be said for the whole of Scotland. One of the best places for motorhome hire in all of the UK, Scotland is filled with wild and wonderful nature parks, tranquil villages, icy mountains and deep-blue lochs.
So what makes Glencoe so special and is it really a motorhome must visit? Below is an idea of what you might expect from the park and whether you can afford to give it a miss:
Glencoe Has An Abundance of Bloody History
Scotland? Bloody history? Surely not. Alright, sarcasm might be hard to get across too well in writing, but that was a joke. Glencoe (like many other places in Scotland) has a distinct bloody past which makes it an optimum destination for any history buff.
If you’re familiar with your history, you may have already heard of the massacre of Glencoe, which took place in the late seventeenth century. If not, have you ever watched the famous Red Wedding scene in HBO’s Game Of Thrones? Well, this massacre was the author’s inspiration behind that very scene.
If you decide to run your motorhome up to Glencoe, you can travel to the places where the massacre took place and delve into the atmosphere and history. Because it took place in such a prestigious, protected site, the surroundings will all be similar to how they were hundreds of years ago. Nothing is tampered with and nothing is changed. This makes it a perfect experience for any history lover.
Speaking Of Hollywood…
If we’re on the subject of television and film, Glencoe is actually a hotspot for Hollywood, with a number of movies such as Skyfall and Harry Potter using the other-worldly nature of the valley as a backdrop. It is well documented where these movies were shot, so you can travel up to these destinations, park your motorhome, and feel like you’re in a completely fictitious world.
Why is this a must-do? Well, there’s a reason why Glencoe is constantly chosen as a movie backdrop. Quite simply, it is beautiful. With an abundance of rolling hills, misty lakes and icy glaciers, this is a part of Scotland which feels entirely separate to the rest of the UK.
At times, you’ll look out of the windscreen and think you might have taken a wrong turn to Iceland somewhere along the A82. You haven’t, though. You are just surrounded by unique and beautiful scenery that makes you feel like you have.
Hit Or Miss?
When we talk about Glencoe, it’s important to mention that this place is big. This is not just a nature park with a few hills and lakes; there are villages, mountains, ancient volcanoes and mysterious lochs. You can go here to ski, or kayak, or climb up the famous Fort William and take a selfie at the parapet, or all of the above. There is so much to do and so much to see, it’s hit or miss whether you’ll actually have the opportunity to do it all before your next destination.
So speaking of hit or miss, does this make Glencoe a must-see location for your Scotland motorhome holiday?
Well, as far as motorhome holidays go, we think the strangers in Edinburgh’s coffee shops are absolutely right. Glencoe is not only rife with fun activities for the kids, but it is one of the most beautiful places in all of Scotland (considering how beautiful the rest of Scotland is, that really is saying something). In terms of your motorhome itself, there are plenty of great roads which are accepting to any motorhome vehicle you choose. There are also plenty of caravan and motorhome camping sites, making it easy to park up and explore without travelling too far from the comfort of your bed.
As mentioned before, Glencoe is a perfect holiday abroad without actually going abroad. There is a foreign feel to these Scottish lands which you can’t get anywhere else. You’ll still be in Scotland but your senses will be somewhere else. Somewhere new, somewhere unique, somewhere spectacular. This is why Glencoe is an absolute must-visit on your motorhome travels.
