Hostels are Open - Everything you need to know

We are so pleased to be able to share the beautiful locations our hostellers call home with you again. It has been a long, frustrating time for the hostels and they couldn't be more pleased to be welcoming guests again.

Now is the time to escape from your sofa and have an adventure. Our hostels are in beautiful locations, run by locals who'd love to help you get the most out of your stay. We have to follow the government Covid-19 guidelines, hostels will be a slightly different experience than normal, but we can still offer a warm welcome and a comfortable bed for the night.  

The rules and dates in Scotland do vary slightly from the rest of the UK. Below is some information to help you navigate your way to your Scottish hostel adventure with ease!

Who can visit?

Leisure accommodation in Scotland is open to everyone from within the UK.  It's a great time to visit as things will be a bit quieter in some areas. Only essential travel from outside the UK at the moment, so we are missing our guests from abroad. 

What is open?

Accommodation, cafes, restaurants, pubs, shops, distilleries, visitor attractions, national parks, activity centres, the islands, the ferries, the lochs, all 282 munros, 1,000s of miles of cycle paths and footpaths... There is a huge open space out there waiting for you to explore!

Scotland's Levels... What do they mean?

Currently all of Scotland is Level 3 until 17th May.

Outside: 6 people from 6 households (6 in 6) (the exception is if your household / extended household consists of more than 6 people than you can socialise outside with these people, but you can’t meet up with another household as you are already at the limit)

Inside (private): Currently no private indoor socialising allowed.

Pubs/Cafés/Restaurants: Outside – 6 in 6 until place closes, alcohol & food allowed. Inside (public) – 6 in 2 until 8pm, food only, no alcohol allowed.

Hostel Bedrooms - Is sharing allowed?

No, sorry, currently the rules state only one household allowed per bedroom (that’s for the whole of Scotland, across any accommodation provider, not just hostels).  Rules in other parts of the UK vary on this topic, but we have to follow the Scottish Government guidelines. 

BUT, from 17th May for hostels in Level 2 or Level 1 you can take an exclusive use booking for a maximum of 6 people from up to 3 households (under 12s do not count towards the number of people but do count towards the number of households).  As is the case for all tourist accommodation, each household should have a separate bedroom.

Separate households do not need to physically distance from each other elsewhere in the hostel if the hostel has been booked for exclusive use.

Can I use communal areas (kitchen, dining, lounge, drying room)?

This gets a bit more complicated and varies from hostel to hostel.  Different hostel layouts, rooms sizes and staffing affect their ability to open communal area, but we can reassure you, they're doing their best.

Physical distancing between households is still required if the hostel is not being used for exclusive use.  A maximum of 6 people from up to 3 households may socialise in a public place (a communal facility such as a kitchen, dining room, lounge, or reception area) subject to capacity and being able to manage the space safely.

Please check with individual hostels. 

When will things change?

Dates may vary but the current list is as follows:

17th May - hopefully all of Scotland will move to Level 2.  Maximum 6 people from up to 3 households may socialise indoors in a public or private place. Indoor hospitality with alcohol being served until 10.30pm. (at the time of writing, the Moray council area was expected to remain in Level 3).

Early June, all of Scotland will move to Level 1. Maximum 8 people from up to 3 households may socialise indoors in a public place.  Maximum 6 people from up to 3 households may socialise in a private dwelling.

Late June, all of Scotland will move to Level 0.  Maximum 10 people from up to 4 households may socialise indoors in a public place.  Maximum 8 people from up to 4 households may socialise in a private dwelling.

Thanks to Ballater Hostel, in the Cairngorms National Park, for their help putting this blog together. 

SIH 2020 Activities

 

Support Our Hostels

Staying in a hostel will be a different experience for a while but there will always be a warm welcome.

Reopening our hostels safely means that many of the communal facilities that make a stay in one of our hostels so great are not always available.  We hope you do choose to stay at one of our hostels.

What makes hostels so great

Those memorable evenings spent chatting with other guests in our hostel lounges, swapping stories about what you’ve been up to that day and where you’re heading next.

The ability to knock up a cordon-bleu meal or simply use the microwave in our kitchens.

Keeping your costs down by buying a bed in one of our dorm rooms.  That feeling of setting off in dry clothes the next morning after using the hostel drying rooms.

Your support is vital 

A recent survey of our hostels revealed that without further financial support a third of our hostels may not survive to Spring 2021.  It just shows you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

We’re lobbying the Scottish Government to raise awareness of the particular challenges our hostels are facing and to ask for consideration in the allocation of any future financial support.

Please support our campaign posts on our Facebook page and share them with your friends.

Support from others

We also had support from, BBC An La

 The Great Outdoors magazine

and Munro Moonwalker's Blog who’ve highlighted the plight for hostels.

A Very Different Hostel 1916-1918

At the Hostel Door, November 2018

Established in 1916 by the Y.M.C.A, alongside others close to field hospitals, at Camiers close to Etaples in northern France, the Brown Hostel  offered, free of charge, crucial support to families visiting wounded soldiers.

The Brown Hostel

My wife’s grandmother, Dorothy Ballantyne, then aged 19, her mother, Maud Ballantyne, nee Brown and her aunt, Alice Brown always known as Aunty ‘Ish’ were the mainstay of this hostel named after a member of the family who had donated heavily to see it established.

Dorothy Ballantyne, imagine it, aged just 19 years, drove whatever vehicle was available, usually a Red Cross ambulance or car from the port of Boulogne bringing to the hostel anxious visiting relatives and, in the opposite direction  wounded soldiers discharged and delighted to be on their way home to Blighty.

Families were cared for at Browns

An estimated figure of 135,000 soldiers serving in Scottish regiments were lost in the carnage of the First World War. We know that more than a few of their families were cared for at Browns and other hostels alongside a formidable number from all over Great Britain and the Empire.

The Watchers

From ‘The Watchers’ by Emily Huntley, a family friend who came to help:-

“In the middle of the camp beneath the hill stands a long brown wooden hut with many windows and a friendly little porch.  Its garden boasts a tiny lawn made of sods cut from the hill and fashioned with infinite labour by a soldier-gardener.  Mignonette and pansy and cornflower - and beans and lettuces and cabbages - make it a garden to rejoice the heart of every lad who passes by.

Over the porchway is the well known sign of the Red Triangle.  It is the Y.M.C.A Hostel where the relatives of the dangerously wounded are cared for during their sorrowful sojurn.  Peep in at the doorway which opens directly from the porch.  The carpet is bright and cheery, basket chairs give welcome to tired travellers, on the wooden walls are pictures collected from many sources, books, magazines, papers are there; the little writing table by the window is rarely empty.  There are flowers too – sweet wild flowers from the hills and tributes from the cottage gardens near; and if flowers are scarce there are leaf sprays and bits of evergreen …

Everybody there becomes somebody’s helper.

Breakfast time brings all together – only there are gaps for those whose vigil is not yet over.  The Lady of the Hostel gives thanks for the daily blessing.  Some troubles are softened by the companionship of the table.  In a mysterious way everybody there becomes somebody’s helper, and from either end of the table turns are skilfully given to the conversation that help to lift the burden …

Slowly they come; evening passes to night and the inevitable trail goes on.

Then comes the day of booming guns – a sultry day, as though the very winds of heaven held their breath at the sound.  It is evening time and from the hostel doorway we watch the long slow procession of ambulance waggons bringing in the stricken gleanings of the field.  Slowly they come; evening passes to night and the inevitable trail goes on …

Then the doctor counts the chances of life and death - and across sea and land his message speeds calling kith and kin to the side of the lad whom death looks in the face.

“Regret to say your son dangerously wounded in hospital at X … He may be visited.  If unable to bear the expense, a permit will be granted …”

It is night when the boat arrived with fifteen hostel guests and midnight when the Y.M.C.A cars bring them safely to the door.  ‘Is he here?’ asks a grey haired mother.  ‘Is my boy alive?’ … ‘Am I too late?’ … ‘Is he blind?’ … ‘Can I see him now?’ … ‘I don’t want any supper … only let me get to him.’

So the tide ebbs and flows and the little band of hostel workers feels the mighty rhythm that bears cottage - heart and palace - heart on its bosom.  One secret of the message of the hostel is that the tide has swept into the hostel itself.  It has borne away with its loved brother, a husband, many dear friends.  And ever as it flows again, to the lips of each springs the question, “Is it well with the lad?”


Lest we forget.


Hostel Keeper

Five reasons why we ♡ skiing in Scotland

It's a challenge, it's an adventure and it's a thrill to put skis on real snow in the UK.  Yes, it's unpredictable, but when your luck is in, there's no better feeling.

1. Choose from 5 resorts

From Glencoe and Nevis Range on the west coast, through to Cairngorm Mountain above Aviemore, and Glenshee and The Lecht in the east. 

• Cairngorm Mountain is the most popular, probably because it has the best record for snow sureness. The views are great and the lifts are quick. It boasts Scotland's only funicular railway.
• Glencoe has incredible scenery and there are some steep descents for those who want adventure! And it is home to Scotland's longest ski run. 
• Nevis Range is often quieter than the other resorts and has some challenging terrain. It also has an artificial slope if snow is in short supply. 
• Glenshee has something for all abilities and is one of the larger areas with 36 runs to keep you busy. 
• The Lecht is an attractive small ski area which is great for families and has a fun Penguin Park for younger children. 

2. Great Ski School

The teaching is to a high standard, with friendly BASI-qualified instructors who will take first-timers to the nursery slopes or set a challenge for more experienced skiers and boarders.

3. Your budget

You can buy half-day, full-day or multi-day passes, giving you the flexibility to do other activities on your holiday (whisky tasting anyone?). Lift passes are slightly cheaper than their Alpine rivals, but it’s the in-resort costs that will save you money.  You can have lunch on the slopes without taking out a second mortgage!

4. More than just skiing

There’s a huge choice of activities in Scotland, from mountain biking and hiking to historical attractions and distillery tours. We suggest planning a range of activities with skiing being the icing on the cake.

5. Fabulous hostels nearby

Near Cairngorm Mountain:

Faoch Lodge

Slochd Mhor Lodge

Abernethy Bunkhouses (Groups Only)

Lazy Duck Hostel

Ardenbeg Bunkhouse

Find more...

Near Glencoe and Nevis Range:

Glencoe Independent Hostel

Corran Bunkhouse

Bank Street Lodge

Ben Nevis Inn Bunkhouse

Kings House Bunkhouse

Find more..

Near Glenshee:

Gulabin Lodge Outdoor Centre

Jessie Macs

Prosen Hostel

Braemar Lodge Hostel

The Weem Inn

Find more...

Near The Lecht:

The Smugglers Hostel

Ballater Hostel

Craibstone Estate Hostel

Highlander Bunkhouse

Braemar Lodge Hostel

Find more...

Why not use our App to search for friendly, affordable and convenient accommodation! Search for a hostel near you and check reviews, prices, directions and contact details.

The snow cover can be unpredictable, but if you keep an eye on the websites and social media, the resorts will let you know what’s happening each day.  From beautiful light fluffy snow from top to bottom to patchy snow and heather, you never quite know what you’ll get!  Visit Scotland has a good summary.

[Images courtesy of Visit Scotland]

We ♡ winter hostelling...

Yes, Scotland in the summer is beautiful, you know that, we’re here to tell you all about Scotland’s winter wonderland.

Winter should be cold, and we mean the type of cold that makes your lungs double take, that makes the scenery about you glisten with frost, not a  mild, half-hearted chill that doesn’t require more than two layers.


1 Get cosy 
Why would you want to be anywhere else?  Nothing feels better than being outside on a frosty day and heading back to a cosy hostel for some hot soup and a game of cards.

2 Snow sports
You might even get a bit of snow on the hills in the distance which adds to the already spectacular views.  Or you can take to the hills on your skis, boards and sledges. Choose from Scotland’s five ski centres and enjoy excellent snow sports surrounded by Highland and Aberdeenshire scenery.

GLENSHEE | CAIRNGORM | GLENCOE | NEVIS RANGE | THE LECHT

3 Walking 
Then there’s walking in winter. From a scenic stroll in the rolling hills of the Borders, to the majestic heights of Glen Coe with its challenging mountaineering, there is something for everyone.

4 History
The castle and monuments are a bit quieter in the winter.  You can stroll the battlements and take yourself back in time without worrying about queues.

5 Food and Drink
We can’t forget the food and drink.  All that fresh air is going to make you hungry.  From mouth-watering steaks to fabulous seafood, you’ll get local produce that is hearty, tasty and delicious! And you can shop locally and get creative in your hostel kitchen.

6 Winter Fashion
Your North Face jacket needs a challenge. It’s fed up of keeping you warm at the bus stop, it wants adventure!

Galloway Activity
Centre

Winter Offers

Here are just a few of the winter offers at our hostels, see the hostel pages for more offers.

Corona Bunkhouse, Lochaber, only £24 per person per night in November, December and January.
A spectacular setting on the shores of Loch Linnhe near Glencoe and Fort William, the perfect base for exploring the Nevis Range, Mamores, Glen Coe and Ardnamurchan.

Galloway Activity Centre, Southern Scotland, has a cosy hostel and authentic Mongolian Yurts. Winter retreats in the Yurt include a cosy log fire and free use of the traditional wood fired hot tub. Bathe under the stars!

Ballater Hostel, Cairngorms National Park, enjoy the thrill of the outdoors, the beauty of nature, the serenity of being unplugged.

Ballater Hostel

Book online and receive up to 15% discount.

Ardenbeg Bunkhouse, Cairngorms National Park. They have long weekend offers, with the third night half price and great value off-peak midweek breaks.
It's just 15 minutes from Aviemore, and well situated for all that Britain’s largest national park has to offer.

Achaban House in Fionnphort, Mull. With no light pollution enjoy dark skies and identify the stars and constellations. And sunsets and sunrises are perfectly timed for breakfast and dinner.
20% discount for your winter visit to Mull and Iona when you stay 3 days or more.

Market Bay nr Achaban House, Mull