Glen Etive ( gd, Gleann Èite) is a

glen A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

in the

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia * So ...

of Scotland. The River Etive ( gd, Abhainn Èite) rises on the peaks surrounding Rannoch Moor, with several tributary

streams A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams ar ...

coming together at the Kings House Hotel, at the head of

Glen Coe Glen Coe ( gd, Gleann Comhann ) is a glen of volcanic origins, in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the north of the county of Argyll, close to the border with the historic province of Lochaber, within the modern council area of Highlan ...

. From the Kings House, the Etive flows for about 18 km, reaching the sea loch,

Loch Etive Loch Etive ( Scottish Gaelic, ''Loch Eite'') is a 30 km sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It reaches the sea at Connel, 5 km north of Oban. It measures 31.6 km (19 miles) long and from 1.2 km ( mile) to wide. I ...

. The river and its tributaries are popular with whitewater kayakers and at high water levels it is a test piece of the area and a classic run. At the north end of Glen Etive lie the two mountains known as the "Herdsmen of Etive":

Buachaille Etive Mòr Buachaille Etive Mòr (), gd, Buachaille Èite Mòr, 'great herdsman of Etive'), also known simply as 'The Buachaille', is a mountain at the head of Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland. Its pyramidal shape, as seen from the northeas ...

and

Buachaille Etive Beag Buachaille Etive Beag (, gd, Buachaille Èite Beag, 'little herdsman of Etive') is a mountain between Glen Coe and Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies west of Buachaille Etive Mòr, its larger neighbour, from which it is s ...

. Other peaks accessible from the Glen include Ben Starav, located near the head of Loch Etive, and Beinn Fhionnlaidh on the northern side of the glen. The scenic beauty of the glen has led to its inclusion the Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland. A narrow road from the Kings House Hotel runs down the glen, serving several houses and

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used f ...

s. This road ends at the head of the loch, though rough tracks continue along both shores. The River Etive is one of Scotland's most popular and challenging white water kayaking runs. It provides a multitude of solid Grade 4(5) rapids with a variety of falls and pool drops. It is home to a herd of

Scottish red deer The Scottish red deer (''Cervus elaphus scoticus'') is a subspecies of red deer, which is native to Great Britain. Like the red deer of Ireland, it migrated from continental Europe sometime in the Stone Age. The Scottish red deer is farmed for ...

that have become accustomed to the presence of humans.

Mythology

In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Deirdre and her love Naoise founded Glen Etive after fleeing Ulster. The

Fachen In Scottish folklore the fachan (or fachin, fachen, Direach Ghlinn Eitidh or Dithreach (dwarf of Glen Etive)) is a monster or giant described by John Francis Campbell in ''Popular Tales of the West Highlands'' as having a single eye in the middl ...

is also known as the Dwarf of Glen Etive.

Movie location

Glen Etive has been used as the backdrop to many movies, among them ''

Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American historical drama film directed and produced by, and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays Sir William Wallace, a late-13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence a ...

'' and '' Skyfall''.Skyfall location despolied by fly tippers ''The Guardian'' 18 July 2014
/ref> The resulting influx of visitors has led to concerns about the spoilage of the glen through littering and fly-tipping.

Footnotes

{{coord, 56, 36, 4, N, 5, 0, 21, W, region:GB_scale:100000, display=title Etive Valleys of Highland (council area)