Glamping in Glencoe: Staying in Scotland’s Majestic Glen

Glencoe is on many Scottish bucket lists, but most people just drive through it in a couple of hours on their way up or down through the Highlands. I wanted to do it differently: to see what it was like to stay, slow down and make it a destination rather than a scenic road. 

Coming out of winter, I was craving some time in nature, so I booked a glamping trip in Glencoe for early March. It’s not usually the time of year you’d associate with glamping, but the off-season rate was irresistible.

After a long weekend of hot bubble baths, curling up with a book in front of an electric fire and watching the purpling skies from my lodge as the evening drew in, it became one of my favourite trips in Scotland. 

If you’re looking for a different, more relaxed side to this iconic part of Scotland, here’s what it’s like to go glamping in Glencoe, including where to stay, where to eat and what to do. 

Glamping in Glencoe at AOS Sí Lodges 

Most glamping accommodation tends to be either in a remote location or close to a road. I didn’t want to hear the traffic, but I was also travelling without a car, so I needed somewhere accessible by public transport. 

I settled on AOS Sí Lodges (pronounced ‘Eee Shee Lodges’ ), a B&B housed inside a restored 19th-century rectory with glamping lodges in the garden. It’s set on the outskirts of Ballachulish, a village on Loch Leven, just over two miles from Glencoe Village.  

Unlike bunkhouses or pods, these unique lodges go beyond the simple comfort of a roof over your head instead of canvas. They’re luxurious (as glamping goes!) with Scandinavian-inspired interiors and enormous beds. Two additional wellness lodges feature Jacuzzi baths, although they’re more expensive. 

Set back from the busy A82 (the main road through Glencoe), the lodges are behind the B&B. Any noise from the road is drowned out by the burble of a brook trickling alongside them. And most importantly, the bus stop for Glencoe Nature Reserve is a 27-minute walk away. Close enough! I booked it for three nights, giving me two full days to explore Glencoe. 

The glamping facilities 

The octagonal-shaped lodges are single-storey with sloping roofs and small windows for privacy. Inside, the structure is exposed pine wood with high ceilings to give a light, airy atmosphere. My 6-ft-tall partner was able to stand up comfortably in ours without any danger of bumping his head. 

There’s one main room with an enormous bed that takes up half the space. The mattress was astonishingly comfortable. I found myself blissfully snuggled up in a thick white duvet, reading by lamplight each evening. 

Two squashy armchairs are set at the foot of the bed, piled with blankets, for when you’re not quite ready to call it a night; a small electric fire heats the room surprisingly well, and rugs keep the floor cosy. 

Best of all is the freestanding bathtub with toiletries and bathrobes. There was nothing quite like returning to the lodge after a long day in Glencoe and slipping under the bubbles of a hot bath with a chilled glass of wine. 

The toilet is in a separate room attached to the chalet. I was delighted to find that it had underfloor heating, so no cold toes when you get up in the night. 

A small kitchen/dining area allows for some basic self-catering, but you won’t be able to cook lavish meals on your Glencoe glamping trip. There’s a table next to shelves stacked with a kettle, a microwave, a minifridge, cooking utensils, cutlery, crockery and a washing-up bowl. 

Our go-to meal for this kind of setup is tortellini pasta with salad and mozzarella. All you need is a kettle!

Lodge facilities include: 

• Super king bed
• Freestanding bathtub
• Toilet
• Sink 
• Electric fire
• Dining table + 2 chairs
• Microwave 
• Basic kitchen utensils and cutlery 
• Kettle 
• Minifridge 
• Toaster 
• Outdoor seating area 

The lodges sleep two and are best suited to couples, although children under 12 are welcome with an extra camp bed available. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome. Groups, friends and larger families would be more comfortable in the B&B or the self-catered cottages. 

View glamping lodges & check availability at AOS Sí Lodges by clicking here.

Food & drink in Glencoe 

There’s no catering at AOS Sí Lodges, but there are a few places to get food nearby, such as cafes, restaurants, takeaways and a small supermarket. Some favourites include: 

Crafts & Things 

Crafts & Things is a little gift shop, art gallery and cafe in Glencoe Village. We stopped here for a coffee and pastry on our way to Glencoe Lochan. My partner thoroughly enjoyed his bacon roll and picked up a pair of knitted walking socks in the gift shop while I took a peek at the gallery. It’s open daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm. Hot food finishes at 4 pm. 

Clachaig Inn 

There aren’t many places to eat in the Glen Coe valley, but the Clachaig Inn is one of them. Ravenous after our long walk, we stopped here for a late lunch and to take shelter from the rain. 

Set on the old road up to the village, the award-winning establishment has two bars and all-day dining until 9 pm, serving hungry travellers casual but hearty pub grub like burgers and fish and chips. I had a tuna sandwich. 

Co-Op Food 

We stopped by this small supermarket in Ballachulish for wine, on-the-go snacks, tortellini and the odd ready meal for when we were feeling lazy. It’s a reliable supermarket for basic supplies and dinner when the cafes are closed. 

Ballachulish Visitor Centre Cafe 

The visitor centre in Ballachulish has a small shop and cafe. It’s next to the bus stop, so it’s a good place to go for breakfast or a hot drink before exploring Glencoe. Open daily from 10 am to 4 pm, it serves cakes, toasted flatbreads, hot rolls and a full Scottish breakfast. 

Editor’s tip: Suppose you don’t want to cook dinner? The award-winning Glencoe Inn offers farm-to-fork dining (book ahead). A bit closer, Laroch Restaurant & Bar serves lunch and dinner in Ballachulish, and Quarrier’s Kitchen is a takeaway next door with pizza and fish and chips. 

Things to do on a glamping trip in Glencoe 

We had two full days to explore Glencoe. Since we didn’t have a car, we relied on public transport and walking. Both Scottish Citylink 915 and Ember go through Glen Coe, but they’re long-distance coaches with limited services. That meant we were walking a lot. Still, we covered a lot of ground!

Here’s what we did: 

Day 1: Glencoe Orbital Track & Glencoe Lochan 

Glencoe Orbital Track is a pedestrian loop starting and ending in Glencoe Village. It’s about 8 miles without detours and takes about 2.5 hours to complete. 

The track was created to make car-free travel in Glencoe easier, as the only other way was via the busy (and pavement-free) A82. To be honest, there could still be more pedestrian-friendly access in the glen, but it’s still a good start. 

We followed the Walkhighland route with a detour around Glencoe Lochan, a pretty woodland park with a small loch and well-signed trails. It was designed to look like the Canadian Rockies in the 1890s by Lord Strathcona for his homesick wife. They ended up returning to Canada…

Back on the orbital track, the route runs parallel to the old village road, passing the trailhead for the knobbly-looking Pap of Glencoe, Glencoe Youth Hostel with its single glamping pod and Red Squirrel Campsite on the banks of the River Coe. 

Here, the terrain becomes more mountainous, with steep slopes rising above the path. We stopped at the Clachaig Inn for a bite to eat before a detour to Loch Achtriochtan and Achnambeithach Cottage, one of the prettiest views in Scotland even on a rainy day!

Now, the loop turns back towards the village, passing the trailhead for Signal Rock, then Glencoe Visitor Centre managed by the National Trust for Scotland. Stop here to see a replica of a 17th-century turf house, a typical home that local Highlanders lived in, and learn about the devastating Glencoe Massacre of 1692. 

Day 2: Glencoe Mountain Resort & Kingshouse Hotel 

The next day, I wanted to go further into the glen, so we jumped on the Scottish Citylink and followed the A82 to the Kingshouse Hotel. Sitting on the right-hand side down from Glencoe Village, I saw the Three Sisters of Glencoe mountains and the Wee White House at the foot of Buachaille Etive Mor. 

The coach dropped us off at the side of the road, and we made our way up to Glencoe Mountain Resort. There are some glamping lodges and pods here, but they’re very basic, and you’ll need to bring your own bedding. 

They’re set at the foot of the Meall A’Bhuiridh Massif alongside a cafe. At the top of the mountain range is Scotland’s first commercial ski area. It’s popular for snowsports in the winter, while in summer, you can go mountain biking, tubing and treasure hunting. 

To get to the summit, you take the chairlift. It was absolutely freezing on a March day, but the panoramic views over Rannoch Moor and Glen Etive were spectacular. The snow had long since melted for the skiers, but there was a small cafe and free sledging (available from December until April). 

Once we made it back down to the valley floor, we walked over to Kingshouse Hotel, known for its friendly deer that have long since learnt food is in ready supply from tourists. Why bother going anywhere else? For the record, I don’t recommend feeding or getting close to them! 

We stopped here for lunch in the restaurant with sublime views of Buachaille Etive Mor before catching the coach back to our lodge, where a hot bath was calling our names. After all, we wanted to make the most of our luxury glamping accommodation in Glencoe. 

With a car, you have more flexibility about where to stop, and you can see popular landmarks like: 

• The Three Sisters of Glencoe 
• Wee White House 
• Grey Mare’s Tail Waterfall 
• Glen Etive (the James Bond road)
• Skyefall Waterfall 

But if you’re taking the time to go glamping in Glencoe, it’s worth slowing down instead of rushing through a list of sights. Glencoe has extraordinary scenery, which is best enjoyed outside a car, so spend a few hours hiking or sitting down at a viewpoint with a picnic. 

How to get to the glamping lodges  

The closest town to AOS Sí Lodges is Fort William, about 14 miles away. You can get there in one of two ways: 

By car: It’s just 24 minutes from Fort William by car along the A82. 

By public transport: The Scottish Citylink 915, the Ember and the 44 bus from Fort William go to Ballachulish village. Depending on where you get off, it’s a 19-27-minute walk to the lodges. 

You can easily add glamping in Glencoe to a wider Scotland itinerary or as an escape from Glasgow. For my weekend trip, I came up to Fort William on the Caledonian Sleeper train from London. 

Final thoughts 

Most people drive through Glencoe in a couple of hours, but staying here is a different experience altogether. You slow down and settle into a different rhythm.

You notice how the light on the mountains changes from morning to night, and you have more time to see where your curiosity takes you, all with a cosy lodge waiting for you at the end of the day.

AOS Sí Lodges goes beyond standard glamping pods with its artfully designed Scandi-inspired timber lodges that were incredibly cosy even on a chilly weekend in March. I wasn’t cold under my thick duvet, even in the dead of night. 

There are a few other places to go glamping in Glencoe, including the pods at the youth hostel and Glencoe Mountain Resort, which are great if you’re on a budget in the summer months. 

If you’re looking for a little more luxury, surrounded by nature and good road or bus connections for exploring Glencoe, AOS Sí Lodges is the perfect choice. You can’t beat a good bath either!

• Best year-round luxury glamping with car-free accessibility: AOS Sí Lodges.
• Best budget-friendly alternative in summer: The glamping pod at Glencoe Youth Hostel.