Invergarry is a village at the foot of Glengarry, on the main Fort William - Inverness road through the Great Glen. Loch Oich, Loch Garry and the Glengarry Forest are among the natural attractions of the area, and the ruined 17th century Invergarry Castle is on the shire of Loch Oich.
Email Great Glen Hostel enquiries & reservations: bookscotland@madbookings.com
Other places to stay in Invergarry
Welcome to the Great Glen Hostel! The Great Glen Hostel is an
independent hostel in South Laggan, a little hamlet at the heart of Scotland's
Great Glen, 20 miles north of Fort William and 10 miles south of Loch
Ness.
Previously known as Loch Lochy SYHA, the hostel is now owned and managed independently and has undergone extensive renovations.
Great Glen Hostel Accommodation
The hostel has 50 beds in comfortable and spacious family and dormitory rooms. There is a well-equipped self-catering kitchen with enough crockery, cutlery, pots and pans etc, to cater for 50. The roomy dining room seats 32 - more tables and chairs can be provided if required. Our TV lounge seats 10 and there are additional sofas in the dining room.
All bedding is provided - there's no need to bring your own - and towels can be hired at the hostel if required.
Our hostel store is well stocked with cereals, snacks, soups, pasta, chocolate, soft drinks, frozen meals, toiletries, sundries and more. We offer a pickup service to walkers within the South Laggan area - just call us if you're tired at the end of a long day's trek.
Other facilities include:
· All bedding provided
· Laundry
· Drying room
· Central heating throughout
· Car park for up to 20 cars
· Free internet access and Wi-Fi
· Secure bike/canoe storage
· Independently graded by VisitScotland
· Hot showers
· Grocery store
Rentahostel
The whole hostel is also available for exclusive private rental throughout
the year at a fixed rate per night which offers a very economical option
for groups. This gives you and your group the sole use of the hostel and
its facilities. All bedding is provided and staff can be contacted if
you require assistance in any matter.
Adventures in the Great Glen
Activity provider Great Glen Adventures are based here at the
hostel and can offer guided walks, abseiling, climbing, rafting, kayaking,
archery and more.
Groups
The Great Glen Hostel is an excellent venue for school and youth groups,
club meets, family get-togethers and touring groups. The hostel is in
a peaceful rural location and is well placed for touring and exploring
the Highlands - 20 miles north of Fort William on the A82, just south
of Invergarry.
· Easy access by road
· 2 1/2 hours' drive from Glasgow Airport
· 1 1/2 hours' drive from Inverness Airport
· 15 minutes from Loch Ness
· 30 minutes from Fort William, Ben Nevis and Aonach Mor
· 1 hour or less to Eilean Donan Castle, the Isle of Skye, Urquhart
Castle, or Glenfinnan
The hostel is encircled by mountains, rivers and lochs where wildlife abounds; red deer, pine martens, red squirrels, golden eagles and ospreys are all regular visitors in the surrounding area. There is a wide variety of walks on offer locally ranging from canal side strolls to mountain climbs.
Outdoor activities including white water rafting, water-skiing, kayaking and abseiling are available nearby. The mountain gondola at Aonach Mor is less than 30 minutes away for snow-sports in winter and spectacular views of Lochaber year-round.
Local services
There is a small Mace shop one and a half miles north of the Hostel at
the Well of the Seven Heads, by Loch Oich, selling groceries, newspapers
and souvenirs, open 8am - 5pm daily (longer hours in summer). Invergarry
(four miles) has a post office, playground, hotel and petrol station.
Two restaurants are within walking distance of the Hostel: the Loch Oich Bar and Restaurant at the Great Glen Water Park, and The Eagle Inn On The Water (moored at Laggan Locks). Other options include the Invergarry Hotel, Glengarry Castle Hotel, and Letterfinlay Hotel, all within five miles. There's a small swimming pool available for public use at the Great Glen Water Park.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Activities and Attractions
Pedal, trek or paddle ...
If you are walking or cycling the Great Glen Way we are just minutes from
the track, one mile north of Laggan Locks - either one or two days' walk
from Fort William, depending on your pace. If you want to escape into
the hills we're surrounded by 'Munros' in Glen Garry, Glen Dessary, Glen
Spean and the Great Glen.
Or if you prefer to paddle, the Garry, Spean, Roy and Moriston rivers are within easy reach - and the Caledonian Canal runs just behind the hostel. Tour and explore ..
We're in an excellent location for exploring the Highlands and we can advise on day trips from here taking in sights such as Glenfinnan, the sands of Morar, Loch Ness, the Isle of Skye, and the castles of Urquhart and Eilean Donan.
Walks and Cycling
There are many walks to choose from in the Great Glen and on these pages
we thought we'd give a few examples of what's on offer. These are some
of our favourite walks, starting with some gentle short walks close to
the hostel.
We've included some sketch maps but these are intended as an approximate
guide only.
Please make sure you are adequately prepared before you set out on your walk: carry a map and compass, and know how to use them. The local OS Landranger 1:50,000 map is "Fort Augustus and Glen Albyn area" (Sheet 34). And don't forget to take appropriate clothing, footwear and food - the weather here can change very rapidly!
With no less than 59 Munros within a 20 mile radius of us, the Hostel is a great place to base yourself for getting in to the hills. There's so much to choose from - the hills around Loch Quoich, Loch Arkaig, Glen Spean, Cluanie - and of course by Loch Lochy itself - so we've just included brief descriptions of routes on the hills closest to us.
The hostel is only yards away from the Great Glen Way, Scotland's new long distance footpath, which runs from Fort William to Inverness.
There's plenty on offer for mountain bikers around the hostel. The Great Glen Way is a dual-use path, and the former Great Glen Cycle Route tracks can be utilized although they are no longer signposted; and there are many other tracks to choose from, as well as scenic rides on quiet roads.
Short Walks
The hostel is situated 11 miles north of Spean Bridge on the A82 in a
small settlement called South Laggan, halfway between Loch Lochy and Loch
Oich. If you are using a GPS to find us, please note we are in South Laggan
- not Laggan near Newtonmore, which is 40 miles east of here on the A86.
If you are walking the Great Glen Way, we are just off the Way about 1 mile north of Laggan Locks. There are signposts directing you to the hostel from the footpath.
Citylink services 915 and 916 between Glasgow and the Isle of Skye pass by the hostel and will stop nearby if requested. There are three buses in both directions every day. Service 919 between Fort William and Inverness will also stop at the hostel; there are five buses each way every day in summer.
The nearest railway station is in Spean Bridge. From Monday - Saturday there are three trains a day from Glasgow Queen Street Station, and two trains a day on Sundays in summer. The nearest airport is Inverness, 50 miles away.
Email Great Glen Hostel enquiries & reservations: bookscotland@madbookings.com
