Rannoch Moor: Scotland's Great Wilderness Bog
Contents
Rannoch Moor is a vast, high, empty plateau of blanket bog, lochans, rivers and boulders in the heart of the Highlands, ringed by mountains. It has an atmosphere of wildness that few places in Britain can match. Robert Louis Stevenson sent David Balfour and Alan Breck across it in Kidnapped. Victorian engineers built the West Highland Railway across it by floating the track on a bed of brushwood and turf. Its remote station at Corrour can be reached only by train or on foot. This card explores the moor.
TL;DR
- established Rannoch Moor is a large area of blanket bog, lochans and moorland, covering around 50 square miles at an altitude of about 300 metres, between Glen Coe, Loch Rannoch and Bridge of Orchy.
- established It was the centre of an ice cap during the last glaciation, and glaciers flowing outward from it carved surrounding valleys such as Glen Coe.
- established The West Highland Railway, opened in 1894, crosses the moor. Its builders laid the line on a floating foundation of brushwood, turf and ash over the deep peat.
- established Corrour station, on the northern edge of the moor, has no public road access and is often said to be the highest station on the UK national rail network, at about 408 metres.
- established The moor is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, important for bog plants, including the rare Rannoch rush, and for birds.
Key Facts
- Location
- Central Highlands, between Glen Coe and Loch Rannoch
- Area
- About 50 square miles
- Altitude
- About 300 metres
- Landscape
- Blanket bog, lochans, granite boulders
- Ice Age
- Centre of an ice cap
- Railway
- West Highland Line, 1894, laid on brushwood and turf
- Corrour
- Remote station, about 408 m, no public road
- Protection
- Site of Special Scientific Interest
- Rare plant
- Rannoch rush (Scheuchzeria palustris)
A Note on Claims and Evidence
Each major claim carries one of three labels. established means supported by primary records, official bodies or several independent reliable sources. shared means the core fact is sound but sources disagree on details, dates or interpretation. traditional means widely repeated but not traceable to a primary or independent source.
Area figures vary depending on how the moor's boundaries are defined. Stories about railway surveyors lost on the moor in 1889 are widely told and based on contemporary accounts, though details vary.
Timeline
Rannoch Moor at the centre of an ice cap.
Pine woods grow, later replaced by bog; ancient pine stumps survive in the peat.
Stevenson's Kidnapped sends its heroes across the moor.
Railway surveyors cross the moor in harsh winter conditions.
The West Highland Railway opens.
Corrour features in the film Trainspotting.
Details
A bog plateau
established Rannoch Moor is a broad plateau of blanket bog, studded with lochans such as Loch Laidon and Loch Ba, crossed by rivers and scattered with granite boulders left by ice. It is surrounded by mountains, including the Black Mount and Buachaille Etive Mòr. Ancient pine stumps preserved in the peat show that it was once wooded.
The Ice Age
established During the last glaciation, Rannoch Moor lay at the centre of a large ice cap. Glaciers flowing outward from it carved the surrounding glens, including Glen Coe and Glen Etive. The moor's granite was scraped bare, and its boulders were carried and dropped by the ice.
Kidnapped
established In Kidnapped (1886), Robert Louis Stevenson sent David Balfour and Alan Breck across the moor as fugitives, in one of the novel's most memorable chapters. Stevenson's moor is fictional in its details but captures the landscape's bleakness.
Floating railway
established The West Highland Railway, opened in 1894, crosses the moor. Because the peat was too deep for normal foundations, the builders laid the track on mats of brushwood, turf and ash, floating it on the bog. The line remains in use. In 1889, a party of surveyors and railway promoters was caught in severe weather crossing the moor and had to be rescued, an episode remembered in railway lore.
Corrour
established Corrour station, at the northern edge of the moor, has no public road access. At about 408 metres, it is often described as the highest station on the UK national rail network. It famously featured in the film Trainspotting (1996).
Did You Know?
- Rannoch Moor was the centre of an Ice Age ice cap.
- The railway floats on brushwood and turf across the bog.
- Corrour station has no public road access.
- Alan Breck and David Balfour crossed the moor in Kidnapped.
- Ancient pine stumps lie preserved in the peat.
FAQ
1Where is Rannoch Moor?
In the central Highlands, between Glen Coe and Loch Rannoch.
2How did the railway cross the bog?
By floating the track on brushwood, turf and ash.
3What is Corrour?
A remote station on the moor with no public road.
4Why is it important for wildlife?
For rare bog plants and birds.
5Can you walk across it?
Yes, but it is remote and boggy and needs preparation.
Sources and Further Reading
Primary/Institutional
- NatureScot, Rannoch Moor SSSI
Scholarly/Critical
- John Thomas, The West Highland Railway (David & Charles, 1965)
Caveats: Myths and Disputed Claims
- Do not give a precise area as definitive.
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