The Lost Valley (Coire Gabhail), Glen Coe

The walk starts from the Three Sisters car park on the A82, looking across the glen to the Three Sisters. A path drops to the old road through the glen and down steps to a footbridge over the River Coe. Beyond the bridge it climbs a rocky gorge between Gearr Aonach and Beinn Fhada, through birch wood and a gate in a deer fence, to level ground above the burn. Stepping stones cross the stream, a short polished rake leads up to a rebuilt path, and the way then drops into Coire Gabhail, the Lost Valley. The return is the same way.

It is 4.4 km with 316 m of ascent; allow about 2¼ hours. The grade is Hard: the path through the gorge is steep, rough and rocky, with drops beside it.

The rake above the stepping stones needs hands and a steady head, and the burn can be hard to cross after heavy rain. The corrie floor is a wide flat of stones and grass, cut off from the glen by old rockfalls and littered with boulders the size of houses. Survivors of the 1692 massacre are said to have fled here.

Parking is free. Citylink buses between Glasgow and Fort William run along the A82.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.