Ratagan Youth Hostel
About About this youth hostel
Small and intimate, Ratagan Youth Hostel is has a stunning lochside location with enviable views towards Skye.
Perfect for groups, families and individual travellers, this warm and welcoming hostel offers guests a variety of room types, all with USB charging points, and all able to be booked as private rooms.
The accommodation is split over two floors and none of the rooms are en-suite, but ample shower and washroom facilities are available.
Guests can opt for continental breakfast served in the large dining room or take advantage of the well-equipped self-catering kitchen. Relax with a local craft beer or glass of wine in the hostel’s comfortable lounge, while enjoying stunning views over the Five Sisters of Kintail.
WiFi access is free for all guests and other facilities include a laundry, drying room, luggage store and secure bike shed. Basic provisions, including frozen ready meals, confectionery and soft drinks are available to purchase at reception.
Although surrounded by mountains, lochs and forests, the hostel is just off the main road, with a bus stop only 1.5 miles away making it easily accessible by public transport. Free parking is available onsite.
Ratagan is a popular choice with outdoor enthusiasts and there are a number of low-level scrambles and ridge walks within easy reach of the hostel. The garden is ideal for launching kayaks for a paddle in Loch Duich, home to porpoises, otters and seals. World famous Eilean Donan Castle is only eight miles away.
The hostel is also available for exclusive private rental.
Why stay?
Friendly and informative staff
Fabulous loch side location with stunning views
Great base for hill walking
Secure lockers and bike store
Private rooms available
Ratagan Youth Hostel
Facilities & Services
Season
March - October (RentaHostel available all year)
Reception Hours
08:00 - 10:00 and 17:00 - 22:00
Check in
17:00 - 22:00
Check out
08:00 -10:00
Access Hours
Late arrivals and access outside opening hours is available by prior arrangement.
Amenities
Free Wifi
Private Rooms Available
Family Rooms Available
Catering Available
Lounge Area
Self Catering Kitchen
Alcohol Licence
Laundry Room
Drying Room
Secure Lockers
Bike Store
Access with limited mobility
Suitable for wheelchair users with assistance
Free Parking (nearby or onsite)
Guest Reviews
21/06/19
One of my favorite hostels. Always friendly with amazing views.Roger stevenson
20/06/19
Consistently high standards from friendly helpful staff.john from leeds
18/06/19
Stayed at Ratagan over the weekend and what a lovely experience. Arron who runs the place has excellent customer service. Nothing is any bother. Has an excellent attitude towards customer service and what makes people's stay special. Great atmosphere, and met some amazing people from around the world. A ver friendly atmosphere which stems from how the place is run. Would definitely recommend. The only negative I would say is there is a need for more female showers upstairs. One is not enough.Louise Cascarino
12/06/19
Staff are friendly & helpful. Very happy with stay at the hostel.William
09/06/19
Superb location- one of my all time favourites. A magical place. Great warden- extremely pleasant and helpful. Very cross I'd booked only one night. Good excuse to return for longer stay!!! GranFran. (83)GranFran
27/05/19
Loved it!!! Fab staff, incredible location, lovely intimate homely feel, just wonderful, a magical place in every way... THANK YOU!!!Anon
26/05/19
Great location, friendly and knowledgable staff. Munros on the doorstep and loads to see nearby.Anon
25/05/19
This was the fourth time that I have stayed at Ratagan, and it always calls me back! Ideal location for anyone that enjoys hillwalking/Munro bagging. The view across Loch Duich never ceases to impress me, regardless of the weather.Brian W
24/05/19
Enjoyable all round experience. First stayed here in 1968! Warden perfect for the place and makes it work but some of the infrastructure needs an overhaul.Andrew
22/05/19
We really appreciate the kindness welcoming who make us feel like at home. The facilities were very clean and you love the peacfull atmosphere of the stay. We highly recommend this place at the door of the sky islandDAFFARA family
21/05/19
The location is to die for!Frank from Glasgow
20/05/19
A very pleasant stay in a beautiful location.check in was warm and friendly.Breakfast was plentiful.,varied and served on time.I would recommend this hostel to anyoneNorrie Mac
20/05/19
The location is second to none and topped with helpful and friendly staff a joy to have stayed in this unique hostelDaisy
19/05/19
Cracking Traditional hostel in a great location. I have stayed here on a number at f occasions & have always enjoyed my visits. Good facilities & while the kitchen can get a bit hectic when folk are all making meals, everyone is always friendly & happy to be sociable.Rob
19/05/19
Ratagan is in a stunning location on the shores of Loch Duich. It's my favourite Scottish Youth Hostel. It is in a quiet village with no nearby facilities (shops, pubs, etc) so come prepared.Giles
11/05/19
Graeme was a perfect host and couldn't have been more helpful. I was moving faster than anticipated on the Cape Wrath trail and he sorted out my bookings at Ratagan and Ullapool when I arrived a couple of days early, gave me a lift to the shop when the local one had run out of supplies and to cap it all loaned me some waterproof trousers for the next stage of my trip when I lost mine. Life saver. ThanksMarkMark
10/05/19
Excellent atmosphere, a credit to Aaron and Graeme the on-site wardens. They were helpful, friendly and do a great job keeping the place ticking over nicely.Simon B
06/05/19
Great location for a range of activities. I got the Citylink bus to Shiel Bridge then walked (about 30 minutes). Facilities are generally good and all the staff I spoke to were very friendly.Richard H
03/05/19
Great location, good accommodation and nice atmosphere We stayed for 2 nights and it was perfectRobert
25/04/19
short stay in a fantastic locationjohn
22/04/19
Always a great pleasure to be there, the location is so amazing that I cant not translate it. And I do not forget the team who is a great value to contribute to have a really unique expérience.Many and many thanksMagali
13/04/19
Excellent, very well run youth hostel. Welcoming, spotless youth hostel and a relaxing lounge area too.Stevenson family
13/04/19
The team working at the hostel are very helpful and friendly. It is nice to find someone interested in the work they are doing and willing to give support in any need or share their local knowledge.We enjoyed the place.Family
09/04/19
Perfect, as usual.Neil
08/04/19
Very friendly wardens, excellent facilities, stunning location...John
03/04/19
Great location , stunning view from the lounge.J Rosie
03/04/19
The staff where super friendly. Such an amazing location and great views. Prompt weather info for the next day out and about.Chrisie Duncan
02/04/19
Hostel was in a beautiful location with excellent facilities. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful and made us feel at home. Will definitely be back.Josh
25/02/19
We booked the whole hostel for a couple of nights in February. It was a family and friends gathering and we couldn't have chosen a better place for the trip. The location was not only stunning but very convenient. Some of us were doing hiking, some of us went fishing and the children spent their time mostly playing on the rocky beach, trying to find treasures:). The hostel facilities were perfect for a big group like us (27 all together). We had a wonderful time. Thanks to the welcoming host.Marysia
21/01/19
We take a full hostel rental at Ratagan every year for a club scuba diving weekend and Burns Supper- this is our 7th year and its always been brilliant- excellent accommodation and shared space; Loch Duich offers excellent mid-winter shore diving- even from the Hostel gardenGrampian Sub Aqua Club
Perfect for groups, families and individual travellers, this warm and welcoming hostel offers guests a variety of room types, all with USB charging points, and all able to be booked as private rooms.
The accommodation is split over two floors and none of the rooms are en-suite, but ample shower and washroom facilities are available.
Guests can opt for continental breakfast served in the large dining room or take advantage of the well-equipped self-catering kitchen. Relax with a local craft beer or glass of wine in the hostel’s comfortable lounge, while enjoying stunning views over the Five Sisters of Kintail.
WiFi access is free for all guests and other facilities include a laundry, drying room, luggage store and secure bike shed. Basic provisions, including frozen ready meals, confectionery and soft drinks are available to purchase at reception.
Although surrounded by mountains, lochs and forests, the hostel is just off the main road, with a bus stop only 1.5 miles away making it easily accessible by public transport. Free parking is available onsite.
Ratagan is a popular choice with outdoor enthusiasts and there are a number of low-level scrambles and ridge walks within easy reach of the hostel. The garden is ideal for launching kayaks for a paddle in Loch Duich, home to porpoises, otters and seals. World famous Eilean Donan Castle is only eight miles away.
The hostel is also available for exclusive private rental.
Why stay?
Friendly and informative staff
Fabulous loch side location with stunning views
Great base for hill walking
Secure lockers and bike store
Private rooms available
">Reasons to visit
Ratagan Youth Hostel enjoys a stunning loch-side location and boasts an amazing view of the Five Sisters of Kintail mountain range from its sitting room.
Popular with cyclists, the Mam Ratagan Pass is a scenic hill road to Glenelg where you can catch the historic turntable ferry to Skye. This fabulous little ferry is one of a kind and simply the best way to travel to Skye. The short crossing provides magnificent views and the enthusiastic crew are always happy to tell you about the local wildlife, scenery and the ferry's history.
Low level scrambles and ridge walks are all within easy reach of the hostel and the garden is ideal for launching kayaks where you can take to the water to explore famous local landmarks such as Eilean Donan Castle.
There are plenty of Munros to tackle in the local area and The Falls of Glomach, one of the highest and most remote waterfalls in Britain, is within easy reach.
For wildlife enthusiasts, otters, seals and porpoises can often be seen from the garden and deer roam the surrounding hillsides.
Charter a fishing boat or let someone else do the hard work while you kick back and enjoy some fresh local shellfish at the Glenelg Inn or Sheena's famous tea hut.
