Highland hostels reopen after ‘most difficult’ years

Hostelling Scotland, the 91-year-old, notfor-profit, self-funded charity, is reopening its network of 29 youth hostels after the ‘most difficult’ two years in its history.

Bookings across the network, in particular those on the NC500 route and Skye, are averaging 50 per cent occupancy in April, and the remote and eco-friendly Loch Ossian Youth Hostel is proving very popular with people grabbing the chance to ‘get away from it all’ in the beautiful surroundings of Rannoch Moor.

This trend in bookings across the network is showing early signs of continuing into the summer months. Destinations such as the islands, Glen Nevis, Oban, Achmelvich and Torridon are again proving a popular choice for young travellers.

Hostelling Scotland CEO Margo Paterson said: ‘The last couple of years will long be remembered as the most difficult in our history.

‘As chief executive of this wonderful and much-loved organisation, I’m very proud of all the hard work and dedication shown by our teams and grateful for the kind support and generosity shown by everyone.

Hostelling Scotland has 29 youth hostels and 26 affiliate hostels. In recent years (pre-Covid) the network has welcomed up to 380,000 guests annually with a turnover of £9 million and an estimated annual contribution to the Scottish visitor economy of £25m.

Early in 2018, it changed its name from the Scottish Youth Hostels Association to Hostelling Scotland.

It said: ‘Since 1931, the organisation’s mission has been to make Scotland more accessible to more people than anyone else; especially young people, providing great value, flexible and welcoming accommodation in the best locations. With the pandemic still weighing heavy, this mission is as relevant today as it was then.’