YHAgroup.org.uk

The Three Peaks Trial is an organised challenge walk arranged each year in March by the Cardiff Outdoor Group. It is a circular walk of about 20 miles and 5,000 feet of ascent, which crosses over three prominent peaks around Abergavenny in Monmouthshire; Skirrid, Sugar Loaf and Blorenge.

Each year the proceeds from the event are split between the Youth Hostel Association to help improve facilities at youth hostels in South Wales, Cardiff Outdoor Group and another organisation, with which the Group feels sympathy.

Further details can be found on the Cardiff group’s website.

The Yorkshire Post reports that Stainforth Youth Hostel is on the market for a cool £1 million. According to the estate agents, the Grade II listed mansion is ” “a fantastic building […] the structure and fabric is superb. It just needs some updating.”

Whatever its advantages, the hostel has apparently struggled to attract visitors and was one of the 32 earmarked for closure last year. The new owner, whoever it is, is expected to turn the building into a hotel or a retirement home rather than hostel-style accommodation.

Bad news first: The Ridgeway youth hostel is to close at the end of June. The relationship between YHA and the Court Hill Trust (the hostel’s owner) have broken down to such an extent that the Trust has refused to extend the Association’s lease.

Rumour has it that the contention started over YHA’s refusal to cooperate with the Trust’s plans to develop the site as a general tourist attraction, for example by opening a cafe there. Without knowing the full story, it’s impossible to judge the rights and wrongs of it all, but it’s sad that a twenty-year relationship should end like this. On the bright side, it seems quite possible that The Ridgeway could live on as an independent hostel. Who knows, it might even find its way back into the network as an enterprise hostel one day.

STOP PRESS: The Ridgeway will continue to operate as an independent bunkhouse, details can be found on the Court Hill Trust’s new website.

Now the good news. According to the Yorkshire Post, YHA’s relocated hostel at Whitby is all set to reopen in time for the Easter holidays. The Grade 1 listed building sounds like a treasure trove for those with a historical bent:

Key features uncovered included a hand-carved staircase; a 30ft-long Edwardian stained glass lantern; an original wattle and daub wall; a 12th-century stone column; and rare Victorian sash window mechanisms.

Other finds included 200-year-old wallpaper; musket balls, from when Abbey House was used as a garrison; and a 20ft long medieval carved beam, which had been used, decorative side in, as a makeshift window lintel.

When you add in the spectacular location next door to Whitby Abbey it should be a great place to stay.

Fourteen groups took part in the 2006 President’s Awards, and the judges were pleased to see Heathrow Hikers and the Outdoor Lads submitting entries for the first time.

The President’s Awards were introduced in 1985 to recognise the work that local groups do for the YHA and 2006 was the twenty-second year of the awards.

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The 2007 Local Groups’ Conference will take place this year in Matlock, with sessions taking place in meeting facilities at YHA Head Office, and delegates staying at the (more-or-less) nearby youth hostel (map below).

YHA have set thenselves the target of widening the number of groups represented at the conference. Last year less than 1 in 3 sent a delegate. Travel expenses are available to attendees, as well as a free bed-night and meals.

It’s also a chance to stay at Matlock YH before it closes this year…

There will be an open meeting at the Friends House, 173-177 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ (see map below) to discuss the ongoing YHA Governance Review.

The meeting will be led by Andrew Purkis, independent leader of the Review.  He will explain the stage reached with Phase Two of the Review:  “Towards a Programme of Renewal.”

Those wishing to attend should contact christinawillmotte@yha.org.uk or phone her on 01629 592643. For those unable to get to London, further meetings will be piggy-backed on top of Regional Council Meetings taking place over the next couple of months. If you wish to attend one of them, you should contact the chair of the council concerned.

More details can be found on the YHA website.

Another open letter from John Annett prior to the forthcoming local groups’ conference:

To all YHA Local Groups

URGENT MESSAGE

I would be grateful if you could forward a message urgently to your delegates who are attending the National Local Groups Conference on 17th March at Matlock.

You may be aware that delegates at the November meeting formed an informal Local Groups coordinating committee on the Friday night because we were prevented from doing so formally at the meeting on Saturday.

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The list of affiliated groups that used to be available (after diligent searching) on the old YHA site has finally found it’s way onto the new one nearly two months after its launch. It falls a long way short of the coverage that was talked about at the Coalport Meeting, but it’s better than nothing.

The list contains at least one error (as I write, the contact email for Leicester group is years out of date), so it’s worth checking to see if your group’s properly listed. As far as I know, the list on this site remains the most complete and up-to-date listing online, if you could check that one as well while you’re at it, I’d be grateful.