Had a great short day out on Sunday. Hope you enjoy the pictures. A late start but plenty of time to visit the North top of Beinn Damh, which in my opinion is one of the best viewpoints in the area. The views across Upper Loch Torridon, back to the village, out to sea and of the big Munros of Beinn Alligin, Liathach & Maol Chean Dearg are out of this world. Classic Scottish weather of 4 seasons in an hour. We are already open for the 2012 season at Torridon Youth Hostel so hope to see you soon. Dont forget - West is best. Happy Walking.
Mat (Manager at Torridon YH)
Torridon Winter Walking Festival
Torridon is home to some of the grandest mountains Scotland has and when winter arrives the area is turned into a truly magnificent location and there is no better way to experience this wonder than in amongst the hills.
The first ever Torridon Winter Walking Festival will offers something for everyone, for those looking to scale the mighty peaks or the adventure of a life time to those who are looking to get into the winter wonderland without the having to summit there is a walk on the program to suit everyone.
Saturday night will also see a pub quiz being run in aid of the local mountain rescue team.
Torridon Youth Hostel is the perfect place to stay for the festival and is situated in Torridon village underneath the spectacular mountain Liathach. We have dormitory beds available for £16.25pppn & private rooms from £42.
Date: 3rd – 5th March 2012
Nearest Hostel: Torridon
For more information please visit the website.
Wondering what to do with your Bank Holiday weekend in 2012? Why not enter the Maggie’s Monster Bike and hike! Challenge yourself to an amazing outdoor adventure in the Scottish Highlands on 5 and 6 May. The Bike and Hike event is a 24 hour team challenge event, including cycling 30 miles and then hiking 8, 23 or 41 miles.
The route takes you past some splendid scenery and ideally located along the route are SYHA Youth Hostels in Glencoe, Glen Nevis, Loch Ness and Inverness offering a 10% discount to all Maggies’s Monster Bike Ride participants.
For more information on Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike click here
Terms and Conditions:-
• Offer of 10% off accommodation only
• Valid from 4th – 6th May inclusive for participants and organisers. (subject to availability)
• Bookings should be made prior to 31st March, 2012
• Only Valid at Glencoe Youth Hostel, Glen Nevis Youth Hostel, Loch Ness Youth Hostel and Inverness Youth Hostel
• Quote Promotional Code “MAG2012”
• Booking can be done on-line, through our reservations department or at hostels (Reservations Team 0845 293 73 73)
We have put together a charming weekend of Celtic story-telling and songs, focussing on the Ossian legend, with professional story tellers Essie Stewart and Claire Hewitt in the beautiful setting of Loch Ossian Youth Hostel, from 28 – 30 September 2012.
The legendary figure of Ossian was a bard – an inspirational poet, singer and artist, and this weekend is an opportunity to enjoy these stories beside Loch Ossian, with quiet reflective time, creating your own stories and maps using journals or painting or taking walks. SYHA Hostelling Scotland’s traditionally-styled Eco-Hostel on Rannoch Moor is perfectly located to explore this remote wilderness and is ideal walking country with plenty of low and high level routes. For that away from it all feel access to the hostel is by foot only, although Britain’s most remote train station, Corrour is only 1 mile away on the Glasgow to Fort William line.
The featured story tellers on the weekend are Essie Stewart who is a Gaelic storyteller with a strong grounding in Gaelic and Traveller tradition and Claire Hewitt who has always looked to travelling and tribal people of the Earth for inspiration, and it is their tales, myths, and legends she tells, interwoven with song and music from her Celtic harp, drums, cow horns, singing bowls and bells.
Prices for the weekend are £120.00 per person, which includes dormitory accommodation, story walks, and evening stories and songs round the fire.
For more information and bookings contact Jan on 01397 732207 or e-mail loch.ossian@syha.org.uk
Torridon Youth Hostel ‘Club Meet Club’ Weekend 3rd & 4th February 2012
SYHA Hostelling Scotland is delighted to invite all members of clubs affiliated to Mountaineering Council of Scotland to Torridon Youth Hostel for a special opening weekend. For this weekend only shared dormitory accommodation is available for just £10 per person per night.
Club members are invited to book individually; Meet members of other clubs and share experiences of hill walking, either on the hill or in the evening.
To take advantage of this great value offer please phone our reservations team on 0845 2937373 or book online via syha.org.uk.
Winter 2012-13: More great news! Torridon Youth Hostel will be open Friday & Saturday nights from November to February; and open for the festive period. Sole use bookings are also available during the winter months. A great location for your 2013 Burns Supper.
Fort William and Lochaber are known as the Outdoor Capital of the UK in the Scottish Highlands. Our Lochaber Group Duty Manager (covering our Youth Hostels in Glen Nevis, Glencoe and Loch Ossian) has given us some hints and tips about what to get up to in the area, including some facts, must see or do’s and hidden gems that are well worth discovering.
Facts about the area
Glen Nevis is situated at the foot of the UK’s Highest Mountain – Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis attracts an estimated 125,000 complete ascents per year. The summit, at 1,344 metres is no leisurely walk, with the normal time taken to climb to the top by the tourist path three and a half to five hours, coming down is much faster, between one and a half to two hours.
Steall Falls is also situated in Glen Nevis. As the second highest waterfall in the UK, Steall Falls has a single drop of 120 metres. For those looking for something other to do than climb Ben Nevis, there are various routes you can take depending on the length of time you have, to see these magnificent falls.
Fort William and Lochaber have been named Outdoor Capital of the UK for a very good reason. With excellent routes for biking, hillwalking and mountaineering, it is a dream destination for those seeking adventures in Scotland. This area is also ideal for water sports in the spring/summer and water sports in the winter.
Must Do’s/See’s
The Nevis Range mountain gondola is the only of its kind in Britain. It is a highly acclaimed visitor attraction, allowing sightseers to enjoy a scenic ride, whilst absorbing the stunning views and clear mountain air. The 12-15 minute journey allows breath-taking views of the Scottish Highlands, including the Great Glen, Ben Nevis and surrounding areas.
From May until October the Jacobite Steam Train runs from Fort William to Mallaig. Described as one of the greatest railway journeys of the world this 84 mile round trip take you past a list of impressive sights including Ben Nevis. ‘The Jacobite’ also provided the steam engine and carriages for the ‘Hogwarts Express’ as seen in the Harry Potter films, some of the carriages were even used in the films. The Jacobite also travels the line used in the films, you can see the famous Glenfinnan viaduct, an unmistakeable landmark for all Harry Potter fans.
For those who enjoy an active lifestyle, a trip to Glen Nevis would not be complete without climbing Ben Nevis. Though there are literally hundreds of routes to the summit of Ben Nevis, the vast majority of these are for climbers only. For the walker that are just two recommended routes. During the winter, a high level of fitness required for all of the routes.
The walk to Steall Falls is through the stunning and powerful Nevis Gorge to the tranquil glaciated Steall meadows, where you can risk a very wet drop by attempting the ‘Steall Bridge’, a single strand of wire which spans the river.
Hidden Gems
There are many hidden gems around the Lochaber area, Cille Choirill is a very sacred 15th century church in a tranquil area which also boasts being used during filming of ‘Monarch of the Glen’. This lovely church sits high above the road, about a mile beyond Roy Bridge. For centuries Cille Choirill has been the ancestral burial place of the MacDonells of Keppoch, many of whose monuments still survive. The famous warrior bard Iain Lom MacDonald who died in 1709 is also said to lie here.
Find out more about Glen Nevis YH, Glencoe YH, Loch Ossian YH
Jackie and the Beanstalk
Will be showing at macrobert from Wednesday 23rd November 2011 - Saturday 7th January 2012 with prices from £7.00 - £16.50.
Critically acclaimed as one of the bets pantomimes in Scotland, and hilarious Christmas fun for young and old at the same time. Starring an all-star cast of Scotland’s finest acting and production talent and a terrific cast of young performers, this is a great Christmas treat not to be missed! Written, directed by and starring Johnny McKnight.
Polar Molar Christmas Show
Join macrobert for a wonderful Christmas tale, for ages 3+, their families and all polar bear fans. Written by Abigail Docherty and directed by Lu Kemp.
For more information and to purchase tickets please visit the website.
Thousands of revellers enjoy this 6 day festival which includes daily guided walks, shinty and football matches, tea dances, a duck race, cookery demonstrations and much more. The main highlight of the festival is the open-air ceilidh on Hogmanay.
When: 28th December 2011 - 2nd January 2012
Where: Loch Ness
Nearest Hostel: Inverness
For more information please visit the website.
