A tranquil oasis of a hostel on the boundary of Nethy Bridge village

Rare and gentle Swedish Skane geese, Thorstein and Solveig, the old dog, a scattering of hens, the flotilla of large white ducks and an artist's palette of waterfowl are your welcome; David & Valery too.. The eight bed larch, pine and oak clad hostel sits quietly beside the burn and pond in these three acres. Red squirrels scuttle to and from the feeding station in the covered garden.

Visitors to the Cairngorms have been coming to us here for over thirty years and to the hostel and four tent camping ground for nearly ten.

Inside the hostel, more like a mountain hut, but colourful and snug, a double bed and two singles on the gallery upstairs and two bunks downstairs provide individually lit and partitioned bed spaces. The wood stove will warm you in the coldest of winters and the covered garden with its antler chandelier and ship's lantern provides space for your evening 'barbie' You can gather or cut your own wood for the barbie fire, collect your supplied dry wood for the woodstove and generally enjoy the elemental living style that is The Lazy Duck.

Through the gate and on to the one hundred acre grazing moor towards the Cairngorm range, a gentle footpath takes you through juniper, pine, silver birch and rowan leading to spectacular views from Bynack Mor westwards to the Monadliath Mountains and of course there are ample woodland cycle trails, forest walks and swift routes into the high places. There are also slower routes to the high and lonely places, food for the soul.

David and Valery, your hosts, have lived here for well over 30 years. On the hostel walls hang vintage pictures of some of David's earlier expeditions in Iceland, Norway and the Pyrenees and more recent evidence of his and Valery's travels in Russia, East Africa, Fiji, New Zealand, Thailand and Morocco. The sign at the door, next to David's worn out trekker sandals says simply ........ 'Traveller Welcome' – that's you because .............. this is the sort of place you thought didn't exist any more.........