A Castle Room Almost Scot-Free

A 1996 Hostelling International survey found that two of the top 10 favorite youth hostels in the world are located in Scotland. For travelers planning to visit there next year, the Scottish Youth Hostel Assn. (SYHA) has announced economical packages for independent tours or guided cycling, hiking and pony trekking vacations. Don’t let the word “youth” mislead you. There are no age restrictions for using the facilities.

The Explore Scotland packages are designed for travelers who don’t mind touring by public bus. They include six overnight vouchers for use in any of the 80 SYHA hostels and seven days’ unlimited coach travel on Scottish Citylink coaches. This company’s routes cover all of the Scottish mainland and the Isle of Skye. The 1998 cost is $267.

Scottish Wayfarer packages include vouchers for seven or 14 nights in SYHA hostels, plus an eight or 15-day Travelpass valid for unlimited rail travel on ScotRail, SPT, Virgin and GNER trains. Your pass is also valid for island-hopping on Caledonian McBraynes’s Ferries and all Strathclyde PT ferry services. A one-third discount is also available for P&O;’s Scrabster to Orkney sailings, plus a 20% discount on P&O;’s Aberdeen to Orkney services, as well as free travel on a range of coach services in northern Scotland. For four days of travel within an eight-day period, plus vouchers for seven nights in a hostel, the cost is $260. Eight days of travel within a 15-day period, plus 14 nights’ accommodation vouchers, is $437.

Both packages include a map, SYHA Handbook and a Scotpass Discount Card, which is valid for savings on a variety of goods and services.

The SYHA hostels range from cottages to mansions. In a survey of 4,000 hostelers ages 16 to 25 conducted in six countries, the most popular hostel was Aviemore in Scotland. This hostel is located in birch woodlands next to a nature reserve at 25 Grampian Road, Aviemore, Inverness-shire PH22 1PR; telephone 011-44-1479-810345. It can accommodate up to 114 travelers in rooms shared by four to eight people. The nightly rate is $15 per bed. Popular activities in the area include skiing, skating, canoeing, sail-boarding, golf and visiting whiskey distilleries.

The sixth most popular hostel in the survey was the Stirling hostel, St. John St., Stirling; tel. 011-44-1786-473442. It has 126 beds in rooms shared by four to eight travelers. The nightly rate is $19.35 and includes continental breakfast. Stirling has one of the most dramatic settings of any town in Scotland, with a castle dominating the skyline. The hostel, which is close to the castle, is built behind the facade of a church dating back to the 1820s.

Although not in the survey’s top 10, North American travelers will also find Carbisdale Castle Hostel unique. The castle overlooks the Kyle of Sutherland, at Culrain, Sutherland, tel. 011-44-1549-421232. This is a touring center for the North Highlands. This castle hostel has 200 beds available at a nightly rate of $18 per bed, including continental breakfast.

If you are a member of a hosteling association affiliated with SYHA, you’ll also be eligible for a 30% discount on adult admission fees at National Trust for Scotland properties throughout the country.

For those who would rather join up with a small group and guide for cycling, hiking or pony trekking, a variety of SYHA programs are available for 1998.

New for cyclists is a six-day Braveheart and Rob Roy tour. This trip includes a guide and seven nights’ hostel accommodations with self-catering facilities. The group will follow the footsteps of two of Scotland’s most colorful characters, Rob Roy and William Wallace, on a tour that circles out from Stirling. The cost is $283 and departures are scheduled for May 23, July 4 and Aug. 15. Group cycling trips are also scheduled next spring and summer for the Scottish Borders, for Arran, Islay and Jura island-hopping and for a Hebridean island hop starting from the misty Isle of Skye.

SYHA walking holidays vary from easy rambles to reasonably strenuous treks. The West Highland Way is rated a moderate walk, although one day is in excess of 17 miles. This is Scotland’s first long-distance footpath, stretching 95 miles from the outskirts of Glasgow to Fort William in the shadow of Ben Nevis. The route offers good views and is mainly on paths with some steep ascents. This tour includes eight nights’ accommodation, full board, a guide and baggage transfers so that you only need to carry a light day pack. The cost is $526. Departures are scheduled for May 2, 16, 23 and 30; June 20; July 4, 11, 18 and 25; Aug. 1, 8 and 29; and Sept. 5 and 19.

Pony trekking weeks, following bridle paths, old mill trails and country tracks along the rolling Ochil Hills, are operated by Edinburgh veterinary students who use their herd of Exmoor ponies. The trips are open to all ages, to those with and without experience. The $260 fee includes five nights’ self-catering accommodations at Glendevon Youth Hostel (food is supplied for you to prepare). Departures are scheduled for June 28, July 5, 12, 19 and 26; Aug. 2, 9 and 16.

For details on any of these programs, contact Activity Holidays Department, SYHA National Office, 7 Glebe Crescent, Stirling, Scotland FK8 2JA; tel. 011-44-1786-891400. The SYHA has a site on the Internet at: https://www.syha.org.uk, which includes photos and details the organization’s 80 hostels. General information on Scotland can be found on the Internet at the Scottish Tourist Board’s site at: https://www.autumn.scotland.net/.

Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at https://www.izon.com.