Loch Voil Hostel

at Balquhidder, Stirling , FK19 8PB United Kingdom

1. Hotel
2. Hostel

Remote and peaceful mountain hostel on Balquhidder lochside with own jetty, and boat. Ideal for outdoor activities and relaxing in beautiful surroundings. The hostel sleeps 12. There are also two big cabins, the Haybarn and Mother Teat.

Description

Sleeps up to 12: one 6-bed bunk room; one small double room;1 family room -sleeps 4. 2 bathrooms with showers; fully equipped kitchen. Full central heating and hot water. Recently refurbished. Ideal for groups of friends or two families. Stunning location – mountains and lochs. Ideal for hikers, cyclists, canoeists, climbers, skiers, swimmers, meditators etc Skiing 1 hour. No nearby shops - bring in the food you will need for your stay. Adjacent to Monachyle Mhor luxury hotel – with bar and restaurant. Also to Rob Roy Way, West Highland Way, long distance cycle tracks. Accessible by car along 3 mile track or by small boat or stepping stones from the Monachyle Mhor Hotel. Regular buses from Edinburgh and Glasgow to the Kings House Hotel, Balquhidder (1 hour - Oban or Fort William routes) and from there a subsidised taxi service to the Hostel. Phone Graham on (phone number hidden) or (phone number hidden) book your run up the glen. Come here if you want to experience a remote, beautiful and wild place - a microcosm of all that is archetypal of the Scottish Highlands - and only 40 minutes away from the Lowlands!

How To Get to Loch Voil Hostel

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Bus Phone Traveline on 0871 2002233 or go onto the www.traveline.org. website to find out the best buses to reach the King’s House Hotel (Balquhidder Road End) on the A84. Some of these (Citylink) will be heading from Edinburgh to Oban or Fort William. Others will come from Stirling or Callander and may be going to Killin or Crianlarich. Train Regular trains go to Stirling from Edinburgh or Glasgow. From there you can walk to the bus station and take a through or local bus up to Balquhidder Road End/King’s House Hotel. It is also possible to take a train (or bus) to Crianlarich from Glasgow via Loch Lomond. These will be heading for Oban or Fort William. The Balquhidder subsidised Taxi Service Run by Highland Glen Travel Helen and George 01567- 830 388 or 07554 195446 - ring them in advance to book your journey to Loch Voil Hostel from the King's House Hotel /Balquhidder Road End bus-stop. They will also come and collect you to take you back to connect with your bus. Use your mobile to let us know you are coming - 01877-384-740 or 01877-384-671 (evening) so we can look out for you. Up the glen signal is more patchy so do this from the A84 if possible. CAR: From Glasgow and Edinburgh follow the signs to Stirling (A80/M9). From there follow the signs to Crianlarich/Callander. (A84) Pass Callander and the village of Strathyre, look out for a turn to your right for Kingshouse/Balquhidder. Follow the signs to Balquhidder village. The distance is three to four miles. You will pass the Church with Rob Roy’s Grave on your right and you will know that you have reached the Village Hall when you see a red phone box. In the village you have 2 options. ONE is to go straight on up the tarmac glen road to the Monachyle Mhor Hotel, park your car and walk down across the field, wade across the narrows (to the right of the stepping stones) and then walk up the field to the hostel – carefully shutting all gates behind you. This option is good when it has not been raining and the water is low or if you have a low rental car. OR Opposite the village hall/phone box there is a T junction, head down it to your left, go over a hump-backed stone bridge and then take a sharp right off the tarmac onto a track which is signed for Stronvar House/Farm/ Muirlaggan and Monachyle Tuarach (or Tuarach for short) where Loch Voil Hostel is situated. From here it is 20 minutes drive up Balquhidder Glen on the South side of the Loch (NOT the tarmac-ed North side). Look out for signs to Tuarach, Monachyle Tuarach or West Highland Animation at the track junctions. After a while you will come to a big gate -which you should remember to close behind you if you find it shut. Keep going along this track for several miles past a new wooden house on your right. Watch out for the signs which tell you how far you still have to go. Eventually you will reach another road junction. Take the right hand fork back down towards the Loch. Cross a cattle grid and past the sheep fanks into Monachyle Tuarach. Go down the hill and at the bottom take the sharp left hand fork uphill through a gate to Loch Voil Hostel which you will see above you. You can park your car here. Enter round the front. Ceud mìle Faìlte! =A hundred thousand welcomes!

Specialities

Price category

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General Info

1. INSIDE THE HOSTEL a. HEAT AND LIGHT This hostel is easy to stay in as it is WARM! Central heating is on a timer but you can adjust it on the radiators in each room (3 is a good temperature 6 is maximum. ) In addition there is an advance boost on the panel above the boiler- press the advance button for a few seconds to set the advance. There are one or two hour option. Controls on the front of the boiler are superceded ie do not work. Leave all switches on. b. COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD A. Mobile signal Vodaphone has the best mobile phone signal here. It works best towards the front of the Hostel building or towards the middle of the field or in the stone circle. ORANGE and O2 also work but more patchily. B. Internet and email This is available upstairs in the Hostel. Ask for Password. We have satellite internet here and pay a large sum per month for a fixed (small) amount of usage. If we go over our quota usage for everyone is ‘throttled’. So PLEASE use internet lightly here – NO downloading films or music. Emails and light web use only. C. Telephone There is a pay-phone in the hostel. D. Monachyle Mhor Hotel has unlimited wifi – so it is always an option to go over there with your laptop. 2 . OUT AND ABOUT AROUND THE HOSTEL Tuarach is a working sheep farm which means that certain rules must be respected. 1. Leave all gates as you find them. Ie if shut leave them shut – though you may open them to go through. If open leave them open. The farmer has them that way to keep the animals where they should be. 2. The Hay Field DO NOT walk through the middle of the field when the grass is long. Walk around the edge next to the fence. 3. The Dogs These are sheep dogs and live in their kennels next to the big shed. You can pat them but do not let them out. If the farmer is working with them do not distract them. 4. Other Animals – Do not alarm sheep or deer on the hill unnecessarily. Report sick animals to Juan the farmer. 5. Do not cut down live trees or use piled fence posts for firewood. 3. GETTING IN AND OUT There are various ways of getting in and out of Tuarach. i ) The Track Tuarach can be reached by road along the track. This track is not suitable for very low saloon cars. Drive slowly with one wheel in the middle of the road if your car is low. Or leave your car at Stronvar where the tarmac ends and walk. It will take 35/40 minutes to walk. 20/30 minutes in a car. Ii ) The Ford It is possible to wade over to Tuarach or drive over in a large car when the water is low ie when it has not been raining much. It is important you cross at the shallow part where the Ford is. The stepping stones go from the West side of the Monachyle Mhòr field to one end of the small island in Loch Doine. Walk along the island and across the shallow gravel on the other side. At the Tuarach side there is a gate. Open it to go through and close after use. Walk up the field by the side of the fence. DO NOT walk right through the middle of the field especially when the grass is growing. Iii ) The Ferry We have a boat (the red one) for use as a ferry when people need to access the Hostel from the Monachyle Mhor side and the water is too high to use the stepping stones. Phone 01877-384-740 if you are arriving by public transport or if you prefer to leave your car on the tarmac and would like to be ferried across. Make your own way to the ferry point at the bottom of the Monachyle Mhor field. When you are in the boat do not stand up and keep to the centre of the boat. It is not possible to cross when the flood is high and there is a strong current. Rent for recreational use = £10 per hour. Lost oars (or boats) must be paid for. 5. THE SURROUNDING AREA 1. Monachyle Mhor Hotel Our nearest neighbours are the luxury Monachyle Mhor Hotel prop. Tom Lewis on the other side of the Narrows. They are happy for you to visit their bar and you can also buy cigarettes and order sandwiches and meals there or use their wifi. When you walk across their field please keep to the track and shut all gates behind you. Do not frighten their animals. 2. One day activities from Tuarach (no transport needed) 1. Going up the Mountains a.Ambitious walkers can tackle Munros Ben Mor and Stabinion, Stob a Chroin or Ben Tullaichean on one day (long) routes from Tuarach. b. Less ambitious walkers can climb up the hill behind Tuarach to get on the ridge there and then climb the Corbetts on this side. It is possible to either take the ‘straight up’ route behind the Hostel (K2) or to use the track up the hill from Bealach Driseach (1 mile along track towards Balquhidder village) or to follow the gradual forestry track until it gets above the trees in Invernenty Glen. From there there is a short climb to get onto the ridge which goes towards Loch Katrine and has great views i all directions. c. Longer Walking routes Routes We are within a day’s walk of the West Highland Way, and Rob Roy’s Way, Crianlarich, Loch Lomond (Inverarnan), Loch Katrine, Glen Finglas (for Callander and the Trossachs) and Beinglas in Glen Falloch. There are Hostels and cheap accomodation in many of these places. 2. Exploring the Lochs on foot It is possible to walk around Loch Voil but not so easy to get round Loch Doine as there is a very boggy area at Invernenty which must be treated with care. However there are numerous beaches and attractive coves on both lochs where it is possible to picnic, sunbathe and swim. Just hed round the shore. 3, Exploring the Lochs by boat We can rent boats for recreational use at £10 per hour. Pull the boat up carefully, be careful not to lose the oars and keep an eye on weather conditions. Fishing from boat or shore is also a possibility. Permits available at the Hostel or the farm. Canoeing is also good here – go up the Nenty River or down the Balvaig to the Leny Falls and Callander. It is also possible to cross the loch and walk around the shore on the other side where there is an attractive oak wood. 4. Cycle routes The rough hill tracks are best tackled on mountain bikes but road bikes can take a small deviation from the nearby cycle route through Balquhidder. 4, Activities in the local area (by car or bus) We are at the beginning of the West Highlands here and one hour drive to the North is Glencoe – one of the most spectacular spots in the Highlands and well worth a drive through if not a climb. South is the pleasant town of Callander – for shopping and sight seeing. East is Lochearnhead and Killin and Loch Tay for ruined castles and stone circles. See www.robroycountry.co.uk for more information on local activities.

Company Rating

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Summary

Loch Voil Hostel is Stirling based place and this enity listed in Hotel category. Located at Balquhidder FK19 8PB. Contact phone number of Loch Voil Hostel: 01877 384 740