Armadale Youth Hostel

The last ferry from Mallaig gets to Armadale around 4 p.m., and that may be the one you want to take since the Armadale Youth Hostel has a lockout all day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They have good signage from the dock and a walking path to use, so you're not walking on the one-lane road through Armadale (which consists of some public toilets, a very small convenience store, a B&B and a pub). It's about a ten-minute walk from the pier. There's a bus stop about three to four minutes away, next to the Armadale castle. Bring your food if you're self-catering, because the store has very limited supplies.

The hostel has a bike room where you can store your gear if you get there earlier and want to take a walk around. The view to the bay is wonderful and if the fog lifts, you can see back to the mainland. There is a lot of information about wildlife inside the hostel -- otters have been spotted just outside the back patio. On a sunny day, it would be a great place to hang out. The hostel was spotless and they provide clean linens. The showers were hot and the bathrooms spacious.

The manager is on-site, so there are strict quiet hours after 10 p.m. and the front doors are locked at 11 p.m. with no keys available). A Scottish Youth Hostel Association membership gets you a pound off the nightly rate (quoted rates are the member rate -- if you're not a member, they collect another pound from you when you check in). The manager was friendly and had maps of local hikes and tips on when to visit certain local sights and the pub menu available. The location on the coast is beautiful and peaceful -- definitely worth another visit!

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