Glen Coe Military Road — Rannoch Moor to Glencoe Village via the Old King’s Road

General Wade’s soldiers hacked this route through the Highlands in the 1700s to pacify a rebellious Scotland, and driving it today you feel every bit of that grim history. The track drops from Rannoch Moor’s vast boggy plateau into Glen Coe itself, running roughly parallel to the A82 but well above it on the old line, past the Buachaille Etive Mòr’s east face and through the Study — the narrow pinch point where the glen squeezes down and waterfalls pour off the Three Sisters. The surface is a mix of loose stone and compacted gravel with soft verges that’ll swallow a wheel if you drift wide. It’s not technical in a rock-crawling sense, but the exposure, unpredictable Scottish weather, and complete lack of bailout options command respect.

Any high-clearance 4WD handles this in dry conditions; after heavy rain — which is most of the year in Argyll — ground clearance and good all-terrain tyres matter. No permit required. Fuel up in Tyndrum or Glencoe village before heading out; there’s nothing on the route. Best driven May through September before the autumn mists close in for months. Wild camping is legal under Scottish access laws but pick a sheltered spot — the moor is brutal when the wind comes in from the Atlantic. What you get at the end is one of the most raw, cinematic glen drives in Europe.