fbpx

KidsKonnect

Glencoe Facts & Worksheets

Glencoe, also known as Gleann Comhann, is a beautiful Glen of volcanic origins in the western Scottish Highlands.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /Geography /Glencoe Facts & Worksheets

Premium
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Glencoe, also known as Gleann Comhann in Scottish Gaelic, is a breathtakingly beautiful Glen of volcanic origins in the western Scottish Highlands. It is located in the southern portion of the Highland Council Lochaber committee area and was previously part of the state of Argyll. Glencoe is the “home of Scottish mountaineering among hillwalkers and climbers.

See the fact file below for more information on Glencoe, or you can download our 28-page Glencoe worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Geography

  • The Glen is U-shaped and was carved out by a glacier during the ice age; it is around 12.5 kilometers in length, and its floor is less than 700 meters wide, narrowing dramatically at the “Pass of Glen Coe.”
  • Glencoe is a settlement in the Scottish Highlands. It is located in the Scottish Highlands, in the steep-sided Glencoe valley. Wild and steep mountains flank the Glen as you approach it from the east on the significant A82 road. The scenery has a softer charm further west at Invercoe before the many entries to the Glen. 
  • Glencoe, a neighboring village in Carnoch, is the main settlement. The area is well-known for its waterfalls and hiking trails that lead to peaks such as Buachaille Etive Mor and Bidean Nam Bian. The Glencoe Folk Museum, located in the village, is housed in an 18th-century thatched house and features exhibits on local history and the 1692 Glencoe massacre.

Historical Background

  • Many people believe that the “Glen of Weeping” in Glen Coe’s name refers to the tragic events of the 1692 Massacre of Glencoe. Although it may sound similar, “Gleann Comhann” does not mean “Glen of Weeping” in English. The Glen, in reality, was named for the River Coe that runs through it long before the 1692 occurrence.
  • In August 1691, the government proposed compensating all tribal heads who swore allegiance to the crown by January 1, 1692. The “Letters of fire and sword,” brutal sanctioning attacks on recalcitrants, were drafted in expectation of widespread refusals; however, the leaders took the oath.
  • In Scottish history, the Massacre of Glencoe occurred on February 13, 1692, when soldiers serving under Archibald Campbell, the tenth earl of Argyll, brutally murdered people of the MacDonald clan of Glencoe. William III succeeded King James II of England and Scotland in 1689, but many Scottish clans stayed loyal to James. 
  • Alexander MacDonald of Glencoe delayed submitting his oath until December 31, 1691, since there was no magistrate at Fort William to take it. Then Sir John Dalrymple, William’s secretary of state for Scotland, issued an order for the military punishment of the MacDonalds under the king’s signature.
  • 100 Argyll troops, who had been quartered with the MacDonalds for a week, attacked them. The clan leader and thirty-three other men, two women, and two children did not make it out alive. John Campbell, Lord of Breadalbane and Holland, was a neighbor and enemy of the MacDonalds. He was imprisoned in 1695 for his past participation with the Jacobites but is commonly believed to have planned the attack.

Wild Life

  • Glencoe’s wildlife is limited, most likely due to a lack of natural protection caused by heavy winds and more than 90 inches of rain every year. The high mountains can still be in snow as late as July, yet the shortest winter days can be unexpectedly balmy and sunny. 
  • The fox and the blue hare are frequent visitors to the higher mountain slopes. Long-tailed field mice, voles, and common shrews are more likely to be encountered than the elusive wildcat, badger, or pine marten, which prowl the lower slopes.
  • Although once considered uncommon, red deer and roe deer are today among the most commonly seen four-legged animals. Red deer can be observed eating and finding cover in fields and on lower moorland slopes at night and throughout the winter.
  • Ravens and Buzzards can frequently be seen and heard swooping high above. Golden Eagles are less numerous and prefer the remoter areas south of the central mountain mass.
  • Snow bunting and ptarmigan are standard on the high peaks, and there are many grouse, blackcock, curlew, golden plover, and snipe on the border of Rannoch Moor. Each winter, the number of wild ducks and whooper swans spotted in Loch Achtriochtan grows.
  • Lower mountain slopes are covered in conventional moorland grasses, whereas hills up to about 2000 feet are covered in ling and heather. Lower down, there is a profusion of bog myrtle and cotton grass, as well as bog asphodel, butterwort, sundew, and bladderwort on the banks of pools. Wood anemone, sorrel, wild hyacinth, common violets, saxifrage, and lady’s-mantle are just some of the beautiful alpine flora that can be found hidden away on ledges in the mountains, safe from the all-devouring sheep.

Featured Landmarks

  • Without a doubt, the most well-known and beautiful of Scotland’s Highland Glens is Glen Coe. Every year, people from all over the world rush here to soak up the majesty of the surrounding mountains and the mystery of the area’s troubled past.
  • From across the barren expanse of Rannoch Moor, most visitors to Glencoe will get their first glimpse of Buachaille Etive Mor, also known as The Great Herdsman of Etive. From the south, the A82 climbs to more than a thousand feet above the vast Rannoch wilderness before slowly winding down into the Glen. 
  • White Corries ski resort is perched high above the moor before you reach the Buachaille. The West Highland Approach, a well-known long-distance trail, passes under the Black Mount chairlift on its way to Fort William, then crosses toward the Devil’s Staircase.
  • To the southwest, beneath the Buachaille enormous pyramid, is the isolated and breathtaking Glen Etive. Down Glen Etive, the single-lane road winds till it reaches the beginning of Loch Etive, a distance of around 13 miles. The mountains on either side of the east-west running Glen of Glen Coe are steep.
  • The Aonach Eagach ridge, located to the north, is a thin and rocky knife-edge that presents even seasoned mountaineers with a formidable challenge. The views to the north toward the Mamores and Ben Nevis are breathtaking from the ridge’s peak, making it a “must-do” for any serious mountaineer.
  • The Three Sisters of Glen Coe are the mountain ranges of Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach, and Aonach Dubh. The most delicate perspective is from the ancient road above the narrowing of the canyon. Still, Piper’s lay-by, so named because of the typical summertime distractions, is likely to be the most popular. The highest point in Argyll, Bidean Nam Bian, is behind the group of hills known as the Three Sisters. 
  • The magnificently shaped Pap of Glencoe towers over the small settlement of Glencoe, which is a short distance away. The small community offers a variety of amenities, including bed and breakfast accommodations, restaurants and cafes, a gas station, a post office, and a store. In addition, the Glencoe Lochan, previously the Strathcona House and estate, features a very interesting but tiny museum and some excellent mild hikes.
  • The Scottish National Trust controls much of the Glen, a Visitor Center for Glencoe’s geology, vegetation, animals, and 1692 murder.
  • Glencoe has plenty to see and do year-round. It’s a popular starting point for exploring the Highlands and a business hub in the Outdoor Capital of the UK.

Additional Trivia

  • Glencoe was featured in several outdoor scenes in The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, and The Half-Blood Prince. Just above the Clachaig Inn, the Clachaig Gully became the scene of Hagrid’s Hut in The Prisoner of Azkaban. After filming, the cottage was removed, but the breathtaking scenery remained. 
  • Glencoe was the location for filming scenes from the third Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, in 2003.
  • Anyone who has been to the Clachaig Inn or Glencoe recently may recognize the area as being featured in the film and future installments of the Harry Potter series. Three sets were built towards the foot of Clachaig Gully in the spring of 2003, across the road from Clachaig Inn.
  • For several decades, the Glen has served as the setting for some trendy feature films. Brief sequences have been filmed for some of these, while longer ones with more complex sets require a lot more time and effort. Movies like Rob Roy, Monty Python and the Holy Grail were filmed in Glencoe.
  • In later Harry Potter movies, scenes were shot at a location adjacent to the Clachaig Inn rather than on the original Glencoe set. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the most current film to be shot, in October 2007.

Glencoe Conservation

  • The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has identified Glen Coe as a Category IV protected area since 2017. In addition to being a SAC and SSSI, the southern portion of Glen Coe is covered as part of the Glen Etive and Glen Fyne Special Protection Areas (SPA). The Glen’s beautiful splendor has resulted in its inclusion in the Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area. Glencoe is one of 40 places in Scotland designated to identify and protect areas of exceptional scenery from unwanted development.

Glencoe Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Glencoe across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets about Glencoe, a breathtakingly beautiful Glen of volcanic origins in western Scotland.

Complete list of included worksheets:

  1. Glencoe Facts
  2. BINGO
  3. Crossword Puzzle
  4. Significant Personalities
  5. The Famous Glen
  6. Unfortunate Event
  7. Take A Trip
  8. Undying Beauty
  9. The Glencoe Bucket List
  10. Word For Thoughts
  11. Landscape

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Glencoe known for?

The Glencoe Massacre of 1692 remains an infamous event in Scottish history, where the Campbell clan – working as government militia at the time – acted maliciously against their hosts, the MacDonalds.

What does Glencoe stand for?

The name Glen Coe has been said to mean “Glen of Weeping,” with the heartbreaking Glencoe Massacre, which occurred in 1692.

How old are the mountains in Glencoe?

The remarkable Glencoe Mountains were formed from some of the oldest sedimentary and volcanic material, molded by a 380 million-year-old ‘cauldron subsidence.’ This geological event sculpted and shifted these mountains into their present grandeur.

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Glencoe Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, December 8, 2022

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources