Further Afield: Rannoch Moor

Further Afield: Rannoch Moor

Rannoch Moor

As you approach the Glencoe area from the south on the main highway – A82, the road passes through Rannoch Moor – a beautiful and wild landscape with mountains and lochs on either side. As your journey continues, the Aonach Eagach Ridge, the Buachaille Etive MorBidean nan Beinn and many others are the main features of this landscape, and one very popular with climbers and walkers.

The West Highland Way – a superb long-distance walk from Glasgow to Fort William passes through Glencoe on its way to Kinlochleven.

Rannoch Moor is memorable, beautiful, unspoiled and awesome. You can’t really appreciate it until you visit it.

VisitFortWilliam

One of the last remaining wildernesses in Europe, the Great Moor of Rannoch is a beautiful outdoor space stretching far north and west from Rannoch Station.
The area is a vast stretch of land composed of blanket bog, lochans, rivers, and rocky outcrops which makes it a very challenging environment which still supports varieties of flora and fauna. A wealth of plants, insect, bird and animal life can be seen here ranging from curlews and grouse to roe and red deer.
The best way to get a feel for this unique area is to take a train journey on the famous West Highland Railway as the railway line crosses the moorland for 23 miles and rises to over 1,300 ft.

There is plenty of challenging and exhilarating walks in the remote hills and cycling routes. High mountains are also a feature of the moor although these are best left to experienced hillwalkers with excellent navigation skills. Lower level paths from the Rannoch Station area include a 9 mile linear tramp through to Corrour and Loch Ossian and also a 7 mile circuit of Loch Ossain.

For Outlander fans, Kinloch Rannoch was used as one of its filming locations. Possibly the most iconic Outlander locations, Kinloch Rannoch was used for the site of Craigh na Dun. It is here, in the very first episode, that Claire visits the stone circle and is thrown back in time to 1743. There she meets Captain ‘Black Jack’ Randall, a sadistic British officer, before being rescued by a passing highlander, Murtagh.

There is a visitor centre at Rannoch Moor which showcases the beauty and interest of the moor – its evolution, early historical developments, flora and fauna and the importance of the railway to the area.

VisitScotland

About the author

Roger McDermott administrator

I am one of the Conference Chairs for ITiCSE 2019.

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