Two Nights Alone in a Remote Scottish Highlands Hut Near Rannoch Station
A Guardian travel writer spent two nights alone in a small wooden hut near Rannoch station in the Scottish Highlands. She describes a hike across Rannoch Moor and how solitude went from unnerving to a luxury.
A Guardian travel writer spent two nights alone in a small wooden hut called the Star Hut, close to Rannoch railway station in the Scottish Highlands. The area is remote by most standards: a sign on the final stretch of road warns that there is no road beyond Rannoch station. By the end of the stay, the author concluded that being alone there felt like the ultimate luxury, despite her initial nervousness.
A hut by the moor
The Star Hut stands on a small slope a few hundred yards from the station, facing Rannoch Moor. It contains a double bed, two chairs, a fold-up table, a microwave and a fridge, along with maps, binoculars, a compass, a torch and a decanter of Scotch. There is no shower, and the toilet is on the station platform, which means walking past a herd of hinds at night.
Walking back from Corrour
The next morning she had breakfast in the station tearoom, then took a train one stop north to Corrour. It is the highest railway station in the UK and can be reached only by train, bike or on foot. From there she walked 11 miles back across the moor, passing Loch Ossian. The route took five hours, and she met only three people along the way.
The hut's owner, Bill, told her that he and his wife, Jenny, are two of only four permanent residents at the station, though the wider community stretches to Kinloch Rannoch, 16 miles east.
Practical details
The hut can be booked through Airbnb, with two nights from £170. The station tearoom is open from late March to late October, Saturday to Wednesday. ScotRail trains run to Rannoch from Glasgow Queen Street, and the station is also on the Caledonian Sleeper route between London Euston and Fort William.
