HF Houses - Glen Coe - Leaving the Car at Home.
I can't find any of my own photos from then but Adrian Fielding has sent me some pictures that he took. We have been trying to work out where they were taken.
I went to Glen Coe on 1 May 1993: about time to go again. As you can see from the photos below there was a lot of snow around in May, I guess the climate has changed now. When I went it was called Loch Leven in the HF brochure, not Glen Coe, but it was the same house. When we went it was a led holiday, all the led walks required a coach. I don't think it would be very practical to get to the led walks, shown below, by public transport. |
 |
Getting to HF Alltshellach by Public Transport
HF have a group coach transfer from Glasgow's Buchanan Street Bus Station or Glasgow Airport see HF website.
This is the information HF sent in 1993: (so out of date now) |
 |
Looks like there is a walk required from Glasgow Central Station to Buchanan Street Bus Station:
Citylink Bus
Information about Citylink Bus here.
It goes from Buchanan Street Bus Station (see above) to North Ballachullsh (which is a short distance from the house).
National Express
I can't find anything on National Express route map.
Train to Fort William
I don't know if it would be quicker to get the train to Fort William and then the bus back to North Ballachullsh?
The Caledonian Sleeper to Fort William would be an interesting but expensive experience.
More Ideas
Here are some helpful ideas from the HF Holiday Fans ( unofficial) Facebook Page.
| Carol Roy I've taken the HF coach to Glasgow after the hiking but went by rail from Glasgow to Fort William which is the most scenic rail journey! Then overnighted Fort William to explore, one year did the Jacobite steam train to Mallaig. Easy journey to HF at North Ballacuilish on local bus or Skye bus. Bus stop is at the end of the road to HF a few hundred yards. Enjoy! Fabulous hiking x |
| Rebecca Jackson I got the hf transport there which was fine but it wasn’t running on the way back due to a misunderstanding by myself (I was only there 3 nights) but getting the citylink bus to Glasgow worked out fine. |
| Ian Christie Scottish Citylink drops you off at the top of the road and is just a short walk down the road to Alltshellach. |
| Barbara Cee I didn’t take public transport but wish I had. The HF transport left Glasgow at 4, I think, and we arrived quite late after the pre-dinner ‘wander’ across to the little island and went straight in to dinner if I recall. Folk who took public transport were happy with it and the stop is on the main road a few hundred metres away from the house (side road.) I always said that if I returned I’d use public transport. |
| Linda Smith Jane Griffin-Ash if you have an English bus pass it doesn’t count in Scotland, the £2:00 fare is only for Scottish pensioners only, the bus is great, I did it last year, you see so much fantastic scenery, and cheaper than HF transfer, enjoy ur holiday |
| Ian Christie At present the return fare from Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station to North Ballachulish is £46.50 and most of the drivers will know where the house is. You're quite right you need to be registered and living in Scotland for the concessionary travel and English bus passes aren't recognised north of the border! |
| Penny Whitford The Scottish buses are fine & there’s a bus stop at the end of the road. They’re usually every 2 hours so you can take your pick. Even if you’re not Scottish & have to pay the full fare it’s great value. |
Alltshellach
In 1993 I paid £224 plus £24.50 en suite supplement for 7 nights best of britain holiday. Starting on Sat 1 May 1993 I was in single chalet/shwr+wc: |
 |
Piping in the Haggis, Neeps and Tatties:
Walks from HF Alltshellach
I remember a wee hoose on an island in a loch somewhere? Or am I thinking of Arran?
The HF Schedule of Walks lists 4 walks for each day:
Sunday Walk - Beinn NA CilleIt looks like we went mostly on the High Level Walks on this holiday, but not the High Level Walks (Harder Alternative) which involve ridges and I'm not good with heights. |
 |
View from the ferry:
Monday Walk - AM BodachI am not sure if the pictures below are all the Monday walk, some of them might be Sunday? We think they should be in the correct order. |
 |
Tuesday - Ben Nevis
3 walks went up Ben Nevis:
- The high level walk (harder alternative) went along Carn Mor Dearg Arete ridge so I didn't do that.
- The high level walk went part of the way on the Pony Track but then turned off to North Face Path and went below Castle Ridge.
- The middle level walk went up the Pony Track (Tourist Route) now known as the Mountain Path.
They said that the high level walk was almost as easy as going all the way on the zig-zag Pony Track but it was more interesting so I did that. Unfortunately that was the only one of the three that did not get to the summit.
All the walks started at Glen Nevis (start of Ben Nevis Mountain Path)
 |
 |
The CIC hut had emergency phone.
The walk started to get more snow covered:
Then it got to a steep but where the people in front were dislodging stones onto the people below. Eventually we has no option to turn round and go down.
On the walk we met a person who was lost. He was a prison officer and he had set out with a group of his colleagues going up the Pony Track but he had got separated from them and taken the wrong path. He was supposed to make it to the top with the rest of their party. He was upset as he was the one with the flag and he said they would not let him forget it.
Back to Glen Nevis:
Wednesday - No Led Walk
On the day off we went on the train from Fort William to Mallaig. In those days the train was more 2-coach diesel unit than Hogwarts Express and the 'dreich' rain and drizzle didn't help.
Thursday - Sron NA Creise and Meall A'BhuiridhWe are not sure which of the following pictures are on the Thursday walk and which are Friday but they should be in the correct order. |
 |
Friday Beinn A'Bheithir from Ballachulish VillageSome of the pictures above may be from this walk? |
 |
I think this must be waiting for the coach at the end of the walk, we think two of the leaders were 4th and 6th from the left:
Walking from the House
Here are some helpful ideas from the HF Holiday Fans ( unofficial) Facebook Page.
| Tom Gallagher Walk back across the bridge, down the steps and past the Ballachullish hotel, picking up the Sustrans cycle path. It is an old railway line (therefore flat) to Oban. Walk as far as you wish before retracing your footsteps. The views across Loch Linnhe to Ardnamurchan are stupendous. There is also a Wildcat centre farther along but it's a steep climb where the path leaves the old railway and I think it is more than you would want to walk from the centre. The bus passes, though. |
| Carol Roy Local bus or Skye bus to Fort William then the train to Mallaig and return. One of the world's most scenic journeys. Wildlife is all around you at Alltschellach! Great centre for hiking whatever your ability. There's a pedestrian/cycle way from Ballacuillish in walking distance from hotel which is fairly flat. That's tarmac. Glencoe Visitor Centre is worth a visit - I got local bus from end of road at Alltschellach to the turn off for Glencoe Village then walked up from there. Lots of possibilities. Kinlochleven of course, several possibilities from there for trails. Enjoy! x |
| Jak Radice There are red squirrels not far away, you can get there by bus (or walk), see info here |
Other Documents on this site
Click on the following for more information
| Former HF Houses | |
|---|---|
| Conwy (1914- 2011) |  |
| Newlands (1914- 1987) |  |
| Swanage (1947- 1995) |  |
| Isle of Arran (1925- ) |  |
| Scarborough (1954- 1998) |  |
| Lulworth |  |
| Beddgelert |  |
| New Inns |  |
| Penrith |  |
| Milford-on-Sea |  |
About This SiteHere is some information I have gathered together about getting to and walking from HF houses when leaving the car at home. On these pages I have also put some history about former HF houses I have visited. The information here is based on my visits to HF houses over the years. It may be out of date so don't rely on anything here without checking. If you find any errors why not let others know by putting a post on the HF Holiday Fans ( unofficial) Facebook forum. I will try to quote such posts here so they don't get lost. This is information I have discovered over the years which would have been useful to know before. Unfortunately the travel information on the HF website, for getting to houses by public transport, is poor. I think it would be better if the information on this page were on the HF website. |
| Web page design and content © 2025 M J Baker.. |