to the left of centre. ridge on the other side of Glen Coe. This corrie was formed, like Glen Coe, by the movement of glaciers. The principal glacier in the glen below was larger and heavier, and carved out a deeper trough than that of Coire Gabhail. When the glaciers melted a hanging valley was left, high above the glen. Debris from the glaciers left moraines in the mouths of the glens and corries, often resulting in a lake forming behind them. In time these waters found their way through the debris and the lake drained leaving a relatively flat-bottomed alluvial plain which now forms the floor of the corrie. The name Coire Gabhail (Corrie of the
Bounty, or The Hollow of Capture) refers to former times when the corrie was used by members of
Clan Macdonald to hide
cattle and other livestock, whether their own or stolen from others. Like other clans in the area, cattle were the mainstay of their economy, both herding and raiding: young men boastfully sang of getting cows from
the Mearns. The wide flat glen is well suited for this purpose since from Glen Coe it appears to be a normal v-shaped glen approached only by a steep narrow gorge. The Macdonalds commonly had feuds with
Clan Campbell. This culminated tragically in the 1692
massacre of Glencoe when Government soldiers turned on Macdonald clansfolk who fled in a winter blizzard, and a number made their way up to Coire Gabhail while their houses were burned. Those that survived the night then left Glen Coe, fearing the return of the soldiers. ==Access==