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Glencoe accessibility guide
Get close to nature on a Land Rover Safari and learn about the glen, its wildlife and its history in the visitor centre.
Welcome
Contact us with accessibility enquiries:
Tel: 01855 811307
Email: glencoe@nts.org.uk
Glencoe Visitor Centre is your gateway to the stories and views which have made Glencoe National Nature Reserve one of Scotland’s most famous mountain landscapes.
At a glance
We look forward to welcoming you to our bright, modern, eco-friendly visitor centre. All areas can be reached via step-free access:
- Info hub
- Exhibition and cinema
- Visitor toilets (including unisex accessible toilet facilities)
- Shop
- Café and outdoor seating area
- Learning and functions room
A mountain viewpoint and picnic area can be found 30m away from our visitor centre. Our new reconstruction of a 300-year-old turf house is located 100m beyond this. Both are accessed via a compacted gravel path with a slight gradient of 1 in 30m.
Getting here
Glencoe Visitor Centre
Glencoe
Argyll
PH49 4HX
Travel by car
Glencoe Visitor Centre is just off the A82, near the villages of Glencoe and Ballachulish.
The visitor centre is 15 miles south of Fort William and 2 miles south-east of Glencoe village. Our entrance drive is marked by tourist brown signs on the A82 at the west end of the glen.
The nearest electric car charging point is located near the Isles of Glencoe Hotel in Ballachulish (PH49 4HL) and it has 2 devices. This is part of the ChargePlace Scotland charging network.
Car-free travel
- The visitor centre is connected to Glencoe village by a 2-mile walk on a traffic-free, dedicated tarmac and gravel pathway.
- If you are cycling, we have dedicated cycle parking towards the top of the car park. This is clearly signposted and there is space for 6 bikes at a time.
- You can get to Glencoe Visitor Centre by the Citylink coach (Fort William to/from Glasgow service), which drops off and picks up passengers at the entrance to our estate drive.
- Alternatively, there is a local bus service (Fort William to Kinlochleven with connections to Oban) that stops in Glencoe village.
- You can get a taxi with Glencoe Taxi by calling 01855 811764.
Parking
- The 300m driveway to the visitor centre car park has two-way traffic with no centre line or pavement – please take care to keep left and give way to pedestrians.
- Our car park is divided into three sections with a separate coach parking area, all signposted from the driveway.
- There are four dedicated accessible parking spaces in the second parking section. Blue Badge holders are not required to pay a parking fee.
- The accessible parking spaces are 40m from the visitor centre entrance on a tarmac path with a zebra crossing over the driveway.
- It is possible to drop people off at the visitor centre entrance, just before the zebra crossing. To reach the entrance, follow the driveway all the way round rather than turning into any of the car park sections.
- There is minimal lighting at the car park and outside the visitor centre outwith daylight hours.
- Sadly, we are unable to accommodate cars towing caravans.
Busy periods
If the Blue Badge bays are occupied, we will always try to find somewhere suitable for you to park, or you may prefer to drop off at the entrance instead.
We are not able to reserve parking spaces ahead of time. If you require assistance from a staff member to find suitable parking space, please call 01855 811307.
Assistance dogs and dogs
Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the visitor centre and estate at all times.
Well-behaved dogs are also welcome in all areas, including the café. Please keep dogs on leads and under close control at all times. During busier periods, we may need to restrict the number of dogs in the café; priority will always be given to assistance dogs.
A water bowl for dogs can be found in the outdoor café seating area.
Mobile signal
There is generally good mobile reception at our car park and on the wider estate. In an emergency between 9am and 5pm, please ring 01855 811307. If you receive no answer or the emergency occurs outside of these times, please call 999.
There are staff positioned at key points in the visitor centre (shop, info hub and café). They have the use of radios, which can be used to raise the alarm in the event of an emergency.
Our facilities
Glencoe Visitor Centre comprises three main buildings (shop, toilets and info hub/café/exhibition) which are connected by a wide, raised wooden boardwalk.
Entrance to visitor centre
A covered welcome area at the main entrance is reached via a slight incline from the zebra crossing on the driveway.
All visitors enter the visitor centre via the shop through double doors, on the right of the welcome area.
Shop
All areas of the shop are accessible with a smooth wooden floor. There are three wide steps, or a wide shallow ramp, up to the rear of the shop, both with handrails.
Staff are available to assist with any products which are too high or heavy to reach and can provide product information and advice on request.
The central counter has a lower section to welcome wheelchair users and there is an induction loop.
Visitors exit the shop via a separate wide door onto the wooden boardwalk. This leads to the toilets (straight ahead) and the info hub/café/exhibition (on the right). The boardwalk has a 1.2m handrail and wire fence.
Toilets
At our main toilet block we have one unisex accessible toilet with a baby changing unit, six ladies’ toilets and three men’s toilets (plus urinals).
An additional unisex accessible toilet is located next to the info hub and café.
Accessible facilities have assistance alarms.
When our visitor centres are closed, the nearest public toilet facilities can be found in Glencoe village, Ballachulish or at Corran ferry jetty.
Info hub
This is the first room in our main visitor centre building. It comprises a large 3D map and information boards. A member of staff is based here at busy times to offer further information or advice to visitors. The till point has an induction loop.
From here you can go to the exhibition and cinema (turn left, shallow downhill ramp), to the café and accessible toilet (turn right, shallow uphill ramp) and exit the building to the mountain viewpoint (straight ahead).
Café
The café is accessed through double doors from the Info Hub.
There is a self-service area and counter for ordering other food and drink items.
The counter has an induction loop and a lower section to welcome wheelchair users.
There is a variety of seating with a capacity for 60 visitors. This includes booths and tables with a combination of bench, chair and stool seating. Some seats have seat backs and arm rests while others do not. Wheelchairs and highchairs can be accommodated at many tables.
Staff are available to assist with any price enquiries and carrying items.
Please talk to a member of staff for food allergy information. We serve gluten-free, dairy alternatives and vegan options. There is also free drinking water available.
Exhibition and cinema
The exhibition area is a large open space with several audio features and a TV screen, wall displays and other exhibits.
The cinema is low lit, with bench seating (no backs) for around 50 people.
It has a shallow slope down towards the screen and places where wheelchairs can be positioned for viewing films.
There is an induction loop, a printed script available from the Info Hub and subtitles on the film.
We are able to adjust the volume of films, so if there are any issues please ask a member of staff to assist.
Mountain viewpoint
The viewpoint is 30m from the Info Hub via a level boardwalk which changes to a compacted gravel surface with a shallow gradient and some uneven areas.
There are five picnic tables in this area.
Turf house
A 2m-wide pathway with a compacted gravel surface takes you towards a closer view of our recently reconstructed turf house (100m from the viewpoint outside the visitor centre).
The turf house itself has a historically authentic uneven flagstone floor.
Getting around the National Nature Reserve
Around the visitor centre
By our visitor centre there are a variety of short walks through surrounding woodlands.
These pathways have compacted gravel surfaces and are way-marked with posts showing coloured bands.
They pass through naturally uneven terrain.
Some are at least 1.5m wide with shallow gradients, while others have steep, narrow stretches and can be rough, muddy and rocky in places.
The 250m yellow trail is suitable for most wheelchairs and pushchairs.
The 1.5-mile blue trail is not suitable for most wheelchairs but it is wide enough to accommodate an all-terrain wheelchair or powered mobility vehicle. In places, the terrain and gradient requires chunky tyres, a strong helper or electric assist, but if you have the right set-up, it is a fine adventurous route.
Around the wider estate
The wider National Nature Reserve is a 14,000-acre mountain landscape. It can be enjoyed from the A82 which passes through the middle of it, with the opportunity to stop and savour the views at numerous small parking areas and laybys along the route.
Several parking areas have tarmac surfaces and some have short sections of compacted gravel paths, which may be suitable for some wheelchair users.
Land Rover Safaris
Our ranger team offer guided tours in an estate vehicle in spring, summer and autumn. This provides a great opportunity to explore off the beaten track and hear about the glen’s history, wildlife and conservation work.
Our vehicle can take six passengers. It is not able to accommodate a wheelchair user in their wheelchair, but please get in touch to discuss options to support visitors with reduced mobility in accessing the vehicle.
Guide last updated: February 2024