BCC Lochness Hostel Pods

Close to Loch Ness. Comfortable.

There was no reception, no one to greet. Room was double booked and no apology. Trip.com had to sort us out, ended up in a different room but was filthy.

Our experience was much like most of the other people that have posted reviews for this site. Great location sadly let down by owners that seem to have either run out of time, effort, or money to keep the place and facilities up to standard. Also ,there was no sign of any owners or workers to actually speak to about the state of the place. So we arrived for a two night stay. The Pod itself looked a bit rundown but acceptable, albeit very basic. I didn't believe my wife when she came back from the shower and toilet building and told me how bad it was. Honestly, it looked like it had not been looked after for months, mould, dead insects, spiderwebs, broken fixings everywhere. One out of the 3 showers was just about usable but totally disgusting, at least it had a working light i suppose.... The toilets all looked like they hadn't been cleaned or maintained for I don't know how long. So we decided to stay for just the one night and leave first thing in the morning. Thankfully I had brought a fan heater with us as there was no heating in the Pod, despite it being late September. The fan heater though had the unfortunate side effect of making the stale musty smell in the Pod more obvious. At this point we decided to put our gear back in the car and head back down the road. My fault for not checking reviews beforehand at the end of the day. We won't be making that mistake again, that's for sure.

Honestly? When we arrived I seriously thought it was closed! ALL the pods (?) and other "sheds" looked as if they were waiting to be taken to the skip. I seriously thought it was derelict. Nope, it was the place. Went into our allocated pod to find it reeking of mould, we didn't open the windows because of insects, I really didn't want to touch the window anyway as it was covered in mould and spider's webs. The mats for our sleeping bases were thin and not at all comfortable. I'd brought a blanket to put under my sleeping bag and was glad that I had, it offered a little comfort. Outside the roof covering (pretend tile material) was falling off, I'm so pleased it never rained, I doubt we'd have remained dry. I came out of the door in the morning and stood on a nail which was protruding from the wooden pathway, it went right through my shoe, I'm lucky I was wearing shoes!!. Outside - the door had rotten wood on the frame, it looked like a rat had chewed it's way in, (or probably out if it had any sense). I am fighting to find good things to say :( the toilet block? Well it had loo roll, that's about the only good thing. The outside communal sinks were absolutely filthy with mouldy mess. Neither of us had a shower, it just wasn't clean - with scabby curtains around the shower trays, it just looked awful. What else, we had electric light and sockets. That was good. I'd like to say I've slept in worse places, but I haven't. Yes, it's first world problems but honestly it's the worst place I've ever paid to stay in. I've slept in my car when I've gone hiking or on a photo outing, and felt more comfortable and safe, at least not breathing in mould spores in the car. How they got a short term lease licence is beyond me. IF they have one...... The worst thing above everything else is that the place has the potential to be a fantastic place to stay. The photos they use are obviously at least 8 years old, it looked good then, and that is what I thought I was paying to stay in. I think Trading Standards just might have something to say about this as it is most certainly false advertising.

I booked a stay here in December ‘23 and paid the deposit (approx £100). I sadly had to cancel the trip the next day and thought I was well within the refund deadline, but heard nothing back. Mid January ‘24, about four weeks later the full balance was taken from my account (a further £213). Despite having received my cancellation email, thus money was still taken and multiple attempts at communication with the company have fallen on deaf ears. I am currently seeking legal advice on what can only be described as theft, but would definitely urge anyone planning on staying here to exercise extreme caution.

The hut reaked of mildew and musk. My chest felt very tight from all the mold I assume was behind the walls and under the floors. We ended up leaving after 1 night as I felt very ill. The showers were horrific. Black mold all over the ceiling, walls, shower curtian, and shower caulking. This place is a health hazard. Im suprised it has not been shut down. It seems as if the owners don't care or have abandoned it.

There are times in your life when you should pay attention to the faint alarm bells ringing in your head -this was one of them. We prefer to wild camp when we're going to be hillwalking but knew we would be arriving late in the evening so decided it would be sensible to have a pitch on a campsite reserved. Despite calling ahead to reserve (a largely uninterested and vague lady answered-getting information or even directions from her was like drawing teeth other than assurances that there would be space for us), we arrived to find no space (other than squashed between a tree and some horrible looking large plastic containers), with the next tent a matter of feet away. The site itself was right next to the road and the whole place (including the lodges and hostel opposite) had a distinctly run down, almost derelict appearance. We didn't stay. We are not overly fussy people but it was so bad that a night in the car was genuinely more appealing. Sadly, I cannot find anything positive to say about this place. Fortunately, despite the late hour we found an amazing campsite in Cannich where we were warmly welcomed and loved it so much we spent 2 nights there (I have written a review for this campsite too).