Blackwater Hostel and Campsite

Kinlochleven, Scotland

Blackwater Hostel and Campsite — photo 1 Blackwater Hostel and Campsite — photo 2
  • Directly on the West Highland Way
  • Remote Highland wilderness setting
  • Camping and hostel accommodation
  • Close to the Devil's Staircase
  • Outstanding mountain scenery

Camp in spectacular Highland wilderness near the Devil's Staircase.

Blackwater Hostel and Campsite is a remote accommodation base located on the West Highland Way between Glencoe and Kinlochleven. The site offers camping alongside hostel accommodation, attracting walkers, cyclists and outdoor adventurers crossing the Highlands. Surrounded by dramatic mountains and open moorland, it provides a memorable stop in one of Scotland's most scenic landscapes.

Life without a car

Car-free score: 6.5/10

A realistic car-free option, but not one of the easiest. Local buses stop nearby. Shops, restaurants and Kinlochleven are reachable on foot.

Train station
Fort William
19.5km away
Nearest town
Kinlochleven
5 min walk (0.4 km)
Local buses
Bus 44 to Kinlochleven
every ~15 min · 7am–10pm
from Kearan Road End · 3 min walk
Essentials nearby
Supermarket
5 min walk (0.4 km)
Restaurants
Available in Kinlochleven

Getting here

Nearest station
Fort William (15km)
Nearest airport
Glasgow Airport (99km)

Map

Facilities

ToiletsHot showersWiFiDrying roomKitchenCommon roomDrinking water

About the area

Blackwater has long served as an overnight stop for West Highland Way walkers tackling the route between Glencoe and Kinlochleven.

Camping is available alongside hostel accommodation. Facilities are geared towards walkers and cyclists travelling the West Highland Way.

Accommodation types

tent

Places to visit near Blackwater Hostel and Campsite

Steall Falls Filming Location
Steall Falls
Scotland's second-highest waterfall, in Glen Nevis near Fort William, forms the dramatic backdrop to the Triwizard Tournament's first challenge in Goblet of Fire, and appears in the background of Quidditch scenes across five Harry Potter films.
7km away Find out more →
Glen Etive Filming Location
Glen Etive
The single-track road through Glen Etive, off Glen Coe, is where James Bond drives Judi Dench's M north to his childhood home in the film's final act — one of the most striking Highland landscapes used in the Bond franchise.The Glen Etive Road is a spectacular, 12-mile single-track dead-end road in the Scottish Highlands. Branching off the A82 near the Glencoe Mountain Resort, it winds alongside the River Etive to the shores of Loch Etive.
11km away Find out more →
Glencoe Filming Location
Glencoe
Glencoe is one of the most dramatic and historically significant glens in the Scottish Highlands, carved by ancient glaciers and dominated by towering peaks such as the famous Three Sisters. It is also known for the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692, when members of the MacDonald clan were killed by government troops after a delayed oath of allegiance, an event that has left a lasting sense of atmosphere and history across the valley. The glen has been used extensively in film thanks to its raw, cinematic landscape. It appears in James Bond: Skyfall, where it represents Bond's ancestral Scottish home, and features in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, with sweeping Highland scenery used for travel shots around the Hogwarts journey. It also appeared in the original Highlander (1986), and Glencoe together with neighbouring Glen Nevis are confirmed filming locations for the 2026 Highlander reboot. One of the most notable filming locations in the area is Hagrid's Hut from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The exterior set was built in Glencoe on the lower slopes of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh near Clachaig Gully, overlooking Torran Lochan, using the dramatic mountainside to create the isolated, rugged feel of Hagrid's home within Hogwarts grounds. Today, visitors come to Glencoe for both scenery and history. The Glencoe Visitor Centre (National Trust for Scotland) explains the geology of the glen and the events of 1692, while walking routes such as the Lost Valley (Coire Gabhail) offer access to a hidden gorge once used by the MacDonald clan. The nearby A82 provides some of Scotland's most famous viewpoints, making Glencoe one of the most photographed and atmospheric landscapes in the country.
16km away Find out more →
Kilchurn Castle
Kilchurn Castle
Kilchurn Castle is a hauntingly beautiful ruined castle at the head of Loch Awe in Argyll, framed by mountains and water. Built by the Campbells of Glenorchy, it is one of the most photographed ruins in the Highlands.
35km away Find out more →

How to get to Blackwater Hostel and Campsite

Campsite address
Blackwater Hostel and Campsite
Kinlochleven, PH50 4SH, United Kingdom
Get directions
2 hours 10 mins by car from Glasgow Airport
From the station
Fort William
From Fort William station, walk 4 minutes to Nevis Sport, then take Bus 44 for 45 minutes to Kearan Road End, and finally walk 5 minutes to reach Blackwater Hostel and Campsite. The entire journey takes approximately 54 minutes.
From the airport
Glasgow Airport
From Glasgow Airport, take bus 976 Scottish Citylink to Tyndrum, then bus 913 to Ballachulish, followed by bus 44 to Kearan Road End, with a final 5-minute walk to reach Blackwater Hostel and Campsite. The total journey takes approximately 3 hours 46 minutes.

ℹ️ Travel directions are correct at time of publishing and regularly reviewed, but routes and timetables can change. Please double-check before travelling.

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Nearest airports
Glasgow Airport
99km awayGLA
Inverness Airport
107km awayINV
Tiree Airport
119km awayTRE
Dundee Airport
122km awayDND
Train stations
Fort William
15km away · National Rail
Banavie
17km away · National Rail
Corpach
17km away · National Rail

Book your travel

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New to travelling without a car? Read our guide →

Transport routes
Bus and ferry routes serving this campsite's nearest stop
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