HOSTELS IN STIRLING, ABERDEEN, FIFE & CENTRAL SCOTLAND

Stirling and Perth are both attractive and interesting cities in the lowland plain. Dundee is industrial. On the edge of the Highlands are the Trossachs, Crieff, Callander and Pitlochry with fine scenery and several hostels. Fife includes Falkland, St Andrews and good beaches. Aberdeen is a handsome city with a hostel, and boats and flights to Shetland.

Here we start with the lowlands that surround Edinburgh and Glasgow, then we extend north and trace our way along the southern part of the Highlands from the Trossachs NE through Perthshire to the Aberdeen area.

There is lots of transport from England to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and good transport also to Stirling.

• The Central Plain Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling
• Perth Attractive city with hills around
• Fife & Dundee Plains and hills, rivers, cities.
• The Southern Highlands Mixed mountains with long valleys.
• Aberdeen area & Cairngorms Handsome city, beautiful valley & high mountain plateau.

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The Central Plain

Central Scotland includes the two large cities -- Edinburgh and Glasgow. If you like cities, visit both, they are totally unalike except for being Scottish. The scenery between these cities is mostly dull, but the two Forth bridges close to Edinburgh are impressive masterpieces. In this well-populated area there are frequent buses or trains to most places.

Stirling is a smaller and more homely city (frequent buses and trains from Glasgow and Edinburgh), with a wealth of history. Indeed if you have just 2 days for Scotland, Edinburgh is essential and Stirling provides the best taster for the rest. The Backpackers hostel is close to the stations and many pubs, while the SYHA is up a hill and close to the Castle, but all these are within 10 mins walk of each other!

The Ochil hills overlooking the plain are fine walking country with panoramic views of the Forth estuary to the south and the Highland Bens laid out in line to the North. You can walk these hills from either a city base in Stirling or a restful country setting in Glendevon where there is a small self-catering hostel open Apr-Sep:

Glendevon is an ideal first stop if you come by car from England or from the ferry at Rosyth. By bus, buy your food first, then there are 5 buses a day from Stirling or Kinross, then a 2-mile walk.

Perth

Road and rail go through Perth, a pleasant but plainish city with a hill affording a fine viewpoint -- but no hostel. There is a hostel at Caputh within reach of Perth by regular bus.

Fife and Dundee

You might travel east from Perth or Stirling, or north from Edinburgh, to spend a few hours in Fife, with a mixture of scenery and a peaceful coastline. Good places for an overnight stop are Falkland and St Andrews. Falkland is also a convenient first stop in Scotland if you are travelling by car from England or from the ferry at Rosyth.

Falkland is a quaint and well-kept little town with lots of old cottages and larger houses including a palace. (Hourly buses from Perth and Glenrothes). You can walk on the nearby hills with fine views. Being tourist-oriented, some cafes and restaurants are very expensive. This is a good first stop on your way northward, and there is a pleasant hostel operated by a charity:

St Andrews , with a famous University and golf course, is an easy day trip from Edinburgh (hourly trains to Leuchars then a frequent bus, 1h 40m journey) or hourly express bus (2h 15m). For a longer visit you can stay at

You can cross the Tay Bridge (a boring structure) to the industrial city of Dundee, where you can stay at:

Trossachs (Southern Highlands)

The southernmost part of the Highlands is called the Trossachs, and is an easy day trip from Glasgow (to Aberfoyle) or from Stirling (to Callander). The Trossachs is an area of rugged country with forest and rocky heather moorland which is exquisitely beautiful. A car tour, or a bus tour from Glasgow or Edinburgh, is good. It is also accessible by public transport, and if you have time, stay in a hostel. It is also fine cycling country. The most convenient hostel, and a very good one, is:

The above hostel is 2 km from Callendar, a busy good-sized town.

Two other hostels are well-placed if you come by car or bike. These lie on a no-through-road from Aberfoyle to Loch Lomond which passes through constantly delightful and varying scenery all the way; buses on this road are few. At Kinlochard is Ledard Farm, a bunkhouse in a casual farmyard setting, with access to a network of forest cycling tracks and hill walks, lying right at the trailhead for Ben Venue:

Farther along, through forest, lochside and craggy moorland scenery, you come to Stronachlachar, a cluster of trees overlooking beautiful Loch Katrine, with a daily boat service across the loch. A further 6km of lochside and moorland brings you to Inversnaid with a delightful hostel in an old church, in a beautiful location by a stream. The area is magnificent for walking and cycling. Occasional buses come to Stronachlachar, and there's an occasional ferryboat on Loch Lomond 2km away.

Callander is a good-sized town on the edge of the fine scenery of Trossachs and Perthshire. An excellent hostel lies in a quiet spot 2 km out of town:

Perthshire

Perthshire comprises, in its northwestern half, one of the most beautiful parts of the Highlands, with richly-wooded hills and a few mountains, all on a grander scale than the idyllic Trossachs.

The small town of Crieff and the village of Comrie are on the edge of the Perthshire hills. Near here, a convenient base is Comrie Croft, a good and well-placed hostel with a range of facilities. There are local walks, you can climb Ben Chonzie from the hostel, and other mountains within a short journey. This is also a good place for an overnight stop on a tour of Scotland, as buses run here hourly from Perth (2-hourly on Sun) and twice a day to Crianlarich and Oban.

From Perth , if you take the road or rail north you reach Dunkeld, which lies astride the Highland Fault where the scenery becomes suddenly rockier and more shut-in. Dunkeld is an interesting small town with a ruined cathedral, overlooked by Birnam Woods (noted by Shakespeare). If you have transport, or if you take a bus from Perth (hourly plus evenings, Sundays 3 per day plus evening), you can easily reach the tiny village of Caputh which has an excellent homely hostel:

As you go north up the main road or railway, the scenery becomes beautiful and remains so. Amidst this attractive scenery is the picturesque town of Pitlochry, where there are 2 very good hostels. The Backpackers is in the centre close to everything, but suffers from traffic noise; the SYHA is 500m away uphill, but is quiet and restful with a superb view.

Just south of Pitlochry, you can deviate from the main route and follow the river Tay up to the very pleasant small town of Aberfeldy which has a range of shops, and is backed by beautiful scenery. There are regular buses to here from Pitlochry and Perth. This area is great for walking, mountain biking, kayaking and other outdoor activities. If you want to stay here, the best option is the Adventurers Escape bunkhouse at Weem, 2km from Aberfeldy. Dunolly House, on the W edge of town, runs courses for groups but can also accommodate individuals.

Beyond Aberfeldy to Kenmore, Fearnan and Killin, along majestic Loch Tay, the scenery is grand, the roads quiet and fine for motoring or cycling, but buses are scarce. If you would like some time in this area to climb Ben Lawers (1214m or just 4000 ft) or go on more modest lochside and forest walks, then do try to get to Culdees Bunkhouse; it's hard to reach and you may have to hitch-hike from Aberfeldy (buses 2/day, none Sun), but you'll be glad you've come, especially when you see the view!

At the head of this very long loch lies Killin, with access to several high peaks, which are not difficult but call for a lot of stamina. However there are virtually NO buses covering this area.

Perth to Aberdeen If instead you go northeast from Perth, you cross a broad expanse of pastoral country on the route to Aberdeen. This route avoids the mountains, but if you strike off northwest from Blairgowrie or Kirriemuir you will enter some long and remote glens. There are virtually no buses, but if you can reach Glendoll you are in the heart of the Highlands and can get quickly onto the plateau and some high peaks -- fine hiking country.

A main road runs up one of the glens en route to Braemar, and at the ski resort of Spittal of Glenshee you will find hostels:

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Aberdeen is a long way from the main scenic areas of Scotland, but it is an interesting city as well as the jumping-off point for Shetland (overnight boat on most days). It has a hostel, a longish walk (or frequent bus) from the stations and shops but there's a general store nearby:

But Aberdeenshire is by no means lacking in scenery; the valley of the river Dee is one of the world's gems for driving or cycling, as it leads you slowly and gracefully towards the great mountain massif of the Cairngorms. Frequent buses run between Aberdeen and Braemar, with several also on Sundays.

A few miles from the valley is a hostel on a farm (buses hourly from Aberdeen to Torphins then transport by arrangement):

You pass the Queen's summer home at Balmoral, then you can stay either at the large functional SYHA hostel or the small independent hostel in Braemar, or walk 3 miles to the mini- hostel at Inverey, a cosy hostel with few facilities at the start of a tough but rewarding hike on to the high tundra plateau of the Cairngorms -- and bathe your feet in a Highland stream on your return!

If you leave the Dee valley at Ballater and travel northwest, then in the heart of the mountains with walking access to the Cairngorms you will find, 1km from the road:

Farther on lies Tomintoul.

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