Early years The original Kings House, said to be one of Scotland's oldest licensed inns, was built in the 18th century. It was sited at the head of Glen Coe for travellers crossing
Rannoch Moor. The strategic
military road crossed the River Etive at this point by the inn. The military route, built by the British army in the aftermath of the 1745
Jacobite rising, then headed towards Glen Coe before ascending the
Devil's Staircase to
Kinlochleven. Parts of the former military route are now used as the
West Highland Way. By the late 18th century, travellers came from
Ballachulish to
Loch Lomond via
Tyndrum. In 1803, the inn was visited by
Dorothy Wordsworth, the sister of
Romantic poet
William Wordsworth, who wrote disparagingly: Never did I see such a miserable, such wretched place, – long rooms with ranges of beds, no other furniture except benches, or perhaps one or two crazy chairs, the floors far dirtier than an ordinary house could be if it were never washed. With length of time the fire was kindled and after another hour of waiting, supper came, a shoulder of mutton so hard that it was impossible to chew the little flesh that might have been scraped off the bones. However, 100 years later standards had improved dramatically, as
Dundee MP Alexander Wilkie recorded a pleasant stay: Arriving at Kings House Inn I have a hearty welcome. Tea, my clothes and shoes dried. Next morning after a walk round I go in for breakfast. What shall I have? – grapefruit? What! can I have grapefruit in Kings House; of course I can; and so I have grapefruit, and porridge and cream, and fish, and everything just like a west end city hotel. I tell you I am well looked after and at a charge so moderate that I am almost ashamed of my appetite. In 1910, the first visitors with motor vehicles began to come to Glen Coe when the stone-shod road was upgraded with
tarmac.
Later use in 2012. In 1959, the Kings House Hotel underwent its first 20th-century modernisation. The work was done so sensitively that the architect, John Thompson ARIBA of Weddell & Thompson, Glasgow, and unusually, also the builders (at the behest of the architect), Thos. Findlay and Sons Ltd of Mauchline, Ayrshire, both received
Civic Trust Awards. The inn continues to offer food and drink. Before its recent refurbishment it had 22 bedrooms with facilities for fishermen, walkers and
climbers. In winter, the hotel also caters to
skiers from the "White Corries" ski resort just across the road on the mountain of
Meall a' Bhuiridh.
Camping on uncultivated ground is generally permitted in Scotland under the
Scottish Outdoor Access Code, so it is common for people (especially hikers walking the West Highland Way) to camp in the vicinity of Kings House because the area is open moorland. However, campers must pitch on the opposite side of the river to the inn.
Refurbishment and extension The property was put up for sale in 2014, and was bought by the adjacent Black Corries Estate. A project team including hotelier
Crieff Hydro prepared proposals, and in 2015 they announced a major refurbishment, including removing a 1960s extension and opening a hostel. A further planning application was made in 2017, and on 1 November the hotel closed for refurbishment. Demolition of the old extension began that month, and in January 2018 the new plans were approved despite objections from the
John Muir Trust. The new King's House Hotel, refurbished with 57 bedrooms, reopened in February 2019. ==References==