The Gatliff Hebridean Hostels Trust (GHHT) is dedicated to running Berneray, Howmore and Rhenigidale Hostels, in partnership with islanders, to a sound basic standard. Its goal is to provide hostellers, including young people of limited means, with the opportunity to stay a while to get to know and maybe come to love, the unique culture and natural environment of the islands.
To download our hostel information poster in A4 size please click here.
The information on this page is designed to help you enjoy your stay at our hostels. It is updated on a regular basis so you can be assured that it contains the up-to-date information. It was last updated on 29 November 2018
Frequently Asked Questions
Information about visiting the hostels comparable to that provided on this page is provided in the form of Questions and Answers here.
No advance bookings are possible at the hostels
We are not able to take any advanced bookings, but because of the remoteness of the hostels, it is rare for anyone to be turned away. It is unlikely that travellers arriving on foot, by cycle, canoe or kayak will be turned away. When you arrive at the hostel bag a bed by making it up with a sleeping bag. (Sheet sleeping bags can be hired.)
Our hostels rarely operate at capacity. Winter is much quieter though there are visitors at Christmas and New Year.
Because we do not take bookings we are unable to make predictions about availability.
What you will find at the hostels
All our hostels are converted traditional croft houses. These house, were by the nature, small. Our hostels have a common room /kitchen, showers and toilets. All the beds are in dormitories. There are no private rooms. Limited camping is possible at all the hostels. Please read the individual web pages on each hostel.
Each hostel is looked after by a warden, a local person who lives near to the hostel. Admittance to the hostel and length of stay are at the warden’s sole discretion. Long term stays at the hostels are not permitted.
Neither the warden nor the Trust can accept responsibility for the safety of visitors or their property.
Sabbath observance is a feature of life in many parts of the islands but especially in Harris and Lewis. Please respect this.
Bunk or camp beds, blankets & duvets, cooking equipment and calor gas stoves, cutlery and crockery are provided. The hostels have toilets, washing facilities, hot & cold water and heating.
What you should bring
- You will need to bring a sheet sleeping bag, or alternatively one can be hired at the hostel for £2.
- You are strongly advised to bring a torch on your trip to the islands. There are very few street lights near our hostels.
Charges 2018
From 1 April 2018, an individual bednight fee is £16 for age 18 and over, under 18 the fee is £8, and the individual camping fee is £10 which reduces to £8 for those under 18. If you wish to hire a sheet sleeping bag the cost is £2.
To download our information sheet for the charges operating in 2018 please click .here.
FURTHER INFORMATION: There are no discounted fees for members of SYHA. We do not take credit cards.
Your experiences, thoughts and ideas. Feedback on your stay
Do let us know how you get on in the islands, what your saw and what you thought of the hostels. We are always looking for ideas about how to improve our hostels.
If you keep a diary or take notes about your trip and/or your stay at the hostel, or you have photographs you wish to share, the Trustees would be pleased to see them. The best will be published! (ghht@gatliff.org.uk)
Do make an entry in the hostel house book. You will find a house book inside each of our hostels. We encourage hostellers to make comments about their stay, the local area and, even, their thoughts on life, the universe and everything. Please also use the opportunity to pass on useful tips to other travellers. Our newsletter of the Crofters’ Hostels is compiled from entries in these books.
If you enjoyed your visit to the hostels, please consider joining the GHHT
If you enjoyed your visit, and want to support the hostels long term, please consider joining the Trust. As a member you receive regular updates on the work of the Trust and the hostels. Importantly we need members to keep the hostels alive. All the trustees are members who agreed to help run the Trust, and to support the hostels. There is lots to do, not just at the hostels on work parties, but contributing from your own home.
Annual membership costs £10 per year. We welcome everyone who shares our aims. Please complete our membership application form and send it with your donation to GHHT, 30 Francis Street, STORNOWAY, Isle of Lewis HS1 2ND.
For further details please contact our chair Peter Clarke (This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, so you need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Our hostels are open to all. Membership of the GHHT is not a pre-requisite.
Facebook & Twitter
We are on Facebook as Gatliff Hebridean Hostels Trust and Twitter @Gatliffhostels.
You can use our Facebook page to link with people you met at the hostels. This, our website and our Twitter feed, are updated with information about the hostels and tempting things to see and do within easy reach of the hostels.