The Lost Valley (Coire Gabhail) was where the Macdonalds were supposed to hide the cattle they had rustled from their neighbours, or perhaps, where they hid their cattle to stop them being rustled by their neighbours! The geologists tell us that the lost valley was formed by the weight of ice that could not escape from the valley as the huge ice cap flowed down to the sea through the pass of Glencoe from off Rannoch Moor. Even knowing all this, the size of the valley still comes as a complete surprise the first time it is viewed. It is vast and photographs really capture the sheer size of the place. the valley is completely hidden from view during the 1000ft ascent to it's entrance and is only revealed at the very last moment.