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The solar cells planned for Skiddaw House YH have now been installed, according to the News & Star. Eighteen photovoltaic cells will draw around 2440 kWh a year from the Lakeland sunshine, which will power everything from the lights to the washing machine.

It’s not quite the end of electrical improvements at the hostel: the batteries used to store the solar energy for night time use are unable to deal with the amount of energy the new system can deliver – leading to wastage. New batteries will cost £3000, which is the next fundraising target for the “Friends of Skiddaw House”.

If you want to lend your own support, the hostel’s website has information on how you can help.

The people behind the independent hostel being developed in Norwich have sought help from local firms in making it environmentally friendly, according to the Norwich Evening News. If successful, they’ll create a building so energy efficient that they’ll actually sell electricity back to the grid.

Speaking to the paper, developer Jason Borthwick said:

Although it looks relatively traditional we want it to be really innovative in terms of the building materials we’re using. We’re looking at things like straw bale building, wooden frame structure, whole-roof photovoltaic, solar panels to heat all the hot water. We’re hoping it will be something really quite different and what we’re looking for at the moment is interesting, innovative ideas.

Of course, YHA are no strangers to eco-friendly developments, notably at Langdon Beck YH. There may be tips and techniques they can pick up from Norwich and apply to their hostels.

The Lake District Sustainable Development Fund has made a £26,000 grant funding the installation of photovoltaic cells to generate electricity at Skiddaw House YH, according to a Grough report. The money will also pay for new insulation made from natural fleece (presumably the same stuff they’re using at Eskdale).

Skiddaw is just one of many hostels in the Western Lakes who operate green energy schemes. Just one thing worries me – is solar energy really the right choice for the Lake District? Derwentwater and Black Sail are powered by rain…

YHA have won the Best Travel Organisation category of The Independent‘s Green Awards.

As well as the obvious plaudits for Green Beacon hostels like Lockton, there’s more subtle factors – such as the Association’s recycling of old buildings into new youth hostels.

You’ll also learn why you can’t get a drink of orange juice at Earl’s Court YH.

The Guardian have published a short list of green places to stay in the UK and Ireland, which includes an entry for Langdon Beck YH:

This is the YHA’s greenest and highest hostel. From the dining room and lounge there are wonderful views over the North Pennines. Evening meals are served in the 31-bed hostel, which has a range of local real ales and organic wines. A wind turbine and solar panels generate more half of the power, and rainwater is harvested from the roof.

Nice to see a hostel other than the usual Whitby, National Forest or London hostel getting some limelight.

What is it about the Western Lakes hostels and the environment? Over the last couple of years we’ve reported on a number of green initiatives in that part of the world, most recently an eco-boiler at Eskdale and exciting plans for Black Sail.

Now Eskdale are in the news again. According to the Green Building Press, they’ve been installing new insulation in their loft that’s made from sheep’s wool instead of the usual, but less planet-friendly fibreglass.

Thermafleece insulation is made by Penrith company Second Nature, and can be bought from specialist stockists all over the country if you fancy doing something similar in your own loft.

With the festive season almost upon us, what do you get the hill walker in your life? Yet another pair of gloves or socks? A pin-up of Julia Bradbury? Perhaps not. How about a stretch of Lakeland footpath?

Fix the Fells has been featured on these pages before – it’s a partnership run by the Lake District National Park Authority, The National Trust and Natural England to repair Lake District paths and combat erosion in the future. All their work is heavily dependent on public fund-raising.

This year they’re running a Fix a Fell for Christmas campaign. Simply donate a sum on your loved one’s behalf and it will go towards upland paths. Just £10 will replant vegetation alongside one metre of path, whilst £600 will pay for an hour of helicopter time. What’s more any amount you give will be tripled by the Heritage Lottery Fund, so a donation of £10 actually gets them £30.

But how do you wrap up a few square metres of Cumbria and put it under the tree? Don’t worry, they’ve thought of that. When you make a donation, a personalised certificate is generated for you to print out and give as your gift.

But remember, a Lakeland footpath isn’t just for Christmas…

The YHA’s most remote youth hostel looks set for an healthy and environmentally friendly future. According to a report in The Westmorland Gazette, the YHA has agreed a new 25 year lease that will assure the hostel’s continuing role in the network.

In addition, the hostel will be fully refurbished next year, including a hydro-electric power generator and other eco-friendly features  – fruits of the Ennerdale and Black Sail appeal that was launched two years ago. The whole scheme forms part of the Wild Ennerdale project – an attempt to return the remote valley as far as possible to its natural state.

Thankfully for fans of the warden’s legendary curries, hostel meals will continue to be served at Black Sail. An earlier plan had called for the catering service to be withdrawn in an effort to reduce vehicle runs to the hostel. This decision proved unpopular with members and led to a re-think. YHA Development Manager Simon Ainley said:

While we still need to take a Land Rover to the hostel to transport laundry, refuse, gas bottles and cleaning products, through proposed changes to energy use and storage capacity on site, we can also provide catering while keeping the number of journeys to an absolute minimum.

We have also agreed in principle, a scope of works with our partners which will see Black Sail improved and reduce its environmental impact while retaining its essence and unique character.

Despite being the antithesis of the plush, coach party-friendly establishments that YHA is often associated with these days, Black Sail remains a talisman of what hostelling is all about. It’s good to see its place in the network being kept safe.

Last year this site reported a £24,000 grant made to Eskdale YH for a biomass boiler. Well, it’s now been bought, installed and even officially opened (well, switched on I suppose) by the local mayor, according to the Whitehaven News.

The boiler will run on wood chippings from the nearby Miterdale Forest, a renewable form of energy that should lower the hostel’s carbon footprint. So next time you turn your own footprints towards Eskdale in search of a little warmth, you’ll be doing your bit for the environment too!

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!