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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.

It’s now over seven years since the doors closed at Norwich YH. Since then, though the YHA have never ruled out a return to the historic East Anglian city, there’s been nowhere for hostellers to stay if they wish to visit.

That all looks set to change if plans to adapt a derelict pub into an “eco-hostel” go ahead. The Borthwick family, who already operate a backpackers’ hostel and campsite at Deepdale Farm on the north Norfolk coast, have ambitious plans for the former Ferry Boat Inn.

According to the Eastern Daily Press, the site will offer accommodation (in both dorms and private rooms), canoe and cycle hire, and a café. The last pint was pulled there in 2006, but they might be flowing again soon too:

We know groups like Camra (Campaign for Real Ale) are keen to see the pub reopen. We definitely feel a small real ale pub on the site would be an excellent addition

The hostel should open next year, but their website is already running.

Once again it’s time for hostelworld.com to publish their list of the world’s best hostels, gleaned from the ratings entered by their customers.

Top-rated hostel, for the second year running, is the Travellers House in Lisbon. The Portuguese capital seems to be the place to go hostelling – the top three hostels, and half of the top ten, are located in the city.

Closer to home, the best UK hostel (ranked 6th in the world) is the River House Backpackers in Cardiff. Tipped off about the award, The Guardian paid them a visit. It sounds great:

Our quarters are fitted out with a bunk bed (albeit a brand new one), sheet sleeping bags and a stripped wooden floor, which makes us feel less guilty about booking a twin room rather than a dorm.

Elsewhere, there are eight sparkling showers and loos, a spotless kitchen with all mod cons, and a patio out back where you can sit at a table with an endless supply of free tea and coffee. The TV room is packed with DVDs and a Wii, there’s a free internet, WiFi throughout, and the dining room is strewn with bowls piled high with fruit.

All for around the same price as the YHA alternative.

There’s good news for the YHA in the results too, though. London Central YH, which was in 9th place in the UK list last year, has risen to 8th place this year. Not a stellar performance perhaps, but steady progress in the right direction. Let’s hope they can rise further in the year ahead.

Many ways have been tried to get the hostelling experience over to people who haven’t experienced it. Photographs, blogs, forums, media articles – all aim at tackling people’s misconceptions and bringing them into the wonderful world of hostels.

But independent chain St Christopher’s Inns have gone one step further and installed a live webcam in one of their dormitories. Now you can watch in real time as the happy hostellers wander around, look for their socks, or throw things at the bloke in the corner for snoring too loud. Nor is it going to stop there…

Interacting with the dorm dwellers you see on screen isn’t far away either and soon you guys will be able to send these backpackers free beer for all the fun stuff they do, and sound off fog horns in response to the not so popular antics!

I do hope this doesn’t catch on. There are some sights and sounds when our group is getting up in the morning that not even the internet is ready for…

Awards season is upon us again! The rows of limos, the click of the cameras, Kate Winslet blubbing for Britain.

But it’s not just lachrymose actresses getting the red carpet treatment. Hostelworld have announced the winners of their annual Hostelworld Customer Annual Ratings – a.k.a. the HOSCARs, geddit?

Top spot goes to Travellers House in Lisbon, with two other Lisbon hostels taking second and third place. Only one HI hostel makes it into the list: YHA Rotorua Treks in New Zealand, the top-rated hostel in Oceania. The kiwi YHA must be doing something right, as last year YHA Wellington City held the same spot. There’s also a British hostel amongst the winners. Rated number four overall (and with the world’s best staff), the River House Backpackers in Cardiff sounds like it can give the local YHA alternative a run for its money.

Now all this needs to be taken with a lorry-load of salt. These awards are made on the basis of reviews entered at Hostelworld’s website. Therefore they tend to reflect the tastes of young, international backpackers, not the range of markets addressed by the YHA. Also, they tend to favour independent hostels, since many satisfied HI users will be using their own networks’ sites, or the HI site (where we already know YHA did well last year).

Still, it all serves to push hostels into the public eye. Maybe people who read about these awards in The Guardian will be inspired to brave a YHA hostel this summer, and not necessarily a New Zealand one either.

STOP PRESS: Travelbite.co.uk have just posted Hostelworld’s top ten UK hostels, and one of them’s a YHA one! The relatively new London Central YH is number 9 in the list, the only HI hostel to feature. Maybe with a full year’s voting they can challenge New Zealand next time!

Local communities are still struggling to save Kyleakin and Coldingham hostels, but another of the hostels marked for closure by SYHA last year appears to be thriving.

The former Loch Lochy YH is now operating independently as The Great Glen Hostel, having been refurbished to include such 21st century essentials as free wifi internet access alongside the usual hostel facilities. Prices are on a par with the nearest SYHA alternatives, though discounts for under-18s are less generous (not that SYHA always have one!).

All in all, if you’re planning on doing the Great Glen Way, or just heading for that part of the highlands, it looks well worth considering.

Following on from their Christmas promotion , the Court Hill Centre (formerly known as The Ridgeway Youth Hostel) has another offer for the new year:

The Court Hill Centre would like to offer all affiliated groups a winter warming offer of overnights for just £10 during February and March, and just £12 in April (and yes Easter is included!).

There must be at least 5 in your group but otherwise no strings.

As we weather some of the warmest weather of the year so far, what could be more natural than to start thinking about Christmas? Well, that’s what they’re doing at the Court Hill Centre – the bunkhouse known as The Ridgeway Youth Hostel before breaking with the YHA last year:

The Court Hill Centre is pleased to offer affiliate groups a special club Christmas Dinner package. Christmas Dinner, bed and breakfast can be yours for just £27.70 pp. Book for a group of 30 and we’ll give you sole use. AND we are not licensed so you can bring your own wine!

The opportunity to bring your own booze is certainly an advantage over, ahem, certain budget accommodation providers we might mention…

Sam Dalley of the Backpackers’ Press writes:

One of our member hostels has pointed out to me that YHA local groups are short of accommodation which is available to individuals and small groups in the winter.

There are over 250 Independent Hostels in the UK and over 95% of them stay open all year.

Full details of all these hostels are in the Independent Hostel Guide which retails for £4.95.

I would be glad to offer these guides for free (while stocks last) to any local group member who sends 5 second class stamps to cover the postage.

I’ve seen a copy of the guide and it’s quite impressive, listing 275 hostels across the UK plus a further 50 in Ireland and continental Europe. If you want to take Sam up on this kind offer, send your stamps to:

Backpackers Press
Speedwell House
Upperwood
Matlock Bath
Derbyshire
DE4 3PE

Potential independent hostellers should also visit the recently remodelled Independent Hostel Guide web site, where the same information can be found online. The site isn’t perfect, but there’s a a thing or two YHA could learn from it.

Independent hostelling website Hostelworld announced the winners of their annual “Hoscar” awards in a ceremony held in Dublin last week. Based on the votes of visitors to their site, these awards pick out the best of the more than 15,000 hostels that they list.

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