Glen Coe in the context of Ladies' Scottish Climbing Club

The MacDonalds of Glencoe, also known as Clann Iain Abrach (Scottish Gaelic: Clann Iain Abrach), is a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of the larger Clan Donald. Named after Glen Coe, the MacDonalds (or MacIains as they were more specifically known) lived there from the early 14th century, until the glen was largely abandoned during the Highland Clearances of the late 18th century.

The MacDonalds of Glencoe were constantly involved in trouble with the law and for their consistent raiding, pillaging and cattle rustling. Combined with their participation in the Jacobite rising of 1689, this resulted in the clan being targeted in the 1692 Massacre of Glencoe. They later took part in the risings of 1715 and 1745.

Glencoe or Glencoe Village (Gaelic: A’ Chàrnaich) is the main settlement in Glen Coe in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands. It lies at the north-west end of the glen, on the southern bank of the River Coe where it enters Loch Leven (a salt-water loch off Loch Linnhe).

The village falls within the Ross, Skye and Lochaber part of the Highland council area for local government purposes. It is part of the registration county of Argyll and the lieutenancy area of Inverness for ceremonial functions.

Ben Nevis and Glen Coe is a national scenic area (NSA) covering part of the Highlands of Scotland surrounding Ben Nevis and Glen Coe, in which certain forms of development are restricted. It is one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure their protection from inappropriate development. The Ben Nevis and Glen Coe NSA covers 903 km (349 sq mi) of land, lying within the Highland, Argyll and Bute and Perth and Kinross council areas. A further 19 km (7.3 sq mi) of the NSA are marine, covering the sea loch of Loch Leven.

National scenic areas are primarily designated due to the scenic qualities of an area; however NSAs may well have other special qualities, for example related to culture, history, archaeology, geology or wildlife. Areas with such qualities may be protected via other national and international designations that overlap with the NSA designation. Glen Coe is designated as a national nature reserve, and there are several Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas within the NSA. Although the national scenic area designation provides a degree of additional protection via the planning process, there are no bodies equivalent to a national park authority, and whilst local authorities can produce a management strategy for each one, only the three national scenic areas within Dumfries and Galloway have current management strategies.