A bit of a bargain price of £99 DBB for two people. Call for a good deal. There is a more upmarket hotel up the road, but very expensive for one night. The room was comfortable – ask for a premier room, it was very spacious. The food was ok, but they didn’t have the Car grilled chicken that was on the menu. There was internet and mobile phone reception was limited due to the proximity of the Campsie Fells.
Verdict: Would stay again.
Drymen:
We only passed through here, but it has a nice village green setting. The Winnock Hotel is part of Best Western and overlooks the village green. There are Bars & B&B nearby. Browns restaurant looks smart enough and the local Spar shop serves all the basics required including your lunch for the next day.
Verdict: It looks a pleasant enough place.
The Rowardennan Hotel:
We stayed in the Ben Lomond suite, that had a view of Ben Lomond unsurprisingly. The room was comfortable, relaxing and quiet. The room had some good and some basic amenities. The restaurant served the same menu as the bar – i.e pub grub. It was adequate and the good friendly service made the difference. We were well attended by Robbie the waiter. It is a great locality, and has a seating area to sit out in the sun – usually full of walkers. The hotel is at the end of a road so you have to make an effort to get there or catch the ferry. One thing to note is that it is the only place to eat, so the bar can get very busy at times with people from the YHA. I had a great sandwich in the packed lunch – coronation chicken. Breakfast was good.
Verdict: Would stay again
Inveroran :
The end of day 3 walk at Beinglas. The camping complex at Beinglas had a good atmosphere, very friendly, & a good bar & shop – open until 8pm. It has camping and some wigwams – I imagine they could be baking hot in summer. The only alternative without transport is the s&^%hole that is the Drovers Inn. The place is an absolute dump, and how it gets by HSE rules is beyond me. Even the fabric of the building is falling apart. One look inside the bar and a chat with a few people was all I needed. I would rather sleep on a park bench, under a copy of The Times!
Verdict: Unless you have no choice, avoid the Drovers like the plague.
Ardlui:
Luckily for me I had transport and we stayed at The Ardlui Hotel. The food was ok , and it had a nice enough bar and atmosphere. The room was a little old fashioned, but again was comfortable enough. The hot water took an age to come through, and it must have been the hydro scheme nicked all the pressure. The packed lunch was basic but OK.
Verdict: worth the price of a taxi if you can find one.
Tyndrum
A bit of an oddity. It stretches out along the main road and has a big old hotel, with lots of B&B’s by river. There are a couple of smaller hotels adjacent to the busy road through the village. It is a bit of a staging post for coaches of tourists, and has the usual tourist attractions, and a few shops to stock up with snacks. The Tyndrum Lodge Hotel looked good and had a carvery to eat at. We had a drink sat outside on the sundeck.
Verdict: There should be somewhere to suit all.
Bridge of Orchy
Some 7 miles on from Tyndrum is the Bridge of Orchy hotel. This was probably the most recently updated hotel, with a huge lounge & was very restful. It had an Internet connection and some very comfortable settees to fall into. The food was good, as was the service, and the full restaurant said it all. There was camping nearby. The room was excellent and very comfortable. One extra point from me was that it helped split up the long mileage of the next day, by walking from Tyndrum back to the hotel for breakfast. It would be worth trying to get a lift back. Breakfast was excellent. I missed out on a packed lunch and just nibbled me nuts.
Verdict: Nearly the best hotel of the trip.
Kingshouse
No choice here, it’s the Kingshouse or nothing. So book early, otherwise it’s a taxi ride to Glencoe. The Inveroran Hotel looks ok but remote, and you would have to alter the usual itinery. The Kingshouse is like a backpackers hotel – basic but adequate. It serves good food, and the service was excellent, as was the breakfast. It has a great atmosphere, and if you didn’t watch it you could end up with one hell of a night. The packed lunch offered was either non veg or veg – no choice, so I chose to say no thanks. The rooms were a very dated and basic but adequate for the WHW walkers. The views from room 9 were second to none. Breakfast was good with great service. It has an internet computer available.
Verdict: I would stay here even if there was an alternative
Kinlochleven
A choice of two or three hotels and some dodgy looking B&B’s – but they must be ok to survive. We stayed at the MacDonald Hotel which is very basic. It was struggling for staff & the staff they had tried their best. The food was ok. We had a room over the kitchen & it was too hot – so avoid room 1. Outside the hotel had wendy houses (sheds from B&Q) for 2 sets of bunk beds! They were cheap but not very cheerful. Breakfast was only adequate. The plus point is that it is next to the WHW path. The internet connection was down. But the hotel has a new owner so maybe things will improve. I got a sandwich from the local Co-op before setting off again.
Verdict: I would look elsewhere in the town, or taxi to Glencoe.
Fort William
The best stay of the trip. The Lime Tree is recently renovated and features many artworks and an ever changing exhibition. We had a quiet room at the back of the hotel. It was nicely kitted out, even though the rooms were quite narrow. The internet connection was down when we stayed but otherwise it should be ok. The Lime Tree has a couple of lounges to sit in, and was very restful. The Gallery has paintings for sale if anything takes your fancy, and all the staff were very attentive. The restaurant is excellent and the chef cooks in front of you, so you can see he doesn’t do anything nasty in the gravy! It has been voted the second best restaurant in Scotland, and has a good restaurant, and some interesting beers to sample. The owner makes a real effort and he makes the difference. Fort William has plenty of shops to stock up on stodge!
Verdict: Well worth the money
Watch out Michael Winner and Giles Corren – we walkers are on the march!!
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