The Kings House Hotel is an
inn
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
at the eastern end 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 Highland ...
, at its junction with
Glen Etive
Glen Etive ( gd, Gleann Èite) is a glen in the Highlands of Scotland. The River Etive ( gd, Abhainn Èite) rises on the peaks surrounding Rannoch Moor, with several tributary streams coming together at the Kings House Hotel, at the head o ...
in the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
. The inn, in an isolated position about 2 km east of the head of the glen towards
Rannoch Moor
Rannoch Moor (, gd, Mòinteach Raineach/Raithneach) is an expanse of around of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch in Scotland, where it extends from and into westerly Perth and Kinross, northerly Lochaber (in Highland), and the area of ...
, facing
Buachaille Etive Mor, is a popular hostelry with
rock climbers
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...
. It is called the King's House because it was used by the British Army during the subjugation of the Highlands following the
Jacobite Rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...
.
In 2019 the hotel reopened after a substantial 1960s extension was demolished. Only the original 18th-century structure was retained and incorporated into the new building.
History
Early years
The original Kings House, said to be one of Scotland's oldest licensed inns, was built in the 18th century. It was sited at the head of Glen Coe for travellers crossing
Rannoch Moor
Rannoch Moor (, gd, Mòinteach Raineach/Raithneach) is an expanse of around of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch in Scotland, where it extends from and into westerly Perth and Kinross, northerly Lochaber (in Highland), and the area of ...
. The strategic
military road
{{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019
The following is a list of military roads worldwide.
Australia
* Part of the A8 (Sydney) between Neutral Bay and Mosman
* Military Road, part of Route 39, Melbourne
* Military Road, off Wanneroo Road just nort ...
crossed the River Etive at this point by the inn. The military route, built by the British army in the aftermath of the 1745
Jacobite rising
, war =
, image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766
, active ...
, then headed towards Glen Coe before ascending the
Devil's Staircase to
Kinlochleven
Kinlochleven () ( gd, Ceann Loch Lìobhann) is a village located in Lochaber, in the Scottish Highlands and lies at the eastern end of Loch Leven. To the north lie the Mamores ridge; to the south lie the mountains flanking Glen Coe.
The village ...
. Parts of the former military route are now used as the
West Highland Way
The West Highland Way ( gd, Slighe na Gàidhealtachd an Iar) is a linear long-distance route in Scotland. It is long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the r ...
.
By the late 18th century, travellers came from
Ballachulish to
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...
via
Tyndrum
Tyndrum (; gd, Taigh an Droma) is a small village in Scotland. Its Gaelic name translates as "the house on the ridge". It lies in Strathfillan, at the southern edge of Rannoch Moor.
Location and facilities
Tyndrum is a popular tourist village, ...
. In 1803, the inn was visited by
Dorothy Wordsworth
Dorothy Mae Ann Wordsworth (25 December 1771 – 25 January 1855) was an English author, poet, and diarist. She was the sister of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and the two were close all their adult lives. Dorothy Wordsworth had no a ...
, the sister of
Romantic poet
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798).
Wordsworth's ' ...
, who wrote disparagingly:
Never did I see such a miserable, such wretched place, – long rooms with ranges of beds, no other furniture except benches, or perhaps one or two crazy chairs, the floors far dirtier than an ordinary house could be if it were never washed. With length of time the fire was kindled and after another hour of waiting, supper came, a shoulder of mutton so hard that it was impossible to chew the little flesh that might have been scraped off the bones.
However, 100 years later standards had improved dramatically, as
Dundee MP Alexander Wilkie
Alexander Wilkie CH (30 September 1850 – 2 September 1928) was a Labour Party politician in Scotland, best known for his service as a Member of Parliament for Dundee. Along with the Dundonian George Nicoll Barnes, Wilkie was one of the firs ...
recorded a pleasant stay:
Arriving at Kings House Inn I have a hearty welcome. Tea, my clothes and shoes dried. Next morning after a walk round I go in for breakfast. What shall I have? – grapefruit? What! can I have grapefruit in Kings House; of course I can; and so I have grapefruit, and porridge and cream, and fish, and everything just like a west end city hotel. I tell you I am well looked after and at a charge so moderate that I am almost ashamed of my appetite.
In 1910, the first visitors with motor vehicles began to come to Glen Coe when the stone-shod road was upgraded with
tarmac Tarmac may refer to:
Engineered surfaces
* Tarmacadam, a mainly historical tar-based material for macadamising road surfaces, patented in 1902
* Asphalt concrete, a macadamising material using asphalt instead of tar which has largely superseded ta ...
.
Later use
![130707 Kings House+ Buachaille](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/130707_Kings_House%2B_Buachaille.jpg)
In 1959, the Kings House Hotel underwent its first 20th-century modernisation. The work was done so sensitively that the architect, John Thompson ARIBA of Weddell & Thompson, Glasgow, and unusually, also the builders (at the behest of the architect), Thos. Findlay and Sons Ltd of Mauchline, Ayrshire, both received
Civic Trust Awards
The Civic Trust Awards scheme was established in 1959 to recognise outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment.
As the longest standing built environment awards scheme in Europe, since 1959, more than 7000 projects have ...
.
The inn continues to offer food and drink. Before its recent refurbishment it had 22 bedrooms with facilities for fishermen, walkers and
climbers
Climber may refer to:
*Climber, a participant in the activity of climbing
*Climber, general name for a vine
*Climber, or climbing specialist, a road bicycle racer who can ride especially well on highly inclined roads
* Climber (BEAM), a robot that ...
. In winter, the hotel also caters to
skiers
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
from the "White Corries" ski resort just across the road on the mountain of
Meall a' Bhuiridh.
Camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...
on uncultivated ground is generally permitted in Scotland under the
Scottish Outdoor Access Code, so it is common for people (especially hikers walking the West Highland Way) to camp in the vicinity of Kings House because the area is open moorland. However, campers must pitch on the opposite side of the river to the inn.
Refurbishment and extension
The property was put up for sale in 2014, and was bought by the adjacent Black Corries Estate. A project team including hotelier
Crieff Hydro
Crieff Hydro is a hotel in Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland. The purpose-built hotel opened in 1868 as the Crieff Hydropathic Establishment, and is locally known as the Hydro. It was founded in 1868 by Dr Thomas Henry Meikle, who had received treatme ...
prepared proposals,
and in 2015 they announced a major refurbishment, including removing a 1960s extension and opening a hostel.
A further planning application was made in 2017, and on 1 November the hotel closed for refurbishment. Demolition of the old extension began that month, and in January 2018 the new plans were approved despite objections from the
John Muir Trust
The John Muir Trust (JMT) is a Scottish charity, established in 1983 to conserve wild land and wild places for the benefit of all. The Trust runs an environmental award scheme, manages several estates, mainly in the Highlands and Islands of Scot ...
.
The new King's House Hotel, refurbished with 57 bedrooms, reopened in February 2019.
References
External links
*
*
{{coord, 56.64986, N, 4.83969, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(NN260545)_scale:2000, display=title
Tourist attractions in Highland (council area)
Hotels in Highland (council area)
Glen Coe
18th-century establishments in Scotland
Hotels established in the 18th century