Finding the Lagangarbh Hut in Glencoe, Scotland
ou’ve probably seen the iconic image of a tiny, little, white hut looking lonely and dwarfed at the base of a dark and rugged mountain. The first time I saw this picture perfect image, I knew I had to go and see it myself in person.
The problem was, without even having a name to go by, this little white hut can be pretty difficult to find. Trust me, searching “Little White Hut, Scotland” into Google doesn’t get you very far.
Even after finding out its name, it was really difficult to get an exact location. Eventually, my search brought me to Glencoe, but when you know nothing about Scotland, a location that says “The North Side of the Buachaille Etive Mor” isn’t very helpful. Instead it raises a number of questions like: How big is the Buachaille Etive Mor – for all I know it could take 4 hours to circulate it before I find the hut. How am I suppose to know which side is the North Side? GoogleMaps doesn’t exactly tell you that information. Similarly, how close can you get to it by car? Is there any parking nearby? Do you need to hike there? Is it hidden or easy to see and out in the open?
So for the noobs out there who, like I was, are just trying to make their travel dreams come true, here’s a trusty guide to everything you need to know during your search to find the Lagangarbh Hut.
The History of the Lagangarbh Hut
It is thought that the Lagangarbh Hut (also known as Lagangarbh Cottage) originally started out as a crofting home. For those that don’t know what crofting is (in fact before going to Scotland, I didn’t know what it was), it is a traditional social system that is present in the highlands of Scotland. While largely common in the past, some small villages in Scotland still have crofting communities today. The best way I can describe crofting in layman terms is that it’s similar to shared farming among a community, where land is shared to grow vegetables and raise animals. Any produce and profits earned from the farming is then distributed evenly among the community.
Since 1946, the hut has been maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Club and owned by the National Trust of Scotland. Today, it is rented out to travellers to stay in throughout the year. Inside, the hut remains largely traditional and even has the local Ballachulish slate roofing. The walls are thick and built with stone to withstand the strong winds in the area, and speaking of winds, the little patch of pine trees to the right of the house also serve as a barrier against the wind!
The Exact Location of the Lagangarbh Hut
Without further ado, let’s get into the hut’s location!
The Lagangarbh Hut is located in the Western Scottish Highlands of Glencoe Scotland, on the north side of The Buachaille Etive Mor. The coordinates are: 56.661806, -4.904396.
Being the only building in the vicinity amongst such a rugged and expansive landscape is part of its breathtaking appeal. Even though the hut looks as if it’s standing in the middle of nowhere in pictures, it’s actually not difficult to find at all! In fact, it’s right beside the main highway, the A82, that passes right through Glencoe. Visible from the road, you absolutely cannot miss it! Parking is also very stress free and simple. There are plenty of shoulders on the A82, that you can veer off into and park the car. From these parking spots, it’s just a short walk to the Lagangarbh Hut.
Referring to the map below, I’ve included 3 markers, click the icon in the top left corner to pop open a sidebar with more info. I have marked 2 of the closest parking spots on the map, but there are numerous along the highway.
As you walk towards the hut, you’ll notice the River Coupall runs just in front of it. If you want to get a closer look at the hut, there are wooden footbridges scattered around the area that you use to cross over the river.
I arrived around 4PM – 5PM and pretty much had the place to myself except for another group of photographers. It was great because by this time all the tour buses had left, so there was plenty of parking and no crowds – the best! I also visited during mid-March, which is a quieter season.
Map of the Lagangarbh Hut and Parking Areas
Use the map below to navigate to the two closet parking areas and the Lagangarbh Hut (it’s called “Glen Coe Photography House” in GoogleMaps).
Getting To Glencoe From Edinburgh or Glasgow
By Car
If you’re looking to travel to the Lagangarbh Hut from Glencoe or Glasgow, I recommend that you drive. It’s one of the most scenic, beautiful drives, plus there’s a whole heap of great places to stop off at along the way – if you’re an Outlander fan, you can a stop at Doune Castle, like I did. Altogether, the drive is around 2.5 hours which saves you a lot of time when you compare it to the 4 hours trip by public transport. The drive is very simple, I had no problems!
By Public Transport
If hiring a car is not for you, there are buses you can take from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Glencoe village. Tickets can be bought from Scottish Citylink.
The bus routes to the right show the buses and the exact route to take to get to Glencoe Visitor Centre, which is located closer to Glencoe village. You want to get off at the “Chairlift Road End” stop (according to Google, this is the closest stop to The Lagangarbh Hut, but you could ask the bus driver if there are any closer stops). According to Google it’s a 1 hour walk from “Chairlift Road End” to the Lagangarbh Hut, or just under a 3 hour walk from the Visitor Centre.
Glencoe is known as Scotland’s most scenic glen. Visiting in March was wonderful and crowd-free. Although March is colder and the flora had not yet recovered from the winter’s snow, I absolutely loved the auburn, orange colours of the landscape against the dark grey rock of the Buachaille Etive Mor. The moody clouds created the perfect atmosphere for photos and the snow capped mountains added to the beauty of the place.
Seasonality: When to Visit
ypically, it’s said that the best time to visit Scotland is during the months of April through to June, which covers spring and early summer in Scotland, and September to November, which are Scotland’s autumn months. As a rule of thumb when travelling to Europe, summer tends to be peak season which means more crowds.
To know when YOU should visit Scotland, it’s comes down to your answer to this question; “What type of Scotland do you want to see?” For me, I envisioned lush green landscapes and was initially disappointed to find that March was still very much dominated by brown/orange hues as the flora was still recovering from the winter months.
In the end, I ended up loving these colours in the landscape, but there was an initial shock. So, if you want lush, green Scotland, visit from May – August. If you want orange, auburn hues, visit during mid-late autumn or early spring like I did. If you want to see the place as a winter wonderland covered in show, visit in winter.
Below, I’ve included scenes of the Lagangarbh Hut through the seasons to help you decide when you might like to visit.
Lagangarbh Hut in Spring
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Lagangarbh Hut in Summer
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Lagangarbh Hut in Winter
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Staying At The Lagangarbh Hut
If you are interested in staying at the hut, applications are only accepted from Mountaineering Clubs, Hillwalking Clubs, Individual members of Mountaineering Scotland or the BMC (British Mountaineering Council). See details below:
Address barn stay applications to Bernard Swan:
01389 875 505 or
0771 0785 227
Civilised hours only, please.
Please book and see availability of the Lagangarbh Hut here: https://www.smc.org.uk/huts/lagangarbh
- Save 10% on Loch Ness, Glencoe, and the Scottish Highlands Day Tour from Edinburgh: If you’re only in Scotland for a short time, this is a great tour to see the highlights of it in a day. You’ll venture into the picturesque highlands with an insightful tour guide with plenty of stories and commentary on the folklore and history of the Scottish Highlands. You’ll visit the beautiful Glen Coe – my favourite place in Scotland – Fort William and Ben Nevis, take a boat ride on the Loch Ness, visit Cairngorms National Park and much, much more! Read the full itinerary and book via the link above to score your discount!
Magical Highlands Tour with Hogwarts Express: Board the Hogwarts Express steam train and discover key film locations featured across the 8 Harry Potter movies. Highlights include the volcanic glen from “The Prisoner of Azkaban”, crossing the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct and get views of Loch Shiel from the “Chamber of Secrets.” See the site of the Triwizard Tournament from “The Goblet of Fire” and much more! See the full itinerary via the link.
- Loch Ness, Glencoe & Highlands Tour from Glasgow: If you’re basing yourself in Glasgow, this tour will be great for you. You’ll discover Loch Lomond National Park, Rannoch Moor, Glencoe, the Great Glen, Loch Ness and Pitlochry, while learning the are’s history and folklore.
If you missed out on staying in the Lagangarbh Hut, here are some other great options:
- The Ballachulish Hotel
- Glencoe Youth Hostel: Budget Accomodation, private rooms and dorm rooms available.
- Signal Rock Glencoe
- The Glencoe Inn: Close to the city centre. There are buses from Glencoe village that can get you closer to the Lagangarbh Hut if you do not have a car.
Or if you prefer, search for accomodation using the widget below:
- Adventure to the UK’s Jurassic Coast and explore the breathtaking Durdle Door.
Oh my…what a stunning place! I haven’t seen anything more cozy and appealing :) Did you take those pictures, Talyssa? You have an exceptional taste!
Lots of love ♥ January Girl
Hi Liz, Isn’t it gorgeous? I fell in love with it straight away and it was my absolute favourite place that I visited in Scotland.
Aww thank you for the compliment – yes I did take the pictures, except for those listed otherwise (i.e. the photo of the parking lot, and the winter, summer and autumn instagram posts I shared in the seasonality section – they all belong to the respective owners I’ve linked. Everything else is taken by me :) )
Absolutely lovely photographs thanks so much for sharing them all with us! I haven’t been to Scotland before however it looks charming.
Laura xo
http://www.shehearts.net #SheHearts
Thank you Laura!
Wow what an amazing place! Thanks for sharing all about it
Xoxo,
Lesley Kim
No worries Lesley, thanks for your comment!
such a great places to visit✨
http://www.torichux3.com
Thanks Tori!
I want visit this place. He is on my list places to see. I know I back for this blog and post.
Yes!! So glad to hear it!
Amazing place indeed. The views are absolutely breathtaking. Thanks for sharing your suggestions dear!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Thank you Jessica, it is such a stunning landscape!
looks incredible. would really love to see it one day.
The Glossychic
Wonder Cottage
I hope that you get to see it too!
Wow this travel guide is incredible!! Definitely bookmarking it so I can use it for reference when we visit Scotland!! :)
xx,
-Lauren
Aww thank you Lauren! So glad you found it useful!
Wow I didn’t even know this place existed! It looks stunning! Thank you for sharing where I can find it!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Yes! I love when I help people discover something new ;)
Scotland looks sooo incredible. I usually consider rather warm destination, but Scotish rough beauty is something I really want to see.
Daniela
http://www.smellofjasmine.com/
Apparently, it gets quite warm in summer, but yes, when I went in early spring it was freezing! But so beautiful!
This is breathtaking and looks amazing, would love to visit and stay for couple of days!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Thank you Lovely. I can’t recommend it enough – so beautiful!
The whole scene looks magical, I haven’t seen quite something like it. And it’s a very detailed guide too, cheers!
http://www.busyandfab.com
Thanks Mercy, yes it’s a beautiful landscape!
This is the first time I hear about this hut. It’s so cute. Love that you can even stay in it.
http://www.fashionradi.com
Oh I’m so glad Radi! It is super cute and yes, the fact that you can stay in it is awesome!
I don’t mean to be dramatic but I honestly think that you are my new favourite blog. I love love love your design, and I feel like your posts are exactly what I want to read (and honestly what I want my own blog to be like haha). I’ve never been to Scotland, but I’ve saved this page so that when I do eventually visit I can check this place out. Catch me being a regular reader from now on :)
Thank you Amy! That’s so kind of you to say and makes Siree and I so happy!! We really do try our best to create the best content for our readers, so it really does mean a lot when we get comments like this.
Glencoe is a beautiful place, with an interesting & tragic history. If you are intrigued, you should check it out.
Hi Iain, thanks for your comment. Yes it does indeed! We have a post coming up about Glencoe in general, so we’ll be sure to include some of the history!
I love this location and visit it as often as I can! My dream is to live in a cottage like that, surrounded by the Scottish Highlands.
Hi Bernadeta,
It really is beautiful!! One of my favourite places and very peaceful.
Hi Bernadetta – Yes!! It’s definitely one of my favourite places too – quiet but majestic and so raw!
Thank you so much for sharing all the detail information. Especially about the parking area, really need it ☺️ Finally, I could visit the hut 2 days ago and parked our rented car nicely.
Hi Nisa,
Thank you for your comment! I’m glad our blog post was able to help – I know I was worrying about parking before I got there as well – because there’s not a lot of info online! Hope you enoyed the area as much as I did – I found it so serene!!
Thanks for posting. I have been transcribing an 1852 travel journal which mentions the solitary white cottage in Glencoe. Have you seen the Pink House on the shores of Loch Glass in Scotland. It is spectacular too, a mystery house which has never been lived in. Best wishes, Sally George.
Hi Sally, wow that sounds absolutely amazing! And regarding the Pink House, I have not, but I would love to see it some day – unfortunately with a new bub on the way, travel plans have been postponed for the near future! Thanks for dropping by!
This article has given the impression that anyone can book and stay at this hut. However it has omitted the following information from the SMC web site. “Applications to stay at the hut are only accepted from Mountaineering Clubs, Hillwalking Clubs, Individual members of Mountaineering Scotland or the BMC (British Mountaineering Council)”. The purpose of the hut is as a base for mountaineers, climbers and hill walkers who are members of clubs. It would useful if this article could be amended to reflect this as it would save the hut custodian, who is a volunteer a lot of additional time explaining how the hut works.
Hi David,
Thanks for notifying us – we haven’t updated for this new information. I’ll definitely add it now! It would have been amazing for the hut custodian to get in touch with us if this post was causing as many issues as you have implied, as we would have love to make the update as immediately as possible. We are not directly affiliated with the Lagangarbh Hut, which is why we always link back to the official websites where possible and as travel information changes all the time, so readers can always verify information in case of changes etc :)
This cottage is not available to rent to the general public. Applications to stay at the hut are only accepted from Mountaineering Clubs, Hillwalking Clubs, Individual members of Mountaineering Scotland or the BMC (British Mountaineering Council)
Hi Katy, thank you for flagging this with us – another reader also mentioned this to us recenlty and we have since updated the information to reflect the new rules. At the time of writing – the rules for hiring the hut were different or at least not mentioned on the club site!