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You might no longer get a welcoming cup of tea, but if you’re after something stronger that won’t be a problem. Eastbourne Today reports that YHA has applied for a 24 hour entertainment and alcohol licence for Alfriston YH. They won’t be able to provide food after 5am though, so keep that dial-a-kebab leaflet handy.

Colin Rich, YHA’s food and beverage manager, deploys some impressive legalese to explain that YHA doesn’t really want to sell booze all night every night, but just wants to be legally in the clear for any special events that might be hosted at the hostel. At least I think that’s what he’s trying to say - whether it’s the message the the burghers of Eastbourne will get is another matter.

The 2007 AGM of the YHA Central Regional Council will take place at Lee Valley YH, Windmill Lane, CHESHUNT, EN8 9AJ (see map below). All members of YHA are entitled to attend, be sure to bring your membership card along if you want to vote.

The meeting will start at 1:30 pm.

The 2007 AGM of the YHA Northern Regional Council will take place at the Friends Meeting House, 1, Archbold Terrace, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, NE2 1DB (see map below). All members of YHA are entitled to attend, be sure to bring your membership card along if you want to vote.

The meeting will start at 1pm.

The scheme to open a youth hostel in Ulverston has moved a step closer to fruition, according to the North-West Evening Mail. Plans for the £3m project to convert Ford House into a four-star youth hostel have been completed and will now go before South Lakeland District Council’s planners.

The tricky step will be to raise the funding - to be sought from the council and also from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Lottery aren’t expected to come to a decision before March 2008, so there’s still a long way to go.

Still, let’s hope the Ford Park Community Group pull this one off. It might go some way to fill the gap opened by the apparent closure of Duddon Estuary YH earlier this year.

According to a thread on the uk.rec.youth-hostel newsgroup, the offer of a free cup of tea or coffee on arrival at a hostel is no longer to be made. A memo has gone out to hostel managers stating that “we now, no longer provide free tea and coffee for guests on arrival, other than as part of pre-costed packages”.

Now, this seems a little counter-productive to me. It surely can’t cost a lot of money to provide a cup that cheers on arrival (in fact, if staff are really expected to keep track of and report how many teas/coffees were provided on arrival as opposed to at mealtimes, that probably costs more in staff time than the drinks themselves). In return, YHA presents a friendly, welcoming first impression to its guests. Like that old advert used to say: “you never get a second chance to make a first impression!” Picture the scene:

Warden

Welcome to the hostel. You look frozen, would you like a cup of tea or coffee?

Hosteller

Yes please, that would be brilliant!

Warden

That’ll be 50p then.

Hosteller

Oh.

Is the YHA a warm, friendly organisation eager to attract new people into the fold, or is it just another penny-pinching budget hotel chain looking to get people through the door with apparently low prices and then squeeze every last penny from them with optional extras? I fear we’re drifting towards the latter.

Now, this isn’t an issue that I’d go to the barricades about. After all, you can always make your own cuppa in the Members’ Kitchen if you don’t want to pay for one. I do wonder, though, if YHA’s zeal to “increase the food and beverage spend per overnight” has gone a little far this time?

A 20 mile walk in the Brecon Beacons National park, organised by Newport Outdoor group and starting at Talybont-on-Usk.

The former Llangollen Youth Hostel, sold to the University of Central Lancashire earlier this year, is to acquire four Mongolian-style yurts to provide student accommodation according to reports in the Daily Post and BBC News. Living in a tent might seem a bit rough when there’s a perfectly good building next door, but according to senior lecturer Nigel Garratt:

These are circular, wooden framed tents with decked floors, carpets, wall hangings, camp beds and wood burning stoves - it’s comfort camping at its best.

We already have tipis at some YHA hostels, maybe yurts are the next big thing?

Eskdale YH has received a £24,000 grant towards the cost of a biomass boiler, according to the News & Star. The handout came from the Lake District National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund alongside 19 other green projects. Coming after work already done at Black Sail and Derwentwater, the Western Lakes appears to be a hot-spot for environmentally conscious hostelling!

Whilst limited means concessions are being withdrawn in England & Wales, not even children get a discount in some Scottish hostels. Three of their most remote hostels, Glen Affric, Loch Ossian and Raasay charge the same amount for an overnight regardless of whether you are an adult or a child.

Having had my attention drawn to this by a comment on this site (keep ‘em coming folks!), I asked SYHA to confirm that it was true and asked the reasoning behind it. They replied:

At present we do charge the same rate for juniors and seniors at three of our Rustic Hostels namely Glen Affric, Loch Ossian and Raasay. Our rationale is simple really. Because of the costs associated with running these remote hostels, we have to charge the same price for all guests, regardless of status. However, we will be lowering junior rates for Raasay from next year, so the policy will only apply to Loch Ossian and Glen Affric.

In addition we would never discourage children from staying at any hostel, however these remote hostels because of their location and basic facilities are not ideal for young families, especially those not used to hostelling. Add to this the limited accommodation and the laws regarding sleeping arrangements for young children, we are limited in what we can offer.

It should be remembered that membership of the SYHA is free for children, and an adult overnight at these hostels of £13 is still less than a child would pay at some places south of the border, but this still seems a strange decision.

Last month I reported that the discount offered to hostel users of limited means had been reinstated. I was quite pleased with myself - a couple of members reported the issue to me, I brought it up at Regional Council, the matter was brought up at the Board of Trustees, and the management agreed to reverse the decision. Hey, the system works! Or so I thought…

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