The Glaramara outdoor centre is uniquely placed with fine views of mountain scenery from the front door and lounge window. It may be unfair to pigeon hole this establishment as a cross between hotel and youth hostel although an outdoor centre is always going to be somewhere in between. The current owners have started on a huge task of upgrading and improvements after decades of under investment. The dining room has had a facelift with a recent addition of a bright and tasteful window extension while the buffet breakfast is of a reasonable standard and the inclusive evening meal is mostly of restaurant quality. The self service packed lunch in the lounge after breakfast is a top idea with plenty of choice. I am unqualified to talk about the recent modern extension to the side of the building but my experience of the main house upstairs seemed to show small improvements so far, as it may be difficult to improve on the floorplan layout. Although the beds, sink and adjacent toiletry space were better than adequate, I felt that for a walking centre, there was a lack of space for the additional clothes required. The showers were of a similar standard that looked and performed well enough but there was difficulty with opening and closing the external door unless of course you enter and exit with just a towel !! ... and while I'm on that topic, I'll leave the ladies to talk about there own problems with their shower and toilet room.
Lastly, on a more positive note, the addition of a separate TV lounge and reasonably priced bar provide the guest with other distractions after a hard day in the hills.
In conclusion... classic location, great food and ... accommodation, it's not luxury but give it a bit of time and patience... and who knows.
