Here Is Why You Need To Stay At Loch Ossian Youth Hostel

I was lucky enough to enjoy stay at Loch Ossian Youth Hostel in late October 2024. It was only meant to be for the one night, but I enjoyed it so much that the one night became two and it prompted me to write this article. Situated miles from anywhere and next to a loch that gives the hostel its name, you’ll likely be planning your return trip before you even leave. It’s the sort of place that leaves a mark in your memory for all the right reasons. Let’s now take a look at why you need to stay at Loch Ossian Youth Hostel if you haven’t been so fortunate already.

**A stay at Loch Ossian Youth Hostel guarantees as much solitude as you could ever need.**

Location Location Location

This has surely got to be the hostel’s best selling point. There are of course some other hostels in both Scotland, England and Wales that can offer comfortable accommodation in wild settings. These include Dolgoch in Mid Wales, Skiddaw House and The Black Sail Hut in The Lake District as well as the very remote Glen Affric Hostel in the heart of the Scottish Highlands.

You could argue that Glen Affric Youth Hostel is in a more remote setting than Ossian Hostel, especially when you are factoring in how easy it is to reach.

Loch Ossian Youth Hostel has its own unique selling point though. The nearest main road is miles away but it can still be easily reached thanks to Corrour train station, which is located about a mile to the west.

**The clear track from Corrour Station to Ossian Youth Hostel. Notice the distinct lack of houses or anything else for that matter.**

**Waiting for the return train to Glasgow.**

The Allure Of Corrour

I’m quite proud of that rhyming title. It really is a special place though and one that is now famous thanks to that iconic scene in the 90’s film Trainspotting. Just like in the film, the Glasgow to Mallaig Train drops you off on the platform in the middle of nowhere. If you want to walk out from here, then you’ll certainly need a very good pair of walking boots.

**Head east from Corrour and it is 23 miles to Dalwhinnie- the first village and road you’ll come across.**

Other than its remote setting, the other fabulous thing about Corrour Station is the fact that you can eat and even stay there. While I’ve heard great things about the accommodation, it is a little out of my price range if I am honest. I did use the restaurant though and found the food, beer and coffee to be excellent.

I certainly found myself pinching myself on my first night’s stay at Loch Ossian Hostel. There I was staying in a great youth hostel in the middle of nowhere, yet a relatively short walk up to The Station House had me tucking into some excellent cuisine in a restaurant that had no real reason to be where it was. It was easy to forget this until I walked out afterwards and was faced with darkness that totally consumed me. Only my torch allowed me to find my way back to the hostel. Click here to find out more about eating and accommodation options at Corrour.

**The Station House is well worth a visit if only for a coffee and piece of cake.**

The Outdoor Opportunities

The reason why Corrour is such a popular station is because it drops you in the Central Highlands, where there are excellent hiking opportunities in all directions. Even better is the fact that there are options for just about everybody no matter what your fitness ability or goals might be.

At the hostel I met one inspirational if slightly bonkers young man who was trying to scale all of Scotland’s Munros. A stay at Loch Ossian Youth Hostel made for a great base, as there are several peaks that can be tackled within a day. The map below does a good job in showing how many peaks above 914 metres ( 3000 feet ) there are in close proximity to Loch Ossian.

**That red triangle marks Loch Ossian Youth Hostel. Look at the distinct lack of roads but also the height of many of the mountains.**

Click here to watch a great video about two chaps who climb two munros from Corrour Station.

Click here to read an excellent piece about most of the munros you can scale around the hostel.

An Easier Option

Many day trippers and even guests at the hostel decide to stick to lower ground. If this is something you’d rather do, then a clear track runs around the entire shoreline of Loch Ossian. It’s a good twelve kilometres or so to complete the entire lap, but you can of course do as much or as little of it as you please. I can well imagine that the loch makes for a brilliant swim spot too. Maybe save that one for warmer months though.

**The track is clearly marked on the map and is indeed excellent on the entire loop.**

Access To Incredibly Remote Terrain

There are several multi-day options to enjoy from the youth hostel. I had originally planned to walk between Corrour and Dalwhinne train stations over a three day period. Along the way I would negotiate remote glens, cross several mountain passes and even stay at Ben Alder Cottage- supposedly one of the most haunted open shelters in all of Scotland. This article gives a great insight into what a good part of this route could be like during the winter months.

Sadly, my feet were battered after two long days of walking beforehand, so this walk never happened. I did though get to head west out towards The Mamore Forest and Fort William. This is a popular route and allows you to stay at bothies along the way. I was fortunate enough to spend a night at Meanach and would highly recommend it. It is a stunning eight mile hike from Corrour and just offers view after view along the way. Click here to read more about my experience at Meanach.

**It is hard not to be wowed by views like this along the way.**

**You will have certainly earned your food and drink when you finally reach Meanach.**

**Bothy TV. There are few things more satisfying when out in the middle of nowhere.** **Those thermal booties worked a treat too it must be said.**

The Youth Hostel Itself

I seem to have discussed everything so far than the actual youth hostel itself. It is real gem and we shall take a look now at what you can expect if you visit and why it may well exceed your expectations.

Your first experience of the youth hostel will probably be tracking down Jan, who at this the time of writing this article is the main warden. She lives in a cosy cottage next door and is just fantastic.

Originally from Yorkshire, she has made this isolated spot her home for several years now and any reviews you read online will speak of her in good light. I can certainly vouch for this having met her. Nothing is too much trouble and she will do what she can to help if it’s needed.

My stay at Loch Ossian was only meant to last one night, but an injured foot made me try to prolong my stay. A party had unfortunately booked out the entire place, so I didn’t think it would be possible, but she made allowances and set up an extra space in an outbuilding for me. You’ll see some photos of where this was. It wasn’t as cosy as in the hostel itself, but I couldn’t complain with it costing only £10, which included hot water, heating, a bed and electricity.

stay at Loch Ossian Youth Hostel — **The outbuilding I used during my second night has been nicknamed ‘ the shed’. It’s basic, but still cosy enough with the fairly lights on.**

Loch Ossian Youth Hostel — **The view from just outside the entrance to the shed. It was a delight just sitting here watching the sky darken by the minute.**

Taking A Tour Inside

The hostel has two single sex dormitories, which are comfortable and well equipped. The men’s room has four bunks and the ladies dorm offers space for ten with five bunks altogether. Each one is warm, has plug sockets to charge electrical equipment and offers enough space to store a large pack without getting in the way of others.

**The hot water was reliable and offered a decent enough shower upon arrival. Impressive when you consider the hostel’s location.**

**The ceilings are nice and high, which makes it feel even bigger than it already is.**

The Kitchen & Living Room

What a great room this is. The photos below hopefully show what comfortable place it is and that wood burning stove takes centre stage. I can well imagine it burns almost year round and has dried thousands of pairs of boots over the years. It certainly provides plenty of warmth, as myself and several other guests were down to our T shorts despite it being the end of October.

**Plenty of books and games are available to use if you so desire.**

**The high ceiling and wood-lined walls gives it a very cosy feel.**

**Every good living room needs a quality stove. This one is brilliant and will likely become the focus point for the rest of the evening.**

**The kitchen offers a cooker, fridge, hobs and a kettle along with all the utensils you could need to make a proper meal.** **A home away from home for sure.**

**It wouldn’t be Scotland without one of these on the wall.**

My Experience

I spent most of the evening by the fire, chatting to the many guests who were also staying the night. Being so isolated, I always thought a place like Loch Ossian Youth Hostel would attract people from all walks of light and so this turned out to be the case. I met a solo female traveller in her mid 50’s, a couple from London in their 40’s, the adventurous chap climbing all of the munros, a solo Czech girl exploring the highlands and two local guys bike packing for a couple of days.

With the booze flowing, we chatted about everything and nothing including many of the adventures we’d all enjoyed along the way. This is one of the things I love about staying in hostels and bothies for that matter. Everybody is pretty like-minded and on the whole are a great bunch. Youth hostels certainly aren’t just for youths. I hope to still be using them a decade or more from now.

In the meantime I hope to talk a friend or two into coming with me for another visit. I’m keen to show them how amazing this part of Scotland is and how great Loch Ossian and its hostel are. We shall see…