If you are looking for a way to enjoy the stunning Glen Coe scenery in Scotland while spending some time outdoors but without having to exert yourself by climbing a mountain, the Old Military Road trail is the perfect compromise. Whether you are short on time or aren’t sure if you can take on serious climb, this scenic trail is definitely for you. Located in the heart of the Glen Coe valley, a few kilometres east of Glencoe Village, this trail parallels the A82 road and will provide you with stunning mountainous vistas of the valley including the famous Three Sisters peaks. Below we present our Old Military Road Walking Guide, which includes information on how to get to the trailhead, how difficult and long it is, and when is the best time to hike this beautiful trail in the heart of the Scottish Highlands.
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You might also be interested in these pages:
Top Things to See and Do in Glen Coe
Best Hikes and Walks in Glen Coe
Glenfinnan Viaduct and Jacobite Steam Train Travel Guide
Top Things to See and Do on Skye
Skye’s Best Hiking and Walking Trails
Orientation – Where is the Glen Coe Old Military Road Trail?
The Glen Coe Old Military Road trail is a section of the old military road that traverses several areas of the Scottish Highlands. This trail runs parallel to road A82 and is located in the heart of Glen Coe, one of Scotland’s most beautiful and dramatic valleys and one of Scotland’s most popular hiking and walking areas. It is about a 35 km drive (30 min) to get here from Fort Wiliam. From Oban, it is about a 65km drive (60 min). Getting here from Glasglow or Edinburgh will take a bit longer, roughly 2h and 2h30, respectively.
For advice and tips on how to drive in Scotland, check out our Scotland Roadtrip Driving Guide.
If you haven’t booked your rental vehicle yet, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Scotland.
Parking lot: You can access the Old Military Road trail from several parking lots along the A82 road that runs through the Glencoe Valley. If you want to precisely follow the All Trails map described below, then you will want to park at the Three Sisters Car Park. Alternatively, you can park in one of the other nearby parking lots, such as the Aonach Eagach Car Park or Hidden Valley Car Park. Both of these car parks are just a few hundred meters away from the Three Sisters Car Park and connect with Old Military Road trail.
Hours: The trail is also open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so you can visit any time you like.
Costs: Hiking the trail is free, as is the car park (2023).
Facilities: The nearest public toilets are in Glencoe Village and Ballachulish, a ten-minute drive to the west, or are near the Kinghouse Hotel, a 10 min drive to the east.
The Old Military Road Trail
Trail Details
Distance: 3.5 km
Route Type: Out & back
Elevation gain: 66 m
Start point: Three Sisters car park
AllTrails rating: (4.4, 48 ratings (2023))
Not an AllTrails member yet? We highly recommend signing up for either their free or paid membership plans. The free plan allows you to find new trails and plan routes but it can only be used while hiking if you have access to mobile data. The paid membership plan (AllTrails+) allows you to download trail maps for offline use and provides live progress updates and off-route notifications.
If you are still uncertain – you should know that the All Trails mobile application was voted the 2023 iPhone App of the Year by Apple.
Trail Summary
This trail takes you along a segment of the old military road built to facilitate soldiers’ movement through the valley. But don’t expect a paved surface or nice smooth terrain, although it is used often by many, it’s still a proper hillwalking trail with uneven surfaces at times, so proper footwear is still recommended. Nonetheless, this out & back trail is still considered an easy one with little elevation gain as it runs parallel to the River Coe that snakes through the Glen Coe valley floor.
Additionally, it’s not only a relatively short trail but you don’t have to complete it to enjoy the beautiful scenery. In fact, the beautiful views of the Glen Coe valley start from the trailhead and the nearby car park and quite frankly never stop. So you can feel to free walk back and forth all over the trail if you wish or just walk along a short section until you feel you have seen enough. There’s no “must-see” spot along the trail since you are surrounded by beautiful mountains at all times.
If the trail has one drawback, is its proximity to the road to which it runs parallel (the A82). Fortunately, the trail is far below the level of the road so you don’t really see any passing traffic during the walk, but you can occasionally hear passing vehicles.
Trail Alternatives and Variations
Combine with the Lost Valley Trail
Both the Lost Valley and the Old Military Road trails sahre the same trailhead and endpoint, meaning that they can be easily combined with one another.
It’s important to highlgut that although not a particularly long trail, the Lost Valley is defnitely more challemning, in part because of the elevation gain but mostly because of the tricky terrain at times that requires some light scrambling.
The combination doesn’t exist as a trail on All Trails, but you can easily imagine how it would look by combining both trails below (both trails share the same start and end point). Doing both together would create a trail of 9-10 km in distance.
Combine with the River Coe and Coire nan Lochan Trail
For an easier combined trail, look at adding the River Coe and Coire nan Lochan Trail to the Old Military Trail. This trail will only add 1.5 km in distance to the Old Military Road Trail and about 75 m in elevation gain.
This trail is not always clearly marked, so downloading the offline map to follow as you hike is definitely advised. You are welcome to carry on past the turnaround point in the Coire nan Lochan (see map below). Further up the valley, you will be rewarded with small waterfalls and pools of water.
Hiking Packing List
All Trails subscription – This comes in really handy for areas with little or no cell reception, as the annual subscription allows you to download trail maps for offline use.
External Battery – If you are using your phone to track your progress along the trail or to help with navigation, you certainly don’t want your phone to die on you. That’s especially true in the unlikely event that you might get hurt or need assistance.
Hiking poles – These can be particularly useful in steep trails or muddy/boggy trail conditions.
Old Military Road Trail Tips
- Best time to visit: we highly recommend shoulder season (May, June, September and early October). The weather will be pleasant, it won’t be as crowded as during the peak summer months, and you will be outside the peak midge period.
- Come early in the morning if possible, as the parking lots can fill up during the day.
- Check the weather before heading out. Our favourite weather app for the area is the Met Office app.
- As this is Scotland, the trail can get boggy and slippery after rain, so do wear appropriate footwear.
- Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a leash.
- If coming during the summer months, beware of the pesky little midges (tiny little mosquitoes). You can check the midge forecast beforehand.
- Stick to the designated path to protect the surrounding environment.
Preparing a trip to the Highlands?
You might be interested in these pages:
Top Things to See and Do in Glen Coe
Best Hikes and Walks in Glen Coe
Glenfinnan Viaduct and Jacobite Steam Train Travel Guide
Top Things to See and Do on Skye
Skye’s Best Hiking and Walking Trails
Preparing a trip to Scotland?
You might be interested in these Scotland pages:
10-Day Scotland Roadtrip Itinerary (Edinburgh and Highlands)
Scotland Driving Guide and Tips
7 of the Best Castles to Visit in Scotland
Best Things to See in the Scottish Highlands
Best Hikes to do in the Scottish Highlands
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Rick Steves Scotland
Lonely Planet Scotland’s Highlands
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
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e-Sim cards
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eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.
Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Glen Coe Old Military Road Walking Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your trip to the beautiful Scottish Highlands.
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