Glen Coe | Description & Facts | Britannica (original) (raw)

Glen Coe, glen (valley) south of Fort William in the Highland council area of western Scotland. From a relatively low watershed and pass to Glen Etive at an elevation of 1,011 feet (308 metres), Glen Coe runs west for about 5 miles (8 km) as a steep-sided glacier-scoured trough about 0.5 mile (800 metres) wide, bounded by towering mountains with elevations of 3,000 feet (900 metres) or more, before turning northwest as a broader glen opening into the valley of Loch Leven. In February 1692 it was the site of a treacherous clan massacre involving the Macdonalds of Glen Coe. The glen is now almost completely uninhabited.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.