YHAgroup.org.uk

Just a couple of weeks to go till the Groups’ Conference, and Bedford Group have proposed two motions for discussion:

Motion 1

Due to hostel closures there are now many areas of the country with gaps in the hostel network.

For example near Bedford and Northampton Badby and Ivinghoe have closed and this compromises our ability to explore our local countryside whilst using the YHA network. This also applies in other parts of the country.

We ask what is being done to address this issue.

Motion 2

Many newly opened hostels have extremely small self catering kitchens with inadequate fridge space. e.g. National Forest is advertised as Very small self catering kitchen -maximum of 8 guests at a time.

Many new hostels abroad have self catering kitchens which are enormous with plenty of fridges and are a positive pleasure to use and they still manage to sell food in cafés/restaurants which are also open to the public.

We call for a review of the policy of providing  minimal self catering kitchens.

The Swansea Outdoor Group is running its 16th Gower Gallop walking challenge on the Gower Peninsula (near Swansea) in June. An open invitation is sent out to all walkers, especially those affiliated to the YHA.

On the day, there will be 3 challenge walks to choose from of differing distances (30, 20 & 12.5 miles) plus there will be a separately organised 20km orienteering route. Checkpoints with refreshments will be dotted along the routes and food & refreshments will be provided after the event. All walks start and finish at the Pennard Sports Pavilion (see map below).

Typically they have averaged over 200 participants every year but they’re still keen to encourage more people to take part and enjoy the beautiful scenery & idyllic countryside in the area.

Please have a look at the attached poster and application form for information. There is also an accommodation guide for staying in Swansea & Gower.

Further information/contacts for the Gower Gallop can be found on the Swansea Outdoor Group Website

If you think you’ve had a hard time trudging through the snow in the last week or two, an article in The Sentinel recalls tougher times:

Gladys Maitland, another YHA enthusiast of a previous generation, also remembers how they were undeterred by snowstorms more than 50 years ago.

“We never worried about a bit of snow,” she says. “We got through to Hartington hostel on our bikes when snowdrifts were up to the roofs of cottages.”

Of course you’d be able to thaw out once you reached the hostel, well, probably…

I myself visited Dimmingsdale youth hostel, near Cheadle, in the 1950s when we slept in old hen houses lit by oil lamps. We washed in cold water from a tub and cooked our own meals.

Among my 35 companions that weekend were Tony and Margaret Garibaldi, stalwarts of the flourishing Stoke-on-Trent YHA group, which then boasted 1,500 members.

That certainly puts today’s biggest YHA groups into perspective, I’m not aware of any that are bigger than a couple of hundred members. Wherever did Stoke group hold their Christmas social?

It’s nice to see some tales of hostelling past appearing in the papers, but a shame that it’s not tied in with how you can still go hostelling today. Still, their website accepts comments, so why not join me in writing in to rectify that fault.

No, it’s not my typical itinerary for a hostelling weekend (well, actually it is, but that’s not important right now) it’s the fate suffered by the inhabitants of Ivinghoe according to The Bucks Herald.

The village’s youth hostel was closed in 2007, despite an attempt to save it, and now the local pub’s going the same way. According to the landlady, the two facts are not unrelated:

There used to be a youth hostel in the village and I got the majority of my trade from there, but when that closed, it was a massive blow to the business.

Of course it’s not just the dearth of thirsty hostellers that has done the damage – the smoking ban and the credit crunch have done their part – but it’s a striking example of how important hostels can be to the local economy.

In a post on the YHA Forum, Karl has clarified YHA’s current rules on children staying at hostels, and whether they need to be with an adult. This won’t directly impact on most groups, but it isn’t widely publicised (I can’t find it on the YHA web site, for example) and may be of use to group members who are parents, or who are children! Here’s a summary:

• Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult (somebody 18+). If they’re under 5, they have to stay in a family room. If they’re 5-15 they may sleep in a dormitory, provided they’re accompanied by an adult of the same sex, otherwise they’ll need to use a family room too.
• Young people who are 16 or 17 years old may stay at a hostel without an adult to accompany them. However, if they do so, they must either be allocated a private room or share with individuals of the same sex and age group.
• Once you’re 18, of course, you can stay wherever you can get in.

I’m sure many people reading this will (like me) have been hostelling without their parents whilst under 16. It’s sad that today’s youngsters won’t have quite the same freedom we had – but it’s a change forced upon the YHA by the law, rather than a deliberate policy choice on their part.

On a related note, Affiliated groups who have young members may wish to review the Guidance for groups with under 18 year old members.

It’s official, YHA will not be returning to the former children’s home, location for Bergerac, and finally youth hostel at the end of the police enquiries started in a blaze of publicity last year. This was on the cards since an announcement back in November, but was confirmed by the board last week.

In a news story on the YHA web site, Chief Executive Caroline White was keen to point out that YHA want to maintain a presence on the island:

YHA Jersey proved very popular for the four years it was open and during that time we established a good relationship with the island’s Government and our landlords, the States of Jersey, we also showed there is clearly demand for a YHA site on the island.

By drawing a close to this episode we hope we can now focus our efforts on working with the States to identify and establish an alternative site on the island as soon as possible.

Both parties are very keen for this to happen and we hope that it will not be too long before we will be announcing the opening of the next YHA Jersey.

As reported here last year, one location under consideration is Elisabeth Castle in St Aubin’s Bay, no doubt there are other possibilities too. Watch this space for further news.

Meanwhile, a report in the Jersey Evening Post suggests that Haut de la Garenne may have a future as a base for visiting services personnel. Apparently that’s what it was used for after Jim Bergerac moved out.

Groups currently arranging their summer programmes may wish to take advantage of the latest special offer from the YHA.

Thanks to their Wales Early Bird Offer, you can save up to 25% at Borth, Bryn Gwynant, Conwy, Newport and Brecon hostels during August if you make your booking by the 27th February. All good hostels for a group weekend, and if you pick Conwy you’ll be able to take advantage of the refurbishment it’s currently undergoing.

Controversy stalks the streets, or rather the alleyways, of cotswolds town Stow-on-the-Wold according to This is Gloucestershire yesterday. New landlords at the White Hart have closed down an alley running alongside the pub, long used by locals to gain access to the town square.

The YHA connection? Stow YH is on the other side of the alleyway and its side door, fire escape and (perhaps most crucially) letter box all open into it. If you’ve written to book a place at Stow and it’s taking a long time to hear back from them, now you know why.

January has seen a rise in bookings for UK self-catering holiday providers, the YHA amongst them, according to a story in today’s Independent on Sunday.

They’re benefiting from the effects of the credit crunch and the weak pound, both of which are encouraging people to stay at home and look for simpler accommodation. Remember, the YHA was founded during a world recession – so this could be a record year.

Get your bookings in early folks!

There will be an extra forum event on Saturday February 14th 2009, 12pm at Chester YH.

The Forum will be to discuss the proposed changes to the governance structure of YHA prior to the EGM.

The meeting is open to all former YHA Wales council members and to any other YHA member who is interested in YHA Wales.

There will be NO refreshments provided, although the self-catering kitchen will be available.

YHA are unable to provide reimbursement of travel costs or overnight accommodation for this event. If you would like overnight accommodation please contact the YHA Chester directly.

For more information on the event itself contact Wales Programme Leader Robin Pugh on 01633 613457 or by email