Paul Merton, one of Britain’s best loved comedians and broadcasters, recently visited SYHA Hostelling Scotland’s Loch Ossian Youth Hostel, a small, homely eco-hostel situated on the banks of Loch Ossian on Rannoch Moor in the West Highlands, as part of Paul Merton’s Secret Stations, his current series being broadcast on Channel 4.
Paul’s visit to Loch Ossian, one of SYHA’s most remote hostels with stunning views of the loch and the surrounding Munros, only accessible by rail, bike or foot, will feature in the final programme in the three part series on Sunday 15 May 2016 at 20.00.
More than 150 of Britain’s railway stations are request stops. You have to put out your arm to get the train to stop at the platform. In this travelogue, Paul explores the weird and wonderful world of request stop railway stations throughout Britain. He explores the history of the stations, and meets the people who live and work around them to learn more about these unusual and often overlooked stations.
In the final programme, Paul requests a stop at Corrour Station on the West Highlands Glasgow to Fort William line, the highest mainline railway station in the UK. From there he takes a 20-minute walk to Loch Ossian. He meets and chats to Jan Robinson, the hostel manager, who runs the 20 bed youth hostel all year round, often in the most challenging of weather conditions.
During his visit, Paul had a tour of the interior and exterior of the cosy hostel and was keen to find out about SYHA and the special hostelling experience that has been provided for more than 80 years. He was particularly intrigued by the wind turbine, solar panels, composting toilets and reed bed grey water drainage system.
Jan Robinson, Hostel Manager, said:
“We had a very lucky day for Paul’s visit – the weather was amazing, sunny, blue sky, calm and no midges! Paul definitely appreciated the remoteness of the location, as well as asking all about the youth hostel and SYHA. He was also very interested in the youth hostel’s environmentally friendly and energy efficient systems. However he declined the opportunity to help me change the bilge pump filter. The crew had a drone camera so I’m looking forward to seeing the overhead shots on Sunday night.”
SYHA Hostelling Scotland has teamed up with ScotRail to offer a 10% accommodation discount when you book any Scottish youth hostel and travel with ScotRail. (Offer is valid until 28th February 2017.) Outdoor enthusiasts can take advantage of this great offer by using Loch Ossian Youth Hostel as a base, exploring the many surrounding Munros during the day and sharing their experiences with fellow hostellers in front of a cosy fire in the evenings – but remember to request the stop at Corrour Station! (for further details of this offer go to: http://bit.ly/syhascotrail).
Loch Ossian is also available through ‘Exclusively yours… RentaHostel’ for exclusive group use. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway for a special party, a short activity break with family and friends, a study group or a work event, Loch Ossian provides the perfect value for money venue for any occasion.
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For downloadable images of SYHA Hostelling Scotland’s Loch Ossian Youth Hostel go to: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jlk9eft5bypocao/AACO_CdlnMBzISG-132WCVwxa?dl=0
– Please credit SYHA Hostelling Scotland
Notes to Editors:
SYHA Hostelling Scotland is a self-funding charity operating a network of over 60 exceptional youth and affiliate hostels for the benefit of all those wishing to learn and experience what Scotland has to offer. Our unique sites provide affordable, comfortable, safe and quality-assured accommodation with a warm friendly welcome, local knowledge, activities and services for guests travelling around Scotland.
