In A Special Place: Glencoe
A cottage on the banks of the river Coupall, backed by the Buachaille Etive Mor mountains at Glencoe/Shutterstock
Alastair Campbell makes the journey through Glencoe twice every year and never fails to be dazzled by it’s awesome beauty or reminded of his ancestors association with its more macabre past.
I hope it is not too much of a cliche for a Campbell to choose Glencoe as his favourite beauty spot in Scotland. There is no doubt that the fact the place has such history, and that it is associated for good or, more often bad, with Clan Campbell and the massacre of the MacDonalds, adds to the mystique and frankly the glamour of Glencoe. The modern day resonance remains strong and most Campbells will at times in their life be reminded of that history, and made to feel we all own part of the alleged untrustworthiness at its heart. On the other hand the same story gives a certain edge to anyone who is part of this famous clan. “Don’t mess with a Campbell …”. It has come in handy at times.
But even if it was in part family history that first drew me to Glencoe it is its sheer awe-inspiring beauty that makes me place it at the top of the league table of the many Scottish beauty spots to choose from. That is a title worth having because I doubt there is another country on earth that has such a high proportion of wonderful landscapes relative to land mass.
‘Most Campbells will at times in their life be reminded of the history, and made to feel we all own part of the alleged untrustworthiness at its heart’
Awe is the word. Mountain to the right of you, mountain to the left, and you feel tiny and insignificant between them, and yet at one with their sheer majesty. The weather makes no difference. I have been there at the height of summer when it feels like darkness will never come; and the depths of winter when the windscreen wipers are failing to match the pace of the falling snow and hail and rain. And yes, you cannot but fail to wonder, what was it like to fight a rival clan across this wild and wonderful vastness?
We go there at least once every year en route to a regular holiday in Ardgour. The drive north through Glencoe is always a highlight. The drive south when we are heading home to London always instils a little sadness in me that it will be some time before I see such wondrousness again. I breathe in deeply and try to commit the scenery to memory. And when I am back home, and feeling stressed in London traffic or a packed tube train, I find myself closing my eyes and recalling those pictures in my mind, and suddenly breathing again.
Alastair Campbell is a writer, podcaster and broadcaster. He was the Downing Street Director of Communications from 2000 to 2003
But What Can I Do? (Penguin) by Alastair Campbell is out now
