Glencoe Village to Signal Rock
Highlands
Signal Rock sits on a wooded ridge above the River Coe downstream from Glencoe village, and tradition holds that a fire lit here on the night of 13 February 1692 gave the signal for the massacre of the MacDonalds by the Campbells. The walk from the village follows the river upstream through a surviving fragment of ancient Atlantic oakwood, one of the rarest woodland habitats in Scotland, before climbing to the rock and returning via a higher loop through the trees. The woodland is carpeted with ferns, mosses and wildflowers in spring and summer, and the oak canopy gives the gorge below a damp, green quality year-round.
This is an excellent accessible dog friendly walk with good off-lead potential through the woodland sections. The ancient oakwood floor is a rich sensory environment for dogs, with moss, leaf litter and the dark, peaty burn providing year-round scent interest. Livestock risk is low throughout the woodland. The River Coe provides swimming access in clear pools below the rock. The historical resonance of the Massacre adds an atmospheric element that makes the walk feel weighted with significance in a uniquely Scottish way. Glencoe village has a pub and small shop. The NTS Visitor Centre, which covers the history of the massacre in detail, is a few kilometres further along the glen road and worth combining with the walk.
At a Glance
- Distance
- 5.0 km (3.1 miles)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Duration
- 2 hr
- Walk Type
- Woodland, River, Historic
- Route Type
- Circular
- Off Lead Potential
- Moderate
- Livestock Risk
- Low
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