SIH Guide to a Hair-Raising Hogmanay

Hogmanay is the winter festival where Scotland comes into its own.  It’s so much more than a New Year celebration, it’s a very big deal in Scotland.

Take Edinburgh.  This historic city celebrates Hogmanay with a three-day festival, starting with a torchlight procession on 30th December lead by real Vikings (or as near as) from the Royal Mile to Carlton Hill.  The next day is devoted to the street party with concerts, ceilidhs and fireworks galore.  Followed by a traditional dunk in the icy Forth the next day, known as the Loony Dook, for the bravest of visitors and locals.

The Loony Dook, New Year's Day

Other Traditions:

First-Footing - After the stroke of midnight, friends and neighbours visit each other, with gifts such as shortbread or a lump of coal. In return they are given a wee dram to toast the New Year. It signifies your fortunes for the coming year.

Redding the House – A big clean up before new year, clearing away evil spirits and Christmas debris at the same time!

Fire Festivals – If the cleaning doesn’t get rid of the evil spirits, a giant bonfire and firelight procession might do the trick.  The Stonehaven Fireballs festival (south of Aberdeen) is one of the most dramatic.

Stonehaven Fireballs Festival

Auld Lang Syne – Singing Robert Burns’ poem is an essential part of the celebrations. No miming, here are the words.
And you need to get physical, the singing is accompanied by a linking of arms which cross each singer’s chest.

Irn Bru – the traditional Scottish hangover cure.



Images courtesy of Visit Scotland.

The story of Kyle of Tongue Hostel & Holiday Park; from Ancient Sewage Systems to High Quality Accommodation

In 2014, Stephen, Carol, Richard & Suzanne Mackay purchased Tongue Youth Hostel from the Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA).

The vision

Their vision was to transform the undeveloped but prime land surrounding the Hostel into a thriving, and much needed in the area, campsite & caravan park.

On the banks of picturesque Kyle of Tongue and on the North Coast 500 route

The aim was to create a “one stop shop” for affordable accommodation located on the banks of the picturesque Kyle of Tongue and primely on the North Coast 500 route. This vision was welcomed by the SYHA and thus Kyle of Tongue Hostel & Holiday Park was formed as an affiliate to the SYHA Organisation.

Affordable AND high quality accommodation

Five years later, in May 2019, the team at Kyle of Tongue Hostel & Holiday Park proudly declared the new, fully equipped and high quality campsite & caravan park open to the public.

Obstacles and hurdles

To reach this point, a number of obstacles and hurdles had to be overcome including ancient sewage systems, planning permissions and funding applications to name but a few. However, the team worked hard and are thrilled with the new site.

One stop shop for affordable accommodation

Along the way, Kyle of Tongue Hostel & Holiday Park also have purchased a holiday cottage adjacent to the Hostel and two static caravans for rental. The business truly is now the “one stop shop” for affordable accommodation that they had envisioned all those years ago!

News from David & Valery Dean, from The Lazy Duck, Cairngorms

Current and former owners of Cairngorms Hostels gathered on Sunday 1st Dec at The Lazy Duck in Nethy Bridge to mark the retirement of David & Valery Dean.  Having built their hostel business and associated camping and eco-accommodation within the now, six acre site, they have decided to hand over the running of the accommodation and associated care of the wildfowl on the Fhuarain Burn, to take life at a steadier pace.

A big part of the hostelling community

Over the last 20 years Valery and David have built up their business to include a variety of accommodation. More importantly, throughout this period, they have devoted their voluntary time to the wider hostelling business with David holding the appointments of Chairperson of Scottish Independent Hostels (formerly Independent Backpackers Hostels Scotland) and Cairngorms Hostels.  Along with Ian Bishop and Rebecca Mackellar, formerly of Slochd Hostel and Ardenbeg Bunkhouse respectively, they worked with the Cairngorms Business Partnership to bring hostels from both sides of the Cairngorms National Park together for marketing and business purposes. Valery, in the meantime continued to support David in the business whilst bringing up their family and grandchildren and well as visiting her mother, who also lived close by. Dealing with the quirky personalities of individual hostel owners has been tricky at times and at the helm, David used his tact and good humour to enable a diverse group of businesses to ‘collaborate to compete’ .

New steward tenants for Lazy Duck

David and Valery are leaving a superb legacy. The Lazy Duck now has new Steward tenants, Sarah Miller and Phil Hodgkiss  who are intending to treasure and maintain the ethos at The Lazy Duck and to retain, in a different way, its hostel status.  Independent Hostelling within the Cairgnorms National Park and beyond in Scotland,  is definitely more successful as a result of these two hard-working, caring and enabling individuals.