I've been to Glen
Coe many times, climbing, walking or just passing through en route to
another bit of the Highlands but for some reason I've never climbed
up to the Hidden Valley. It was always a case of " the next
time"... too short an excursion for a single trip but a bit much
to tack on to a Munro-bash. I began to realise that it had to be
soon or I wasn't ever going to mange up the track by the stream, Allt Coire
Gabhail, to the Valley of the Booty, the reputed hiding place of the
MacDonalds of Glencoe for stolen cattle and a place of refuge at the
time of the Massacre ( Blog 01/04/2015)
 |
| Coire Gabhail betwen Beann Fhada and Gearr Aonach |
Coire
Gabhail (Corrie of the Plunder) is a high level glen in the Bidean
nam Bian massif to the south of Glen Coe. Invisible from the
main glen, it is accessed by
a track up the side of the ravine that carries the allt or stream to
the Meeting of the Three Waters on the River Coe. The
track rises between
Beinn
Fhada and Gearr Aonach,
two of the "Three Sisters" on the south side of Glen Coe.
The third of the trio is Aonach Dubh, the Black Ridge.where
lies Ossian's Cave, a site that is a
bit
too inaccessible for me nowadays.
 |
| Gearr Aonach and Aonach Dubh with part of the old military road |
Ossian
was the mythological poet, son of Fingal - also with a cave named
after him- whose works were made famous and almost certainly made up
by James Macpherson in the nineteenth century. Despite their forgery
they were part of the image of Scotland and Scottishness that still
survives to this day
Beinn
Fhada (Long Hill) is the easternmost sister, and the central sister
Gearr Aonach (Short Ridge) on the right of the hidden valley forms
its
western
side.
Crossing
the river, the land around the stream is surrounded by a deer-proof
fence, allowing regeneration of woodland, mainly birch, rowan and
hazel. The project was started in 1983 and gives an idea what the
Highlands would look like without deer and sheep.
It would be great if it could be extended to encompass more of the
barren sheep bitten hillsides.
The
path is well constructed with stone steps in places but still needs a
fair bit of scrambling and a bit of hands on climbing over rocky
outcrops. Just how the MacDonalds ever got a herd of cattle up to
the valley was beyond me.
The
cascading waterfalls feeding into the burn made a wonderful
background to the walk and the waters in the pools were
unbelievably clear.
Ferns
and wild flowers freed from the mowing of the sheep were
abundant...sheepsbit scabious, self heal and the tiny golden stars
of tormentil.
After
surmounting the last sloping rock...not something
I would
like to try in the
rain.. the top of the path was in sight and not, as often happens on
the hills, a false summit. No, we had truly reached the top. A few
more steps and the lost valley spread out before us. The great cliff
of Gearr Aonach forms the west side and the slopes of Beinn Fhada,
the east. Ahead was the massive Stob
Coire Sgreamhach.
 |
| The valley appears with Stob Coire Sgreamhach in the distance |
 |
| The Hidden Valley |
Sitting
on the slope down into the valley, replenishing the energy stores,
we could hear the red deer stags bellowing as the annual rut started.
The sound echoed off the walls of the glen, challenging all,
asserting the dominance of the herd leader.
The
descent a bit trickier going down the rocky bits than coming up but
accomplished without injury or indignity then back across the bridge
to the old military road, General Wade's road, by which the
Hanoverian government sought to subdue the Highlands after Culloden.
Built
to let troops move easily around from their bases at Forts William,
Augustus and George, the new roads provide an economic boon the
people of the area allowing transport of cattle and goods to improve
and eliminate the need for hidden pastures.
A
good
day out before the chill of winter and another tick on the list.
