as PDF

#LiveMoreYHA
Issue #04 - July 2016
Roam free
We uncover some of the world's most
unique hostels, from Australia to the USA,
but still find paradise in Cornwall
Oxford for
families
Storybooks & picnics
Off to Rio
Olympic golden girl
Helen Glover MBE
Unique
stays abroad
+ WIN a 6-person tent!
Welcome
The British summer always seems to broaden our sense of outdoor
adventure. With winter a distant memory, the mountains appear more
climbable, the beaches become more inviting and that long-distance hike
or bike ride you’ve been putting off seems that much more achievable.
It’s a time of year for doing rather than planning, and for achieving goals
rather than setting them.
This is certainly true for those athletes jetting off to Rio for the Olympics,
and it’s this global celebration that lends this issue a more international
flavour than normal. So as well as our usual features from around
England and Wales – including some great inspiration for an actionpacked YHA break in Cornwall – you’ll find an interview with Olympian
Helen Glover MBE and an overview of some of the most unusual
properties in the wider Hostelling International network.
Before the Olympics begin in August, however, early July sees the staging
of our AGM, which takes place this year in Cardiff. It’s a momentous
occasion, partly because for the first time in our history all members have
been invited to attend themselves. Our members have always been at
the very core of what we strive to achieve as an organisation, and I know
many of you will be reading this, so regardless of whether or not you
are joining us in Wales, I’d like to express my thanks for your invaluable
ongoing support.
Together we’re making a genuine difference to thousands of lives across
the country, providing young people with fresh experiences and new
opportunities for adventure. And with this in mind, here’s to a fruitful
summer ahead, whatever your plans. Happy reading.
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3
Contents
Extend your
comfort zone
Páramo keeps you drier. Páramo waterproof jackets
manage moisture much better than conventional raingear.
Páramo use the Nikwax Analogy waterproof
system. It breathes up to twice as well as
membrane based systems. In addition,
Páramo waterproofs are directional and
push condensation away from your body.
06 Stepping Out: News, views and
inspiration
28 How to... tie a bowline,
stay hydrated & more
®
The result is unrivalled comfort when you’re working hard
in wild conditions.
So it’s not surprising that outdoor people choose Páramo.
To find out more visit: paramo.co.uk
12
We chat with Olympic champion
Helen Glover MBE
30 Gear: the best new kit for
16
Take the kids on a family
weekend to Oxford
32 Hostel guide: plan your next
exploring the great outdoors
adventure
20 The world's most unique and
38 Pictures from your adventures
24 A surfing and hiking break
39 COMPETITION: Your chance to win
unusual hostels
in Cornwall
and #LiveMoreYHA tweets
a 6-man Airgo tent
5
Stepping Out: Stamps
Stepping Out: Stamps
Making a mark
For almost 80 years, collecting stamps at hostels has been part
of the YHA experience. Here we look at some old classics and
modern designs.
The beautiful old 1939 membership card
reproduced here would have held plenty
of examples of one of YHA’s most enduring
features: our hostel stamps.
Yes, they date back that far. From 1939,
stamps were fairly basic, but became
increasingly elaborate in the 1960s and 1970s.
Some, such as the Llanberis stamp, depict
the area’s surrounding landscape.
Others, such as Westerdale Hall’s, show the
hostel itself. And others – well, they seem
to depend on the whim of the designer.
Helmsley, for no discernible reason, has a
hedgehog on a penny farthing (answers on a
postcard?).
For John Martin, YHA’s volunteer archivist,
the stamps hold much more than mere
administrative value. “They were certainly a
6
talking point, a way of breaking the ice in the
hostel,” he says.
“When you look at the old cards, the stamps
provide an instant recognition of the pleasure
of a holiday – they store up memories of
the individuality of every hostel, of different
locations, people, wardens and experiences.
They’re just a great way of pressing the
button in your mind and getting a response
from that moment in time.”
Today our hostels still have stamps that
can be collected in the YHA Membership
Passports (members can request one if
they haven't got one). Some feature great
designs: just look at the stamps for YHA
Littlehampton, YHA Haworth and YHA South
Downs. And who wouldn’t want to go to
YHA Treyarnon Bay after seeing that stamp?
Don’t forget to ask for yours.
7
Stepping Out: Green YHA
Stepping Out: Volunteering
Welsh hostels
show eco
credentials
Two of our green properties in Wales receive
international recognition. Words: Andy Rimmer
YHA Idwal and YHA Port Eynon may be
at opposite ends of Wales but they have
recently raised the bar for accommodation
all over the country by gaining
international environmental accreditation.
Based in North Wales, nestled beneath the
Glyder mountains with views of the Nant
Ffrancon Valley, YHA Idwal is YHA’s oldest
location in Wales. Having now become
one of the first Youth Hostels in Wales to
achieve Green Key status, the former quarry
manager’s residence is a wonderful site from
which to base your adventures. Meanwhile,
South Gower’s former lifeboat station YHA
Port Eynon faces a stunning award-winning
beach which has just retained its Blue Flag
status. The hostel grants spectacular views
of the Gower Peninsula.
YHA takes its interaction with the
environment seriously, so we’re extremely
pleased to be recognised for these awards.
What’s more, they fit in perfectly with our
YHA Green Spirit Plan for achieving
environmental improvements over the next
three years. And the award simply wouldn’t
be possible without the dedicated and
passionate teams at the
hostels themselves. So what
exactly is Green Key status, we
hear you ask? It’s an international FEE
(Federation of Environmental Education)
programme run in Wales by the
environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy,
who also run the prestigious Blue Flag
Beach awards.
Following a very successful pilot scheme last
year, the Green Key scheme is now being
offered right across Wales. The programme
allows tourism businesses to celebrate the
positive environmental changes they’re
implementing and market themselves to an
audience that is increasingly aware of their
green responsibilities.
YHA Green
SPIRIT Plan
Our manifesto for
the future
YHA's 2015-2018 Green SPIRIT Plan
sets out the environmental goals
we want to reach as an organisation
over the next three years. SPIRIT
stands for Sustainability, Passion,
Innovation, Responsibility, Inclusivity
and Trust, and the self-imposed
guidelines we’ve abided by have
already helped us to save hundreds
of tons of CO2.
Using renewable technology such
as biomass heating, solar power and
LED lighting, we remain committed
to reducing our environmental
impact wherever possible and
measuring our carbon production.
Between now and 2018 we want
to further reduce our electricity
and gas usage, as well as working
towards more green accreditations.
We hope we’ll be sharing plenty
more good news in years to come.
Network Rail
dig deep
for YHA
Volunteers give hostel grounds new look
Fifty Network Rail workers transformed the grounds
of YHA Stratford-upon-Avon in June, as part of the
company’s volunteer scheme. The employees donned
hard hats and – with the aid of spades, wheelbarrows
and the occasional cup of tea – completed more than
£10,000 worth of landscaping and gardening for the
hostel in a single day. And all for free.
The work included transforming a disused area of the
car park into the New Shakespeare’s Amphitheatre.
Stephen Dodgson, manager of YHA Stratford-uponAvon, said: “I am overwhelmed at what has been
achieved. The work has made a huge difference – the
new amphitheatre looks amazing and I can’t wait to see
it put to use by the school groups that stay with us.”
Lesley Jones, Chief Executive for Keep Wales
Tidy, says: “The Green Key and
Blue Flag awards have environmental
excellence at their core. YHA have done a
great deal of work to educate their guests
on the importance of environmental
sustainability so it is great to see this
recognised and applauded with these Green
Key awards.”
Interesting in your company doing something
similar? Find out more at yha.org.uk/volunteering
YHA Langdon Beck
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9
Stepping Out: Furry friends
Stepping Out: Cycling
Ride like an
Olympian
It's a
dog's life
Cycle the same track used by Laura Trott,
Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins on an hourlong taster session at Lee Valley VeloPark
Get those tails wagging. We know that for
many of you, a countryside stay without
your dog just isn’t the same, so we’ve had a
rethink. As of mid-June this year, dogs are now
welcome to stay in YHA campsites, bell tents,
tipis, camping pods, cabins and huts, with the
sole exception of those at YHA New Forest.
“It’s all about positive pedalling,” says Rob,
the head coach at Lee Valley VeloPark’s
indoor track, as I gape awestruck at the tight
pine bends of the indoor circuit. This is the
venue in which, four years ago, Team GB’s
Olympic and Paralympic cyclists won 24
medals amid deafening spectator noise.
So, if you’ve got a mountain-climbing mastiff
or beach-running beagle that might enjoy a
break away, England and Wales are now yours
to explore.
Legends were forged here, records broken,
and now I’m wobbling onto the boards
myself, trying not to be intimidated by the
lightweight fixed-wheel bike I’m on. It has no
brakes and no gears. Oh, and the bends on
the track are 42 degrees at their steepest.
Doddle, right?
A party fit
for royalty
Incredibly – to me, at least – I’m clocking up
multiple laps just ten minutes later. I’m hardly
going like greased lightning (I work out later
that sprint champ Jason Kenny’s lap times
are less than half mine), but I’m giving it
everything. It’s exhausting but exhilarating.
Pumping down the straights and feeling the
air rush past as the bike swings round the
high curves is a proper, lung-bursting thrill.
And for this hour at least, I can fantasise that
there’s a crowd going wild...
YHA Lee Valley sits just half an hour by
direct train from Stratford, where the
Olympic Park is located.
www.visitleevalley.org.uk/velopark
YHA team meet Her Majesty the Queen
YHA could have stood for “Your Highness
Awaits” in mid-June, when ten of our young
volunteers and employees were among the
lucky guests at the Queen’s iconic Patron’s
Lunch. All ten had been nominated by their
fellow employees to attend the ticket-only
party on The Mall, which was held in honour
of Her Majesty’s 90th birthday. The Queen has
been a patron of YHA since 1959.
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This year also marks the
Diamond Anniversary of
the Duke of Edinburgh’s
Award, which has impacted
the lives of millions of children
worldwide. Read more about
the work the Award does in
the next issue.
11
Celebrity Q&A
Helen Glover
In 2012, Helen Glover MBE helped win Team GB’s first gold medal
at the London Olympics, taking victory in the women’s coxless
pairs. Fast forward four years and she’s now also a triple European
champion, a triple World champion and a quintuple World Cup
champion. Unsurprisingly, she’s also the number one ranked
female rower in the world. She took time out from her training
to talk exclusively to #LiveMoreYHA about preparing for Rio,
growing up in Cornwall and where she draws her inspiration.
You and Heather Stanning are looking to
retain Olympic gold in Rio. How are you
feeling going into the Games, and how
important is it that you’ve stayed together?
We’re both looking forward to racing. Both
Heather and I always want to row in the
fastest pair, no matter who we might be with,
so we feel really fortunate that the two of us
together are also the top combination. We
love rowing and training together and
feel very lucky to be so close in such a
competitive environment.
All those early-morning training sessions
must take huge commitment. What keeps
you going?
Knowing that our competitors all over the world
are doing exactly the same thing. We know we
can’t afford to slacken off as there is always a
team targeting that top spot.
You were born in Truro. As a Cornish girl,
what do you remember about your first
outdoor adventures?
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Growing up, my family and I led a very
outdoorsy lifestyle. No matter what the weather,
even when we were toddlers my parents would
pack a picnic and we would go for long walks
on the beach along with my two brothers and
two sisters. When we got older, my brothers and
I would get a map and go and get lost on daylong bike rides across the fields.
Outside of your home county, which is your
favourite part of England and Wales?
I went to university in Wales and tried to visit the
Brecon Beacons when I could. They’re stunning.
And I really want to go and explore more of the
British coastline, as I grew up loving the sea.
You got engaged to TV presenter Steve
Backshall last year in Namibia. He’s known
for his extreme mountain exploits – ever
tempted to join him on a challenge?
I haven’t yet had a chance! We have to virtually
wrap ourselves in cotton wool as the Olympics
approaches so we don't get any injuries,
although we have done some climbing together.
“
“
Stepping Out: Celebrity
I really look
forward to being
able to spend
more time
walking. I can't
wait to get a dog!
Summer
camps
My favourite place has been at Land’s End in
Cornwall. In the future I’m hoping to join him on
a kayaking or climbing expedition.
to me before London 2012 telling me that no
matter what the result, both my parents would
be bursting with pride.
You spend a lot of the year competing
overseas. What do you miss most about the
UK when you're away?
Being away from home is hard. Steve and I live
by the river in Berkshire and I adore summer
evenings, having a barbecue in the garden. I
really love the English countryside, so once I've
finished rowing and feel I have more energy I
really look forward to being able to spend more
time walking. I can't wait to get a dog!
Finally, what's the single most important
piece of advice you've been given?
As a young athlete – I was a middle distance
runner – my coach wrote 'carpe diem' in my
birthday card, and I think 'seize the day' is great
advice no matter what it is you are trying to
achieve.
The flight time to Brazil is almost 12 hours.
If you could choose anyone in the world
to sit next to, who would offer the most
inspiration?
Probably my dad! With my parents in Cornwall
I only get to see them once or twice a year. He’s
always been a massive inspiration and I feel
that we share a very similar idea about sport.
He knows how I am going to feel about my
performances even before I speak to him. One
of my treasured possessions is a letter he wrote
Helen celebrates gold in 2012
with Heather Stanning
13
Stepping Out: Hostellers’ Q&A
Stepping Out: Hostellers’ Q&A
We spoke to three outdoor
enthusiasts to get their thoughts on
dorms, dinners and day-walks
Derek Hickman
'Born Again Hosteller'
Luke Bamforth
Bel Clarke
Staff member at YHA
Youlgreave
Nine-year-old
adventurer
Want to appear here in the next issue? Email
your interest to [email protected]
Coast – but I have just come back from YHA Port
Eynon where I walked the coastal path to Rhossili.
It has to be countryside, but coast comes a
close second.
I like staying near the coast because it is easy to
go straight out to play in the sea! I like to build
dams and play in the sand with my brother, Sam.
Favourite hostel?
YHA Wilderhope Manor – checked in recently and was
asked, “Have you stayed here before?” I replied, "yes, but
not for forty years!" Go outside, the stars are beautiful!
YHA Ilam Hall. I made some really good friends
there. And hey, it’s a gothic manor house – what’s
not to love? I’m a dedicated horror film fan.
YHA Boggle Hole, because there are great
treasure hunts to do, a lovely playroom just for
kids and fossils to find on the beach.
Earliest YHA memory?
Cutting my hand open on a can of corned beef when I
was 14 at YHA Windermere. The Warden told me off for
“bleeding in the Members’ Kitchen!”
My first ever YHA fried egg,
90s-style, on a school trip to visit
Hadrian’s Wall.
I went to stay at YHA Slaidburn for my cousin's
birthday. We had a whole corridor to ourselves
and we had a midnight feast of chocolate.
Luxembourg. Beautiful country. I stayed in a hostel
there once and completely baffled the Warden by
asking to be assigned ‘duties’ in the morning!
I really want to go to Canada. I’ve spent a
fair bit of time overseas, but have never made
it there.
I would love to go to Rio in Brazil to see the
Olympics and also to see what they make for
breakfast there.
One that my son and I cook together after a good day
out. Duck at YHA National Forest after a day at the
National Memorial Arboretum was superb.
For me it would be the classic bangers and mash,
probably followed by a nice peach crumble,
without oats in the topping. Sorry oat-lovers!
At the coast I would have mussels with garlic
butter and crusty bread. In the city I would
have ham and pineapple pizza with chips.
Your son or daughter. We need to introduce YHA
values to young people or they will be lost.
A bottle of golden syrup, especially if I’m camping…
it makes even the worse porridge edible. Maybe I
just need to get better at making porridge!
If you are planning to go crabbing, some
bacon (crabs just love bacon!) and a sturdy
bucket are really important.
Anything by the Bronte Sisters – YHA Haworth:
believe me, it rained, but the local Tourist Information
Office sells classics for £2.00!
Some type of historic fiction by Simon Scarrow
or Bernard Cornwell. I only read Joseph
Conrad on sunny days.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
would be my choice. I know it really well but it
always makes me feel magical.
The summit of Snowdon. YHA Llanberis is very
comfortable. Combine it with a visit to Dinorwig’s
‘Electric Mountain’ and a look at the Slate Museum.
Lathkill Dale is one of my favourite parts
of the country, so I’d have to say that. The
mix of terrains as you walk further up the
river is amazing.
Boggle Hole to Robin Hood's Bay and back
is a brilliant walk. My favourite part is walking
along the cliffs and looking down to the beach
and the sea.
Countryside, city or coast?
Ideal overseas destination?
Perfect hostel dinner?
An item to pack?
A book for a rainy day?
Favourite day-walk?
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15
Feature: Oxford
Feature:
Feature: Oxford
The Story Museum
Oxford has always been a city of storytellers,
as Ben Lerwill finds out on a weekend hostel break
with his two young kids.
Six-year-old boys, I’ve learned, hold a fairly
ambivalent view on museum exhibits.
Anything involving trains or dinosaurs gets
the thumbs-up, whereas, let’s say, in-depth
geology tends not to generate much
enthusiasm. But a cosy indoor shed containing
hundreds of old copies of the Dandy and
Beano? “Daddy! Look! Dennis the Menace!”
goes up the cry. “Can I stay in here all day?”
We’re in Oxford’s new Story Museum, and it’s
going down a storm. Open since mid-2014
16
in a one-time telephone exchange, it’s exactly
what you’d hope it to be: creaky, quirky and
full of the giddy magic of children’s tales. The
comic shed is a mere bit-part player. There’s
a dressing-up room, an illustrator zoo, an
enormous storytelling bed – big enough, at a
modest estimate, for two dozen rapt listeners
– and even an “extreme reading room”, where
bookworms young and old can curl up in a
boat, armchair or cage.
The museum, of course, finds a natural home
in Oxford. On arrival, our two kids had crawled
onto the aforementioned bed to hear a
reading of Alice In Wonderland, not 50 metres
away from Christ Church, the college where
Lewis Carroll spent most of his adult life. JRR
Tolkien, CS Lewis and Philip Pullman all wrote
their most famous works in Oxford too. The
city also happens to be dotted with Harry
“
“
Oxford's
uni-versal
appeal
"It’s exactly what you’d
hope: creaky, quirky and
full of the giddy magic of
children’s tales
Potter filming locations. Overall, that’s some
pedigree.
A family weekend in Oxford has other obvious
inclusions. Two of the best are the Norman castle,
with its bulky medieval battlements, and the city’s
other great kid-friendly museum, the Pitt Rivers.
Entered via a door at the back of the Museum of
Natural History – itself a place of T-Rex bones and
dodo remains – it’s a glorious half-lit warren of
treasure-packed old display cases. Ever wanted
to see a collection of actual shrunken heads?
You’re in the right place. They even hand out
torches to young explorers.
Another near-compulsory stop is the Covered
Market. Standing since 1774, its aisles are still
full of independent vendors, many of them
selling food and drink. We call in for picnic
provisions, with the obligatory stop at the
Four more ideas
for family fun
close to Oxford
• Explore the giant maze at
Blenheim Palace
• Get up close to giraffes at
Cotswold Wildlife Park
• Pick your own fruit at
Millets Farm Centre
• Hire bikes and cycle the
Thames Path
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Feature: Oxford
Feature: Oxford
original Ben’s Cookies, a local outlet now
franchised out worldwide. “Mummy, do you
think they have a cookie even more chocolatey
than ‘double chocolate’?” comes the question.
“Cos if they do, please can I have that one?”
From here it’s a few minutes’ stroll to Christ
Church Meadow (the exact duration of the
walk, I can add, being dependent on the given
mood of any three-year-olds in the party), with
its riverside walks, wildflowers and long-horned
cattle. Surely, we decide, no other UK city has
such a large tract of wilderness quite so close
to its centre.
are no less wowed by the size of Blackwell’s
bookstore on Broad Street, where a modestly
sized shopfront famously conceals a colossal
underground gallery of reading material.
The three-year-old keeps excitedly picking up
books from the shelves and pressing them into
our hands. Oxford has got to her. And around us,
the shop is as busy as I can remember seeing
a bookstore. But in the city that created worlds
like Middle Earth, Wonderland and Narnia, what
would you expect?
Six great Oxford reads
for grown-ups
We eat our rolls and watch the punts dodging
the ducks and the ducks dodging the punts. It’s
Brighton is ideal for families
Five other great family
friendly destinations
YHA Hartington Hall:
A Peak District manor house
with pets’ area, games room
and a playground.
said that the Oxfordshire outdoors helped inspire
Kenneth Grahame’s Wind In The Willows, and it’s
not hard to see why. The writer himself, we later
learn, is buried in Holywell Cemetery, less than a
mile from where we’re sitting.
The next day, a climb up Carfax Tower – all
that remains of a 12th century church, and
still the tallest building in the heart of the
city – has the six-year-old counting the steps
(“Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-niiiine!”) then
falling uncharacteristically quiet at the sight of
the ranks of college spires. And the two kids
YHA Brighton:
A lively arts scene, seaside
fun and fish and chips –
what more do you need?
YHA Ingleton:
A great Yorkshire Dales
base with a famous waterfall
walk.
YHA Penzance:
A 15-minute stroll from the
seafront, complete with
tents and private rooms.
Brideshead Revisited:
The city fills Evelyn Waugh’s classic tale of
starry-eyed youth.
Jude The Obscure:
Thomas Hardy is said to have penned the
novel in The Lamb & Flag pub.
His Dark Materials:
All ages can enjoy Philip Pullman’s imperious
trilogy, imagining an alternative Oxford.
Last Bus To Woodstock:
The first of Colin Dexter’s hugely popular
Inspector Morse books.
The Hobbit:
You’re never too old for Bilbo’s exploits.
Tolkien wrote at 20 Northmoor Road.
Isolarion:
James Attlee’s modern Oxford travelogue
focuses on multicultural Cowley Road.
YHA St Briavels Castle:
How often do kids get
the chance to sleep in an
800-year-old castle?
Christ Church Meadow
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19
Feature: International
Feature: International
The weird and
wonderful world
of overseas hostels
The Hostelling International
network is a vast one, providing
budget travellers with thousands of
different accommodation options
across the globe. Here are eight of the
most unique and unusual.
Point Montara Lighthouse, USA
Sitting on the Pacific coastline some
25 miles south of San Francisco, Point
Montara Lighthouse these days plays
home to one of the highest-rated
HI hostels in the world. It’s great for
serious surfers – the famous Mavericks
break is close by – and hiking and
horseback riding are further options.
Perks include movie nights and an
outdoor BBQ area.
20
Youth Hostel Tresor, Slovenia
Set in a turn-of-the-century bank in the
heart of Slovenia’s lovable capital city,
the building has been transformed
into a colourful, lively hostel with 28
different rooms, all of them named after
world currencies. Dorms are located
in the basement, occupying what was
once the bank vault. Overall, a great
base for exploring the sights and
sounds of Ljubljana.
JumboStay Arlanda Hotel, Sweden
An airport hostel with a difference,
this renovated Boeing 747 jumbo jet
comes equipped with dorms, private
rooms and a café-bar – there’s even
conference space on the upper flight
deck. For a special occasion, book the
double bed ensuite cockpit. The plane
is based near Stockholm’s Arlanda
Airport, and there’s a free shuttle bus to
the check-in terminal.
Magnetic Island YHA, Australia
Locations don’t get much more idyllic
than Australia’s Magnetic Island,
20 square miles of mountains and
beaches on the Great Barrier Reef. The
hostel itself fits right in with the tropical
vibe, with hammocks, an open-air bar
and private A-frame lodges. There’s
even the chance to meet the local
wildlife by booking a ticket for the
hostel’s Koala Experience.
Kadir's Yörük Top Tree House, Turkey
Well situated for enjoying Olympos
beach on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast,
this relaxed hostel has made a name
for itself in backpacker circles thanks to
its quirky tree-house accommodation
and laid-back nightlife. Dorms are on
offer too. There are ancient ruins nearby,
and the surrounding area also gives
options for everything from kayaking and
rock-climbing to mountain biking and
whitewater rafting.
HI Ottawa Jail, Canada
Occupying what was once Carleton
County Gaol, this Canadian hostel still
boasts some of its original architecture.
Those so inclined can even spend the
night in authentic jail cells. There are
free tours of the building every day at
11am, and ghost-hunters might enjoy
the fact that it’s considered one of
Canada’s most haunted sites. It has a
good downtown location.
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Feature: International
The Inside View
Hostel aficionado Katie Dawes
(@thehostelgirl) shares her thoughts
Stayokay Heemskerk, Netherlands
What are the rewards of
hostelling overseas?
I think the greatest reward of hostelling
overseas is that you become part of the
small international community of each
hostel. Not only do you get to experience
new cultures by travelling, but also
through the conversations you have with
new friends made in each hostel!
Where's next on your travel wish-list?
My number one travel wish-list item has
to be Burg Altena hostel in Germany.
Not only is the hostel in a castle, but it
was here that the history of the YHA and
HI all began! As a huge hostel geek and
a particular fan of the father of youth
hostelling, Richard Schirrmann, this
would be my dream hostel stay.
How about closer to home?
I really love YHA Bath. The history and
architecture of the building, tucked
away in such a beautiful and calm
natural setting high up on the hills
overlooking Bath makes the whole
experience so peaceful!
22
Fancy feeling like royalty without
paying over the odds? This 13th-century
castle in the Dutch town of Heemskerk
(northwest of Amsterdam) lets you do
just that. This extraordinary hostel has
162 beds spread over the orangery and
the castle itself, and there’s a turret bar
for those travellers who fancy enjoying a
beer or two in medieval surrounds.
Af Chapman boat, Sweden
Water is everywhere you look in
Stockholm – it’s part of an archipelago
of 30,000 islands, after all – so it makes
perfect sense to stay on a boat. And
what a boat. The vessel itself is a fullrigged steel ship built in the 1880s,
and circumnavigated the world several
times before being permanently
docked in the Swedish capital. It’s close
to the Old Town.
Remember: as a YHA member you
automatically become a member of
Hostelling International and get up to
10% off overnight stays globally.
Feature: Cornwall
Feature: Cornwall
"Really rewarding!"
Surf's up
Ever fancied volunteering? Sally
Nutland (left) spent a week doing just
that with Hannah Marsland (right) at
the recently refurbished YHA Tintagel,
on Cornwall’s north coast.
At the western extremity of mainland
Britain, Cornwall’s stunning Penwith
Peninsula is ideal for a multi-hostel
break of coastal hikes and catching
waves. Niko Cionek discovers more.
With Sam, surf tuition comes quick, fast
and colourful. I’m a novice, but he’s got me
catching waves and standing up within an
hour of us reaching the beach. I’m stunned.
“Yeah! You’re tearing it up!” he shouts, when
I first wobble to my feet. I’m not likely to be
turning pro anytime soon – unless there’s
a contract for repeatedly wiping out and
swallowing seawater – but, wow, I can see
how surfing becomes addictive.
I end up spending hours splashing around in
the swell. When I’m not trying to ride waves,
I’m gazing back at the hills and losing track
of time. After all, escaping the everyday
grind is what Cornwall is all about. I’m down
here for a mini-break at two different hostels,
24
YHA Penzance and YHA Land’s End, both of
which are excellently placed for enjoying the
county’s easy-going charms.
Penzance is my starting point. I hire a bike
(penzancebikehire.co.uk) and pass my first
full day buzzing around on two wheels. I
take a long dip in the newly reopened Art
Deco lido, the UK’s largest seawater pool, call
in at the Penlee House Gallery and devour
an unfeasibly good crab sandwich at the
Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar in nearby Newlyn.
“
I gaze back at the hills
and lose track of time.
After all, escaping the
everyday grind is what
Cornwall is all about
“
“Surfing is about being yourself,” says Sam
Smart, former runner-up at the British Surf
Nationals and one of the instructors at
Cornwall’s Smart Surf School. It’s a sunny
morning, and we’re watching the waves roll
onto the broad, near-empty sands of Sennen
Cove. “It’s about looking back at the world
with all its imperfections and saying ‘screw
you – this is my time’.” He picks up his board
and laughs.“The best surfers are the ones
with the biggest smiles.”
What was the experience like?
Surprising, inspiring and really rewarding!
This was my first time as a Volunteer
Manager and it more than surpassed my
expectations. It’s a hostel for adventurers and
we met so many different people, from firsttime hostellers delighted by their discovery
to veteran explorers of the South West
Coast Path. Beyond the check-ins, shower
cleans, and pride in a job well done, the real
pay-off was being a part of people’s journeys,
holidays and happy experiences.
In the afternoon I cycle out to the Minack
Theatre – the open-air playhouse created
on a cliff side in the 1930s – to watch a
performance of As You Like It. The 90-minute
ride is a hilly one, but the scenic rewards
are huge. I can also vouch for the fact that
when you’ve got a curving Atlantic bay
as a backdrop, you don’t mind when the
occasional renaissance-era pun goes over
your head.
continues overleaf
What makes it a special hostel?
Location, location, location! The sea
view and sunsets have to be seen to be
believed and you’re right on the coast
path. The proximity to the town is perfect.
It feels secluded and quiet at the hostel,
yet it’s only a ten minute walk to pubs,
cafes and shops. The refurbishment has
been cleverly executed too. The main
space is a great place to mix and mingle.
yha.org.uk/volunteering
The view from YHA Perranporth
25
Feature: Cornwall
Refuelled by pizza, sleep and a cooked breakfast
at the hostel, I catch a bus out to Sennen Cove
the next day (the double-deckers are open-topped
from late May to mid-September, so represent
a few quid well spent). It’s here I meet Sam and
take my first steps into the world of wetsuits
and breakers. Surfing’s been on my wish list for
years, and Sennen Cove is a great place to start:
the sands are clean, the headlands are lush, and
looking out from the beach it’s next stop America.
Another great thing about the location is that
it’s a short distance from YHA Land’s End
(ninety minutes along the coastal path, or fifteen
minutes on the bus). It was my first time at the
hostel, so sitting in its garden and watching the
sun set over the valley and ocean was
some introduction.
A wise man once said that if you find yourself
staying at a property on the South West
Coastal Path, you’d be a fool not to get your
walking boots on. I stride out the next morning,
back towards Penzance. It’s a fine day, and
the coastline snakes off to the distance in
rumpled granite folds. Cornish choughs swoop,
sparrowhawks hover, waves crash. I’m the
happiest man in the West Country.
The walk itself can be as long as desired. From
the hostel, short-distance hikers can stop at
Sennen Cove or Land’s End itself, while travellers
with trekking stamina can push on to Lamorna,
Mousehole or even Penzance itself. All have
bus connections. I settle for a midway point, the
glorious beach at Porthcurno, where after five
hours of sublime coastal walking I’m met by
the sight of a dolphin pod frolicking offshore. A
perfect moment? That’s Cornwall all over.
Smart Surf School 01736 871817
sennensurfschool.com
26
How to: Keep kids happy
How to: Drink well
H Wto...
The bowline is known as the King
of Knots, and being easy to tie and
easy to undo, it’s an essential knot for
the outdoors. It also has the benefit
of forming a secure loop. The knot,
however, is susceptible to being mis-tied.
Skills for outdoor living
… keep the kids amused
on a walk
How many times have you suggested going
for a walk, only to be met by moans and
groans and feeble excuses? It doesn’t have
to be like that…
A walk can be an action-packed adventure,
a journey of discovery, an escape into the
imagination or a thrilling challenge. If you’re
willing to be flexible and prepared to play
along, you may be surprised by just how far
children can walk and how much fun the
whole family can have along the way. Going
Wild’s Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks offer their
top tips on enjoying a walk with your kids.
1. Never say you are going for a walk – entice
them out with an exciting adventure or
activity. Go on a bear hunt, a bug hunt, or
build a den (see our new book The Den Book
or www.goingwild.net for ideas!)
2. Dress for the weather and take plenty of
snacks – with the right kit you can have fun
whatever the weather!
3. Be flexible – do what the children want,
even let them lead. Go for a shorter walk if
they get engrossed in a particular activity or
move on if they get bored!
4. Let them get dirty! Put them in old clothes
28
… stay hydrated
...tie a bowline
and carry a spare pair, let them really get stuck
in. Remember, puddles are for jumping in!
5. Use your imagination - look for magical
creatures camouflaged in the undergrowth,
jump on a magic carpet and fly through the
woods, or forage for blackberries that give
energy or magic powers…
6. Add an element of competition. Who can
find the most different insects, who can run up
the hill fastest or fire an arrow the furthest….?
7. Encourage them to bring a friend – it’s
much more fun with friends! Or you could
borrow a dog, or even pretend to be horses
and make an obstacle course…
8. Make it more of a challenge – climb a steep hill
rather than a flat boring footpath, and clamber
over logs rather than take the easy path.
Remember being taught something
about rabbits, holes and a tree? It’s that
one, and using these images still comes
in handy. So how is it done? OK…
1. The top end in the photograph
is the standing end, the ‘tree’.
Make a loop as shown.
2.The loose end (the ‘rabbit’)
comes up through the hole.
3.The loose end (the ‘rabbit’) goes
around the tree and back down the hole.
4.Pull the knot tight.
1.
• For more ideas of practical things you
can do while walking, find more books at
goingwild.net Facebook: GoingWild,
Twitter: @goingwildnet.
The Den Book by Fiona Danks
and Jo Schofield, published
by Frances Lincoln, £12.99
flexibound paperback
2.
3.
4.
Drink water right! Well yes, but it’s more
complicated than that if you’re out walking all
day. If someone is flagging, it’s very often mild
dehydration that’s causing it. The next step
can be exhaustion. Early signs of dehydration
include dizziness, headache, fatigue, nausea
and muscle cramps. Everyone is different,
but here are a few general tips on staying
hydrated.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Don’t wait until you’re parched –
it’s already too late.
Drink moderate amounts regularly and
ensure everyone in your group is
drinking too.
Hydrate yourself in the morning by
drinking half a litre.
For most people a litre of water should be
enough for a day, but take climate, terrain
and your own personal needs into
account. Use a filtration bottle such as
Water-to-Go to fill up at a stream without
worrying too much about the contents.
Avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee
or cola.
Be aware too that tea and coffee have
diuretic properties, meaning you’ll need to
wee more - and therefore drink more.
Eat potassium-rich food while drinking
such as banana and citrus fruits.
Don’t overeat processed or salty foods,
some shop-bought trail mixes are best
avoided too.
Glucose and sodium chloride help
replace salt lost through sweating.
Isotonic drinks help, but squash and a
little salt will too.
29
Gear: Cool stuff
30
Gear: Cool stuff
Hydroflask 32 oz Wide Mouth
A large-volume outdoor bottle with a
vacuum insulation system that keeps
drinks icy for up to 24 hours or hot for up
to six. It carries almost a litre, so it’s great
for beach trips and picnics. Suits water,
coffee, beer and more. hydroflask.com
OEX Ultra Lite Camping Chair
Weighing just 1.2 kg and packing down
to 30cm x 11cm, this a piece of kit with
seriously impressive stats. Stuff it in your
bag for festivals, days out and camping trips.
It’s simple to put up – and pretty sturdy too.
gooutdoors.co.uk
Páramo Ciclo Jacket
This new waterproof jacket from Páramo
is designed expressly for cycling – there’s
a drop tail, long arms and back pocket
– but it’s a very versatile jacket that uses
the eco-friendly Nikwax Analogy Light
waterproof fabric. paramo-clothing.com
Aku MIO GTX
The MIO GTX, from Italian shoemakers
Aku, can be used for a variety of activities.
The shoes are pretty lightweight and
have a Gore-Tex waterproof lining. Most
importantly, they're very comfortable.
aku.it/en
OEX X-Lite Trigger Walking Poles
Lightweight and well-priced aluminium
walking poles that feel pleasingly robust
in the hand. They’re tungsten-tipped and
have EVA Comfort Handles. The poles
weigh just 288 grams each. A good buy.
gooutdoors.co.uk
Osprey Ultra-light Dry Sacks
A practical way of keeping the gear
in your rucksack a) bone-dry and b)
organised. With a few of these roll-top
sacks and you’ll never worry about
pulling out your pants on a mountaintop
again. ospreyeurope.com
Suunto Traverse
The Traverse is a GPS watch designed
for hillwalking and trekking. It has an
astonishing range of features, the most
useful of them being GPS, a barometric
pressure gauge and a compass. Oh – it
also tells the time. suunto.com
Lifesystems Light & Dry Nano First Aid Kit
A first aid kit is an essential for any outdoor
activity. This tiny package from Lifesystems
includes all the essentials for one person,
including sterile dressings, swabs, plasters,
bandage, safety pins and a care leaflet.
lifesystems.co.uk
31
Byrness
Carlisle
Edmundbyers
Caldbeck
Ninebanks
Alston
Durham
Keswick
Skiddaw
Dufton
Borrowdale
Langdon Beck
Helvellyn
Patterdale
Grasmere
Langdale
Ambleside
Windermere
Hawes
Black Sail
Honister Hause
Wasdale Hall
Eskdale
Coniston Coppermines
Coniston Holly How
Hawkshead
Map Key
YHA Youth Hostel
North
East
Bellingham
Osmotherley
Grinton Lodge
Helmsley
Chipping
*
Trawden
Malham
Earby
Haworth
North
West
National Parks
Liverpool
Conwy
Rowen
Idwal Cottage
Betws-y-Coed
Snowdon Llanberis
Snowdon Ranger
Snowdon Bryn Gwynant
Snowdon Pen-y-Pass
Yorkshire
Kettlewell
Slaidburn
Mankinholes
Manchester
Edale Barn
Edale
Ravenstor
Underbank
Nab End
Sheen
Wills
Waterslacks
York
Leeds Carnegie Village
Leeds Kirkstall Brewery
Leeds Opal
Hathersage
Woody’s Top
Eyam
Taddington
Sherwood Forest
Youlgreave
Hartington Hall
Wales
Poppit Sands
Newport
Pwll Deri
Leominster
Dolgoch
Tyncornel
East of
England
Wilderhope Manor
Clun Mill
Heart of
England
Kington
Cambridge
Blaxhall
Stratfordupon-Avon
Llanddeusant
Wye Valley
Brecon Beacons
Danywenallt
Manorbier
Rhossili
Gower
Swansea
Llangattock
Bristol
Exmoor Pinkery
Cheddar
Exford
Northcombe
Land’s End
Beer
Treyarnon Bay
Dartmoor
Great Hound Tor
Portland
Eden Project
Earl’s Court
St Pauls
Medway
Tanners Hatch
Holmbury
Puttenham
London
Canterbury
Truleigh Hill
Littlehampton
South Downs
New Forest
Brighton
Lulworth
Litton Cheney
London Lee Valley
Oxford St
St Pancras
Thameside
Swanage
Totland
Isle of Wight
Cowes UKSA
Brighstone
Eastbourne
The Island
Of Jersey
Jersey-Durrell
Wildlife Hostel
Boswinger
Coverack
Lizard
*
To book:
32
Visit yha.org.uk or call
01629 592 700
*Whilst YHA does not own or operate this facility, we are proud to be affiliated with it, endorsing the service standards and quality. Facilities do vary. Check yha.org.uk for further details.
ne
Portreath
Penzance
South
West
Okehampton
Mor Lodge
Perranporth
Cholderton
Street
Okehampton Bracken Tor
Tintagel
London
Central
Jordans
South
East
Bath
Minehead
Elmscott
Boscastle
Harbour
Oxford
Slimbridge
Streatley
Port Eynon
Mullacott
Hawkwood College
St Briavels Castle
Stour Valley
Milton
Keynes
St David’s
Broad Haven
Sheringham
Thurlby
National
Forest
Ironbridge
Coalport
Bridges
Borth
Wells-next-the-Sea
Hunstanston
East
Midlands
Ironbridge Coalbrookdale
All Stretton
Beverley Friary
Castleton Losehill Hall
Dimmingsdale Ilam Hall
Kings
n
-Avo
Whitby
Boggle Hole
Dalby Forest
Scarborough
Brompton
Arnside
Ingleton
-u
n
po
A
Alnwick
Y HA S
trat
for
d
Cockermouth
Hawse End
Buttermere
Ennerdale
Wooler
Meadow Green, Batch Valley, All Stretton, Shropshire, SY6 6JW
34 to 38 Green Batt, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1TU
The Firs, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3RW
Gypsy Lane, Alstonefield, Derbyshire, DE6 2FZ
Waterhead, Ambleside, Cumbria, Lakes, LA22 0EU
Redhills Road, Arnside, Cumbria, LA5 0AT
Bathwick Hill, Bath, BA2 6JZ
Bovey Combe, Beer, Seaton, Devon, EX12 3LL
Demesne Farm, Bellingham, Hexham, Northumberland, NE48 2BS
Dewars Lane, Berwick Upon Tweed, Northumberland, North East, TD15 1HJ
Swallow Falls Hotel, Nr Betws-y-Coed, Conwy, , LL24 0DW
Friar’s Lane, Beverley, East Yorkshire, HU17 0DF
Black Sail Hut, Ennerdale, Cleator, Cumbria, CA23 3AX
The Old School House, Blaxhall, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 2EA
Mill Beck, Fylingthorpe, Whitby, North Yorkshire, North East, YO22 4UQ
Longthwaite, Borrowdale, Keswick, Cumbria, Lakes, CA12 5XE
Morlais, Borth, Ceredigion, SY24 5JS
Palace Stables, Boscastle, Cornwall, PL35 0HD
Boswinger, Gorran, St Austell, Cornwall, PL26 6LL
Libanus, Brecon, Powys, LD3 8NH
Ratlinghope, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, , SY5 0SP
Old Steine, Brighton, BN1 1NH
n
hto
14 Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS1 4QA
rig
B
Broad Haven, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA62 3JH
Village Farm, 24 Richmond Road, Brompton-on-Swale
Buttermere, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 9XA
7 Otterburn Green, Byrness Village, Northumberland, NE19 1TS
Fellside Centre, Fellside, Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 8HA
97 Tenison Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 2DN
54 New Dover Road, Canterbury, CT1 3DT
East Tyndall Street, Cardiff, CF10 4BB
Old Brewery Residences, Bridge Lane, Caldewgate, CA2 5SR
Castleton, Hope Valley, Derbyshire, S33 8WB
Hillfield, Cheddar, Somerset, BS27 3HN
The Mill, Clun, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 8NY
Clark House Farm, Chipping, Nr Preston, Lancashire
Beacon House, Amesbury Road, Cholderton, Wiltshire, SP4 0EW
Double Mills, Cockermouth, Cumbria, Lakes, CA13 0DS
Coppermines, Coppermines House, Coniston, Cumbria, Lakes, LA21 8HP
Holly How, Far End, Coniston, Cumbria, LA21 8DD
Larkhill, Sychnant Pass Road, Conwy, LL32 8AJ
New Brewery Arts, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1JH
Parc Behan, School Hill, Coverack, Helston, Cornwall, TR12 6SA
Old School, Lockton, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7PY
National Park Study Centre, Talybont-on-Usk, Brecon, Powys, LD3 7YS
Bellever, Postbridge, Devon, PL20 6TU
Oakamoor, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST10 3AS
Dufton, Appleby, Cumbria, CA16 6DB
St Chad’s College, 18 North Bailey, Durham, DH1 3RH
Le Noyers Residence, La Profonde Rue, Trinity, Jersey, JE3 5BP
9-11 Birch Lane, Earby, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 6JX
1 East Dean Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 8ES
Rowland Cote, Nether Booth, Edale, Hope Valley, Derbyshire, S33 7ZH
Cotefield Farm, Ollersbrook, Edale, Hope Valley
Eden Project, Bodelva, Cornwall, PL24 2SG
Low House, Edmundbyers, Consett, Co Durham, DH8 9NL
Elmscott, Hartland, Bideford, Devon, EX39 6ES
Cat Crag, Ennerdale, Cleator, Cumbria, Lakes, CA23 3AX
Boot, Holmrook, Cumbria, CA19 1TH
Exe Mead, Exford, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 7PU
Pinkery Centre, Simonsbath, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 7LL
Hawkhill Road, Eyam, Hope Valley, Derbyshire, S32 5QP
Port Eynon, Swansea, SA3 1NN
YH
Hostel
guide
Berwick
All Stretton Bunkhouse
YHA Alnwick
YHA Alston
Alstonefield Barn
YHA Ambleside
YHA Arnside
YHA Bath
YHA Beer
YHA Bellingham
YHA Berwick
YHA Betws y Coed
YHA Beverley Friary
YHA Black Sail
YHA Blaxhall
YHA Boggle Hole
YHA Borrowdale
YHA Borth
YHA Boscastle Harbour
YHA Boswinger
YHA Brecon Beacons
YHA Bridges
YHA Brighton
YHA Bristol
YHA Broad Haven
Brompton Camping Barn
YHA Buttermere
Byrness
YHA Caldbeck
YHA Cambridge
YHA Canterbury
YHA Cardiff Central
Carlisle
YHA Castleton Losehill Hall
YHA Cheddar
Chipping Camping Barn
Cholderton
YHA Clun Mill
YHA Cockermouth
YHA Coniston Coppermines
YHA Coniston Holly How
YHA Conwy
YHA Cotswolds
YHA Coverack
YHA Dalby Forest
YHA Danywenallt
YHA Dartmoor
YHA Dimmingsdale
YHA Dufton
Durham
YHA Ea s
tbo YHA Durrell Wildlife Hostel
YHA Earby
ur
YHA Eastbourne
YHA Edale
Edale Camping Barn
YHA Eden Project
YHA Edmundbyers
YHA Elmscott
YHA Ennerdale
YHA Eskdale
YHA Exford
YHA Exmoor Pinkery
YHA Eyam
YHA Gower
33
Y
ch
Orchard House, Mohope, Ninebanks, Hexham, Northumberland, NE47 8DQ
Northcombe Farm, Hollam, Dulverton, Somerset, TA22 9JH
Klondyke Road, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 1EW
Bracken Tor, Saxongate, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 1QW
Cote Ghyll, Osmotherley, Notherallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 3AH
2a Botley Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 0AB
Patterdale, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 0NW
Castle Horneck, Penzance, Cornwall, TR20 8TF
Droskyn Point, Perranporth, Cornwall, TR6 0GS
Sea View, Poppit, Cardigan, Pembroke, SA43 3LP
Old Lifeboat House, Port Eynon, Swansea, SA3 1NN
Hardy House, Castle Road, Castle Town, Portland, DT5 1AU
Nance Farm, Illogen, Redruth, Cornwall, TR16 4QX
The Street, Puttenham, near Guildford, Surrey GU3 1AR
Castell Mawr, Trefasser, Goodwick, Pembrokeshire, SA64 0LR
ynes
Millers Dale, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 8SS
n Ke
ilto
Rhossili Middleton, Rhossili , Swansea, SA3 1PJ
M
Rhiw Farm, Rowen, Conwy, LL32 8YW
Burniston Rd, Scarborough, , North Yorkshire, YO13 0DA
Peakstones, Sheen, Derbyshire, , SK17 0ES
1 Cremer’s Drift, Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8HX
Forest Corner, Edwinstowe, Notts, NG21 9RN
Bassenthwaite, Keswick, Cumbria, , CA12 4QX
King’s House, Slaidburn, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 3ER
The Wild Goose Lodge, Shepherds Patch, Slimbridge, GL2 7BP
Nantgwynant, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 4NP
Llwyn Celyn, Llanberis, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 4SR
Pen-y-Pass, Nantgwynant, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 4NY
Rhyd Ddu, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL54 7YS
Itford Farm, Beddingham, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 6JS
St Briavels, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 6RG
Llaethdy, Whitesands, St David’s, Pembrokeshire, SA62 6PR
Brantham Hall, Nr Manningtree, Suffolk, CO11 1PT
Hemmingford House, Alveston, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 7RG
Reading Road, Streatley, Berkshire, RG8 9JJ
The Chalet, Ivythorn Hill, Street, Somerset, BA16 0TZ
Cluny, Cluny Crescent, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 2BS
Huntington Close, West Cross, Swansea, SA3 5AL
Middle Beardshaw Farm, Burnley Road, Trawden, Lancashire
Off Ranmore Common Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6BE
16 High Street, Thurlby, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 0EE
Dunderhole Point, Tintagel, Cornwall, PL34 0DW
Hurst Hill, Totland Bay, Isle Of Wight, , PO39 0HD
Middle Beardshaw Farm, Burnley Road, Trawden, Lancashire
Tregonnan, Treyarnon, Padstow, Cornwall, PL28 8JR
Tottington Barn, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5FB
Llanddewi-Brefi, Tregaron, Ceredigion, SY25 6PH
Blaze Farm, Wildboarclough, Macclesfield, Cheshire
Wasdale Hall, Wasdale, Seascale, Cumbria, CA20 1ET
Wetton Road, Butterton, Nr. Leek, Staffordshire
Church Plain, Wells, Norfolk, NR23 1EQ
Abbey House, East Cliff, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO22 4JT
Manor, Longville in the Dale, Shropshire, TF13 6EG
Wetton Road, Butterton, Nr. Leek, Staffordshire
Bridge Lane, Troutbeck, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 1LA
Ruckland, Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 8RQ
30 Cheviot Street, Wooler, Northumberland, NE71 6LW
Near Goodrich, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 6JJ
Water End, Clifton, York, North Yorkshire, YO30 6LP
Fountain Square, Youlgreave, near Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1UR
YH
A
YHA Ninebanks
Northcombe Camping Barn
YHA Okehampton
YHA Okehampton Bracken Tor
YHA
YHA Osmotherley
O
YHA Oxford
YHA Patterdale
YHA Penzance
YHA Perranporth
YHA Poppit Sands
YHA Port Eynon
YHA Portland
YHA Portreath
Puttenham Camping Barn
YHA Pwll Deri
YHA Ravenstor
YHA Rhossili
YHA Rowen
YHA Scarborough
YHA Sheen Bunkhouse
YHA Sheringham
YHA Sherwood Forest
YHA Skiddaw House
YHA Slaidburn
Slimbridge
YHA Snowdon Bryn Gwynant
YHA Snowdon Llanberis
YHA Snowdon Pen-y-Pass
YHA Snowdon Ranger
YHA South Downs
YHA St Briavels Castle
YHA St Davids
YHA Stour Valley
YHA Stratford
YHA Streatley
YHA Street
YHA Swanage
YHA Swansea
Taddington Camping Barn
YHA Tanners Hatch
YHA Thurlby
YHA Tintagel
YHA Totland Bay
Trawden Camping Barn
YHA Treyarnon Bay
YHA Truleigh Hill
Tyncornel Bunkhouse
Underbank
YHA Wasdale Hall
Waterslacks Camping Barn
YHA Wells Next The Sea
YHA Whitby
YHA Wilderhope Manor
Wills Camping Barn
YHA Tanners H
YHA Windermere
at
YHA Woody’s Top
YHA Wooler
YHA Wye Valley
YHA York
YHA Youlgreave
treet
34
Easedale Road, Grasmere, Cumbria, LA22 9QG
Great Hound Tor, Manaton, Newton Abbot, TQ13 9UW
Grinton, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL11 6HS
Hall Bank, Hartington, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 0AT
Castleton Road, Hathersage, Hope Valley, Derbyshire, S32 1EH
Lancaster Terrace, Hawes, North Yorkshire, DL8 3LQ
Hawkshead, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 0QD
Painswick Old Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 7QW
Longlands Drive, Haworth, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD22 8RT
Hawse End Cottage, Portinscale, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5UE
Carlton Lane, Helmsley, North Yorkshire, YO62 5HB
Greenside, Glenridding, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 0QR
Radnor Lane, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NW
Seatoller, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5XN
15 Avenue Road, Hunstanton, Norfolk, PE36 5BW
Nant Ffrancon, Bethesda, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 3LZ
Ilam Hall, Ilam, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 2AZ
Greta Tower, Sammy Lane, Ingleton, North Yorkshire, LA6 3EG
1 Paradise, Coalbrookdale, Telford, Shropshire, TF8 7NR
John Rose Building, High Street, Coalport, Shropshire, TF8 7HT
c/o YHA Totland Bay, Hurst Hill, Totland Bay, Isle of Wight
Arctic Road, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7PQ
Welders Lane, Jordans, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, HP9 2SN
Station Road, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5LH
Kettlewell, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 5QU
Kings, Penmaenpool, Dolgellau Gwynedd, Wales, LL40 1TB
Victoria Road, Kington, Herefordshire, HR5 3BX
Letcha Vean, St Just-in-Penwith, Penzance, Cornwall, TR19 7NT
High Close, Loughrigg, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9HJ
Forest-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle, Co Durham, DL12 0XN
Leeds Beckett University, Headingley Campus, Leeds, LS6 3GZ
Kirkstall Brewery, Leeds Beckett University, Broad Lane, Leeds, LS5 3RX
Marsden House, Leeds Beckett University 1-3 Burley Road, Leeds, LS3 1LS
The Old Priory, Leominster, Herefordshire, HR6 8EQ
y
urlb
63 Surrey Street, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 5AW
Th
Litton Cheney, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 9AT
HA
25 Tabley Street, off Wapping, Liverpool, Mersyside, L1 8EE
The Polbrean, Lizard Point, Cornwall, TR12 7NT
The Old Red Lion, Llanddeusant, Camarthenshire, SA19 9UL
Wern Watkin, Hillside, Llangattock, Crickhowell, NP8 1LG
104 Bolsover Street, London, W1W 5NU
38 Bolton Gardens, Earl’s Court, London, SW5 0AQ
Windmill Lane, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, EN8 9AJ
14 Noel Street, London, W1F 8GJ
79-81 Euston Road, London, NW1 2QE
36 Carter Lane, London, EC4V 5AB
20 Salter Road, Rotherhithe, London, SE16 5PR
School Lane, West Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5SA
Malham, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 4DB
Potato Wharf, Castlefield, Manchester, M3 4NB
Mankinholes, Todmorden, Lancashire, OL14 6HR
Manorbier, nr Tenby, Pembrokeshire, SA70 7TT
351 Capstone Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 3JE
Vicarage Road, Bradwell Village, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK13 9AG
Alcombe Combe, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 6EW
Mor Lodge, 83 - 87 Mount Wise, Newquay, Cornwall, TR7 2BP
Mullacott Farm, Mullacott Cross, Ilfracombe, North Devon, EX34 8NA
Nab End Farm, Hollinsclough, Longnor, Buxton, SK17 0RJ
48 Bath Lane, Moira, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 6BD
Cott Lane, Burley Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 4BB
Lower St Mary Street, Newport, Pembrokeshire, SA42 0TS
dS
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s
an
rd
YHA Grasmere Butharlyp Howe
Great Hound Tor Camping Barn
YHA Grinton Lodge
YHA Hartington Hall
YHA Hathersage
YHA Hawes
YHA Hawkshead
Hawkwood College
YHA Haworth
YHA Hawse End
YHA Helmsley
YHA Helvellyn
YHA Holmbury
YHA Honister Hause
YHA Hunstanton
YHA Idwal Cottage
YHA Ilam Hall
YHA Ingleton
YHA Ironbridge Coalbrookdale
YHA Ironbridge Coalport
Isle of White Brighstone
Isle of White Cowes UKSA
YHA Jordans
YHA Keswick
YHA Kettlewell
YHA Kings
YHA Kington
YHA Lands End
YHA Langdale
YHA Langdon Beck
Leeds Carnegie Village
YHA
Leeds Kirkstall Brewery
Jo
Leeds Opal
YHA Leominster
YHA Littlehampton
YHA Litton Cheney
YHA Liverpool
YHA Lizard
YHA Llanddeusant
YHA Llangattock
YHA London Central
YHA London Earls Court
YHA London Lee Valley
YHA London Oxford Street
YHA London St Pancras
YHA London St Pauls
YHA London Thameside
YHA Lulworth Cove
YHA Malham
YHA Manchester
YHA Mankinholes
YHA Manorbier
YHA Medway
YHA Milton Keynes
YHA Minehead
MOR Lodge
Mullacott Camping Barn
Nab End Camping Barn
YHA National Forest
YHA New Forest
YHA Newport
35
YHA Membership
Save money every time
you stay with us
• Enjoy up to £3 off per night when you stay with us
How to claim
your benefits
To claim your YHA membership discounts, follow these steps:
• Access to over 4,000 hostels worldwide
1.
• Get priority notification of special offers by email
2. Once you arrive at “My Profile” click the “Member Benefits” tab
• Receive regular doses of inspiration and the latest news in our monthly newsletter,
The Wanderer
3. This will provide you with discount codes for our partners and
a button to access over 350 discounts on high street brands
• Save £30 when you book a whole hostel through YHA Exclusive Hire
• Enjoy great savings with our travel, high street brand and tourist attraction partners
Log in/register on www.yha.org.uk with the email address
you provided when you purchased your membership
Bringing you great benefits from the likes of...
• Get kitted out for your next adventure with discounts at Cotswold Outdoor
and Go Outdoors
• Go to www.yha.org.uk/membership for a full list of benefits
Member Price Information
BEST VALUE
Category
Direct
Debit
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Card
Under 26
£5
£10
Individual
£15
£20
Household
£25
£30
Buy membership now
WIN! Two pairs of
Bogs wellies!
We have two pairs of stylish Bogs wellies to
give away. These 100% waterproof boots are
packed with technology: shock absorbing soles,
insulation and DuraFresh odour control. To win
one of these two pairs – one Classic Ultra Mid
(£55) for men and one women’s Berkley (£55) –
just answer the question below. Winners will be
picked at random.
On page 12 we interview Olympian Helen
Glover MBE. Can you name her rowing
partner?
Answers to: [email protected]
by August 31st. Please also include your
membership number. And feel free to share
your thoughts (positive or otherwise!) on this
magazine at the same time – is there anything
you particularly enjoy about it, or would like to
see changed?
37
Name the
capital cities
Drying Room: Readers’ pics
Driving from YHA Darwin to
YHA Alice Springs - gotta love
Australia! Sarah Meads
Drying Room: Celebrity Q&A
This view of Wastwater greeted me during a stay at YHA
Wasdale Hall Glyn Morton
to win an Airgo Solus
Horizon 6 tent worth £699.99
Reader
photos
We’d love to see your
photos of hostel stays.
Share them on Twitter
#LiveMoreYHA or
email us on:
[email protected]
We’ve jumbled up the letters of five different
European capital cities in the Hostelling
International network. Worked out what they are?
Drop us a line at [email protected] by
August 31st to be in with a chance of winning.
GREEDLAB
SOLO
@HanJMWright
We found the Boggle
Hole on our visit to @
YHABoggleHole yesterday.
Didn't see the Boggle
though... #folklore
@KiaPhel
3 days hostelling and
walking, and the kids are still
smiling(just) #livemoreyha
#yhacastleton #yhaeyam.
@YHAOfficial
@petetoon What would #batman do? He'd #livemoreyha
@superc0smic
Staying at the
lovely #yha#bath
this is the 7th
yha we have
stayed at!! #DoW
eGetAMedal#liv
emoreyha#adve
ntures
@amyalicia
New YHA
membership
cards have
arrived!! Where
to travel next...
#LiveMoreYHA
#yha @
YHAOfficial
@chappersyha Led my first activity at @YHARavenstor today. I knew my love of maps would
come in useful one day! #orienteering #livemoreyha
ATA L LV E T
SMARTMEAD
LOCKMOTHS
Airgo Solus
Horizon 6-man
To be in with a chance of winning, email your 5 answers to
[email protected] by 31st August. The lucky winner
will be chosen at random on the 1st September.
• Please feel free to share your thoughts (positive or otherwise!)
on this magazine at the same time. Is there anything you
particularly enjoy about it, or would like to see changed?
Reader tweets: Share your adventure #livemoreYHA
About the prize
#myYHAviews
To celebrate its partnership with YHA, GO Outdoors, the UK’s
biggest outdoor stores, is giving readers the chance to win a
fabulous Airgo Solus Horizon 6 Inflatable Tent.
This large inflatable tunnel-tent for six takes hardly any time
to pitch. Perfect for camping weekends with family and friends.
You can win free YHA stays and great outdoor gear from GO Outdoors.
Simply share the pictures of your summer YHA stay with #myYHAviews
38
Congratulations to the two lucky readers who won Lowe Alpine daypacks by correctly
identifying YHA Port Eynon in the last issue. See yha.org.uk/livemoreyha for details of winners.
39
E
M
O
H
R
U
O
Y Y FROM
AWA OME
H
AN EXTRA
10
%
OFF
THE DISCOUNT CARD PRICE
FOR YHA
MEMBERS
(ENGLAND & WALES)
OVER 55 STORES NATIONWIDE | GOOUTDOORS.CO.UK
*Offer valid on production of your discount voucher or YHA membership in store, or discount code online. You can download your discount
voucher and online code as well as view all the T’s and C’s within the YHA member benefit section of www.yha.org.uk. A Go Outdoors
Discount Card is required. Discount Cards are available in store and online for just £5 per year. If you have any questions please call us on
0330 008 1555, or email us at [email protected]