The Glen of Weeping - Glencoe. Pictures of Scotland's best known Glen. This picture's of Blackrock Cottage in Glencoe which is one of the most photographed cottages in Scotland. I include it, not because it is a great picture of the Scottish Landscape, I include it, since this was my first view of Glencoe and the Buachaille Etive Mor, as I neared the end of a walk from Bridge of Orchy. I will be adding more pictures of Glencoe and its landscape to the gallery in the future, but the text which follows will hopefully give you an idea of how I came to know and love Glencoe.

" And we'll drum up in the evening in the valley of the Coe" The van shook with the noise of a dozen voices belting out this one line from an old tramping song as the Buachaille, rising from the ground like a great pyramid came into sight. The van was an old clothiers vehicle which we converted and was luxurious in comparison to the open backed coal lorry, occasionally borrowed from a local merchant to transport us, on our first hill walks.We were are all aged around nineteen and members of the 1st Falkirk District Rover Scout Crew. It was the Scout movement which had intoduced us to camping and hiking and it was a natural follow on, to take to the hills and discover the joys of climbing and walking the airy ridges of Scotland's mountains.

Glencoe, awesome Glencoe, became a favourite playground for us. Our salaries could not stretch to the comforts of a bed in the Kinghouse or Clachaig hotels, so it was either the tent or the van itself, athough in later years, a few of us found shelter under a bridge in the middle of the Glen. At that time several climbing clubs had secret "Howfs" scattered across the Glen and if you were lucky you might get an invitation to shelter the night. But the most famous accomodation was Jacksonville, which still sits in the shadow of the Buachaille and is home to the famous and if the stories are to be believd, sometimes infamous, Creag Dhu. The club founded by lads from Clydeside during the depression in 1930's, has played a large part in the history and folklore of climbing in Scotland, with some of its members being among the best in the world. Indeed it is fair to say that Scotland has played a huge part in the development of climbing as a recreational sport throughout the world. In later years I spent several nights in the 'Ville' at the invitation of one of my pals( it was not a wise move to enter, although it was always unlocked, without permission ) who had been invited to join and in the dark interior, it was easy to imagine the voices of Murray, Cunningham, Patey, Marshall and Smith discussing the next day's climb with a young Dougal Haston.

I don't think Baden Powell would have approved of all our activities in Glencoe especially the nights in the climbers bar at Kingshouse Hotel. But nonetheless it was thanks to his movement that we discovered the outdoors and I still thank him for it.

It was special to spend New Year in Glencoe, but never make the mistake of seeing the bells in at the Clachaig, when you have pitched your tent ten miles away, at the Kingshouse. As they say it seemed like a good idea at the time. Kingshouse was our base, it was this end of the Glen we were drawn to, of course the magnet was, without doubt, the Buachaille.

Blackrock Cottage belongs to the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club and sits at the side of the road near the White Corries Ski lift and can be booked by other recognized Mountaineering Clubs. The walk from Bridge of Orchy I mentioned, is now part of the West Highland Way, which passes through the top end of Glencoe before climbing over the Devil's Staircase to Kinlochleven.

One week after leaving the confines of the office and leaving behind over forty years of meeting deadlines, I headed for Glencoe. As I sat above the Meeting of the Three Waters I realised that I now had the time to look at the Glen anew, and to re-acquaint myself properly with its landscape and also to appreciate the fact, that I now have time to photograph it, in its many moods. I called in at the Kingshouse and couldn't resist using the phone to let the office know, what a wonderful day it was in Glencoe. I'm sure you can imagine the reaction.