Sadly, things are not yet at a stage where we feel it is right to operate coach tours in September.

The holiday experience will not be at a standard that we feel will be enjoyable. I know that there are many customers that want to come on holiday, but so much of what makes a trip fun will be missing. Many of the destinations for our excursions are still closed to groups and the smaller towns and villages could not cope with coaches yet. Queuing to get into shops and cafes is normal now, and while the weather is fine that’s not a problem, but standing in the rain waiting to get into anywhere that is open will be a miserable experience. This problem is magnified by having a group of people all turning up at the same time on a coach.

There will come a time soon when we can get back to having safe, enjoyable coach holidays in a relaxed and fun environment, please bear with us while we wait for the right moment.

If you have a holiday booked in September, we will be in touch as soon as we can.

While we are waiting for things to become normal enough for coach tours, we are ready now to start a programme of self-drive breaks at our Ardgartan Hotel. We have a series of 4 night stays throughout September, all starting on a Friday and finishing on a Tuesday. The hotel will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays so you can be reassured that your bedroom was not occupied for at least two days prior to your arrival. There will be no housekeeping service in your room during your stay to further reduce the risk of contamination. Taking yourself out on day trips by car will remove the problem of lots of people being in the same place at the same time.

We are all excited at the thought of getting open again and this is a safe first step.

At a time like this, you may be rightly worried about booking a holiday with any travel company. I would like to reassure you of the financial position of Lochs and Glens Holidays.

We keep all the money that you have paid us for holidays that are yet to depart ringfenced.
We don’t treat your money like it’s ours until your holiday has departed. This is very unusual in the holiday industry but it’s the prudent thing to do.

We have a bond with the Bonded Coach Holidays that protects all the money that you pay us.
Even if something happened to us, the bond will refund any holiday money that you have paid.
You can check our membership here: http://www.bch-uk.org

We own all our hotels and our coaches outright.
Often, hotels and coaches that appear to be owned by a holiday company are leased.

We have no external debt at all.
Again, this is unusual but it’s the prudent way to operate the business. The only thing that is leased in the company is our laundry equipment and that’s only because commercial washing machines need a lot of servicing.

We have never had external investors or external shareholders.
We don’t have anyone trying to make us pay out dividends or repay loans.

For 41 years Lochs and Glens Holidays has been run as a family business with old fashioned financial values: Don’t spend what you don’t have. Always save up for a rainy day.

Never in peacetime has something so unexpected happen as is unfolding now. Our prudent approach ensures that once life starts to return to normal, we will be in a strong position to continue with our holidays to some of the world’s finest scenery.

In the meantime, please stay safe.

Neil Wells
Managing Director