Loch Ossian
About About this youth hostel ....
PLEASE NOTE - There is no vehicle access to this hostel. Please leave your car at home!
This traditional but homely eco-hostel hostel sits on the southern shore of Loch Ossian and is the perfect place to stay if you’re looking to get away from it all. Loch Ossian is hugely popular with walkers and outdoor enthusiast looking to explore and enjoy the remote wilderness of Rannoch Moor.
Accommodation at the hostel is in male and female specific dorms, but groups and families have the option of booking a dorm for exclusive use. The hostel has a fully equipped self-catering kitchen, with fridge, and basic provisions, snacks and ready meals are available to purchase. Drying is available on two overhead racks and boot stands by the fire - the perfect place to relax after a day on the hills.
Guests can enjoy a welcome hot shower, thanks to the development of locally sourced hydro power complimenting the micro generated solar power supply. There’s also electric panel heating throughout and all bed linen is provided, so no need for sleep sheets or sleeping bags. Other green initiatives include composting toilets, a reed bed grey water drainage system - and even bat-friendly paint!
Loch Ossian Youth Hostel is only accessible by rail, bike or foot. Corrour railway station (Glasgow to Fort William line) is the highest mainline railway station in the UK and the hostel is a short, approximately 20 minute walk from the station along a well-made track.
In extreme weather the hostel normally remains open during the day.
The hostel is also available for exclusive private rental.
Why stay?
- Award winning eco hostel
- Off the grid!
- Beautiful loch side setting with stunning views and dark skies
- Friendly team with expert local knowledge
- Great base for outdoor enthusiasts
- Regular visits from local wildlife
For more information on the hostel, accessibility and the local area please click here
Loch Ossian Youth Hostel
Facilities & Services
Season
Open all year (Opening days vary in the winter - please check online for availability, RentaHostel available all year)
Reception Hours
09:00-10:00 and 16:00-22:00
Check in
16:00 - 22:00
Check out
07:00 - 10:00
Access Hours
Closed between 10:30-16:30. Please note, there is no vehicle access - the hostel is only accessible by rail, bike or on foot
Amenities
Bike Store
Guest Reviews
17/05/2024
Jan and Alex work so hard here and are extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Being surrounded by the Loch, birds and everything wild Scotland can offer was such a great joy.Guest Review
15/05/2024
10/10Guest Review
10/05/2024
Very enjoyable stay.Guest Review
09/05/2024
An amazing place. Great Location. Comfortable, clean and cosy inside, but easily accommodating our large group, staying for 2 nights. Jan, the warden was very friendly and helpful throughout our stay. The perfect place in which to celebrate our final 2 Munros.Ruth
05/05/2024
Great service, friendly welcome and atmosphere, stunning location.Kenny n Davie
04/05/2024
Marvellous location! A stay you will never forget - if you enjoy remoteness and simplicity.Nik
04/05/2024
Jan was amazing, Hostel was great and the location is unbeatable. No issues at allGuest Review
03/05/2024
Best location is Scotland1ww
03/05/2024
A stunning place to stay and unwind, almost literally surrounded by the loch and birds and mountains. Low impact, but 20 minutes from the train and the rest of the world.Richard Penny
29/04/2024
Excellent, serene location. The Swiss style chalet is beautiful & clean.Andi
28/04/2024
A very beautiful place, close to the Loch. A good bunkhouse to explore nature at it core!Camille
28/04/2024
This was such a special pilgrimage for me and such a retreat. It was so easy to catch the train to Corrour Station, and the walk to Loch Ossian is about a mile and stunning.The youth hostel is just in the most exquisite location, right on the Loch. You get to see wild birds, sublime sunrises and sunsets and moons.It was great meeting like minded individuals, who inspire you to go to places. Because of this I caught the train, going over the Glennfinnan Viaduct (Harry Potter bridge), to MallaiJoe
27/04/2024
Best hostel experience in Scotland, location is wonderful and service and atmosphere are very cosy.Oscar
25/04/2024
It is a very magical place,to get away from the strains of life.Gregory
24/04/2024
Truly amazing locationGuest Review
20/04/2024
Very enjoyableGuest Review
19/04/2024
Brilliant hostel in an amazing location. Wild place, peaceful and atmospheric, great views and walking, cycling from the door. Really is an amazing place to stay!Kevin
17/04/2024
Jan could not have been more helpful and welcomingGuest Review
13/04/2024
Jan was a fantastic warden and very, very friendly and helpfulJohn Hudson
12/04/2024
If you want to get away from it all then this is the place to go to truly get that off-grid feeling.Graham
23/02/2024
A brilliant stay in a unique hostel. Jan was very welcoming and helpful. Well equipped kitchen. Dry toilets located in building just outside hostel. One warm shower per dorm.Jean-Baptiste
21/02/2024
Beautiful spot. Jan was an amazing welcoming and energetic wardenAlice
17/02/2024
The best hostel I've ever stayed in! Perfect location.Guest Review
12/02/2024
What a gem of a place! We have just returned from an incredible stay at Loch Ossian YHA as a group. It had everything we needed from big cooking pots (big enough for 20!) to a cosy stove to warm our feet up after a wee loch swim! Jan was a wonderful presence, making sure we had everything we needed throughout our stay. Thank you YHA for maintaining and caring for amazing places and making them both affordable and accessible. We are already planning a return visit!Flora
10/02/2024
Excellent stay, Jan was VERY hospitable and dealt with our complicated travel arrangements graciously. Couldnt have had better accomodation.Guest Review
22/01/2024
A wonderful stay! Jan was really helpful with finding out information about train cancellations and she is brilliant at helping create a lovely and welcoming atmosphere. We really want to return for another trip soon.Esme
07/01/2024
Jan was lovely, welcoming and went above and beyond.-
19/12/2023
From Shaun,Very good hostel, the warden was extremely helpful when the Sunday train was cancelled.Guest Review
19/12/2023
Otherworldly experience - It changes you. One of the best things is that there is no mobile signal or WiFiArun
04/12/2023
The most beautiful location you could imagine, and a super kind and helpful host. Such a memorable stay!Elspeth
Reasons to visit
Set high on Rannoch Moor and surrounded by Munros, Loch Ossian Youth Hostel is only accessible by rail, bike or on foot. It’s the perfect location to get away from it all and access unspoiled natural beauty by the bucket load.
The rail journey to Loch Ossian Youth Hostel is via the famous West Highland Railway line which takes in the magnificent Glenfinnan Viaduct, famous as the bridge from the Harry Potter films, arriving at Corrour railway station, featured in the original Trainspotting film.
Sitting on the banks of Loch Ossian, with truly exceptional views, this small homely eco-hostel is an excellent base for hill walkers of all abilities, providing fantastic mountain and low level walks from its doorstep.
From the local stag who likes to come and visit, to the 'dark sky' that brings the stars to life, it’s no wonder a stay at Loch Ossian is on so many bucket lists.
Video by kind permission of Ailidh Beaton of Ridgeline Prints