Saddle Mountain Hostel, Invergarry, Inverness-Shire, PH35 4HP

DESCRIPTION
Saddle Mountain Hostel is a detached property set within an 0.8 acre plot. It is ideally situated close to the A82 and a short walk from the village of Invergarry. This attractive and well-presented hostel is an established business with an excellent reputation, achieving regular repeat guests and sound forward bookings. It offers exceptional facilities in keeping with its VisitScotland 5-Star Hostel award and has been impressively refurbished in the hands of the current owners. It is now offered for sale in walk-in condition.

The business represents a fine example of a "home, lifestyle and self-employment opportunity". This well-structured independent business has a strong trading model solely based upon hostel accommodation provision. Saddle Mountain Hostel draws in its trade through its own high-quality website and a number of external advertising websites, including as an affiliate of Hostelling Scotland. The hostel attracts hillwalkers, long distance hikers, cyclists, paddlers and tourists visiting the Scottish Highlands and Islands. The business caters for groups, families and solo travellers. It benefits from regular repeat group bookings from hillwalking clubs.

LOCATION
Saddle Mountain Hostel is in the small village of Invergarry in Scotland's Great Glen. Fort William is 25 miles to the south on the A82, Inverness 41 miles to the north on the A82 and the bridge over to the Isle of Skye is 50 miles to the west on the A87. Invergarry is served by buses operating between Inverness and Fort William and between the Isle of Skye and Glasgow.

Within the village there are 3 hotels with restaurants, a post office, a petrol station with a small shop, a primary school plus a community centre with seasonal cafe and heritage centre. Fort Augustus, the nearest village about 7 miles to the north on the A82, has a range of shops, food venues and other amenities, including a pharmacy, GP practice and secondary school. Another secondary school is located in Fort William, which also has the nearest supermarkets and a hospital.

Saddle Mountain Hostel is in an area of outstanding natural beauty, surrounded by mountains, glens, rivers and lochs. It is close to many of Scotland's famous mountain areas including Ben Nevis and the Grey Corries, Glen Shiel and Knoydart. The starting point for 65 Munros and 30 Corbetts are within an hour's drive of the hostel. Saddle Mountain Hostel is on 3 of Scotland's long distance trails - the Great Glen Way, the Cape Wrath Trail and the Scottish National Trail. It is also a stopping point for Land's End to John O'Groats and coast to coast cyclists. There are local water sports opportunities on Loch Oich and the River Garry and River Moriston.

The Great Glen runs between Fort William and Inverness and is a popular route for sightseeing and touring. The hostel is situated in its heart and there are a great many visitor destinations within easy reach. To the north is Inverness (the capital of the Highlands), reached via Loch Ness and its attractions, including Urquhart Castle. It provides excellent travel connections (bus, train and air) and city amenities and has its own local sights such as the Culloden Battlefield. To the south is Fort William, "the outdoor capital of the UK", situated at the foot of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. To the west is the tourist hotspot of the Isle of Skye with its rugged natural beauty. To the east, the Cairngorms National Park can be reached via Spean Bridge.

Saddle Mountain Hostel is ideally positioned to run a sound business operation whilst providing an excellent quality of life for its owners.

REASON FOR SALE
The current owners purchased Saddle Mountain Hostel in May 2015 and have enjoyed the lifestyle and income the business has generated. It is their desire to retire that brings this thriving and highly desirable business to the market.

TRADE
The business currently trades 7 days a week from March through to September. During the off season, the hostel is open for groups (mainly hillwalking clubs) who book exclusive use of the property. The business is primarily set up to accommodate outdoors enthusiasts (walkers, cyclists and paddlers). Currently the business caters for school trips a couple of times a year.

Since taking over the business in 2015 the current owners have modernised the whole of the building and upgraded the hostel facilities, bringing it to the high standard it now has.

The current owners believe that there is scope both to increase the turnover of the business and its occupancy rates by making adjustments to the current trading model chosen by them. They are happy to discuss this aspect with genuine interested parties.

THE PROPERTY
This detached building set within spacious grounds was constructed in 1973. The construction is typical of the time with a timber frame with block and render walls and a tile roof. The hostel is on the ground floor of the building and the owners' flat (converted in the early 2000s) is on the upper floor. The current owners built an extension housing a large drying room/laundry in 2017.

Access to the business is off the A82, approximately 250m along a quiet single-track public road via a gravel drive through wooded gardens leading to the building.

PUBLIC AND SERVICE AREAS
Access to the hostel is from the upper car park where a covered walkway brings guests to the main entrance and then into a spacious, smart reception area. All public areas and bedrooms can be accessed from here. To the left is the large lounge, with views over the adjoining field to the hills of the Great Glen beyond. This area is arranged to seat all guests simultaneously. The lounge is attractively furnished with large patio windows affording plenty of natural light.

The dining room is located next to the kitchen and also has the capacity to seat all guests at once. It is this capability to accommodate large groups that makes the hostel so attractive. The large well-appointed kitchen is a standout feature of the hostel with a centre aisle cooking and preparation station. Two cookers (one range style) provide three ovens, two grills/ovens, and nine hob rings in total. The kitchen provides ample capacity for separate groups to feed themselves concurrently and make it possible for large groups to prepare a group meal.

There are 5 toilets and 5 showers in total within the hostel. One bedroom has an en-suite toilet and shower and one has an en-suite shower only. The remaining bathroom facilities are communal and comprise one unit with WC and basin and three units with shower, WC and basin. To the rear of the building is a purpose-built drying room equipped with two washing machines and 1 tumble dryer, 4 high level pulleys, floor gulley, boot drying rack, coat racks, dehumidifier and humidistat ceiling fans. There are a number of storage cupboards on the ground floor for bed linen and towels and a private utility area accessed off the kitchen which is used to store cleaning products. The boiler room is accessed externally from the side of the building.

GUEST ACCOMMODATION
The hostel has 5 bedrooms which can accommodate up to 22 people. The rooms are presented to a high standard with tubular steel beds, comfortable mattresses, good lighting and a wash hand basin. The rooms are configured as follows:
Room 1: 1 double and 1 single - with shower
Room 2: 1 double and 3 singles
Room 3: 4 singles
Room 4: 4 singles - with WC and shower
Room 5: 6 singles

The communal showers and toilets are accessed from the reception area. All are finished to a great standard.

OWNERS' ACCOMMODATION
A very attractive feature of this sale is the owners' accommodation on the first floor comprising three double bedrooms, lounge, large kitchen/diner, family bathroom and office. The master bedroom has a separate en-suite WC and wash hand basin plus ample storage in the eaves on both sides of the room. The modern kitchen and spacious dining room present an excellent family area. The lounge is cosy, with a wood burning stove. An office is conveniently located within the owners' accommodation. There is plenty of storage throughout, both off the lounge and within the main upper hallway. The owners' accommodation has an internal access to the hostel within the hostel kitchen and an external galvanised steel fire escape stair which opens onto a balcony. With enough space for garden furniture, this spot catches the late afternoon sunshine and there are beautiful views across to the opposite bank of the River Garry.

EXTERNAL AREAS
The grounds extend to circa 0.8 of an acre. There is ample parking on site, a bike shed for guests, a garden/tool shed and a wood store. The parking is split between an area in front of the hostel and an area next to the driveway in the bottom garden, providing around 12 parking spaces in total. The grounds offer excellent amenity space and is a great place for watching the abundant wildlife in the garden.

SERVICES
Mains electricity and water with oil-fired central heating. The property has private drainage. The building is double glazed. There are 2 broadband connections, one for the business with guest Wi-Fi throughout the ground floor, and one for personal use.