YHAgroup.org.uk

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.

Until recently, this network of “stone tents” in the Lake District was managed by the YHA. Now they’ve gone independent, and have a slick website to sell their services. Each of the twelve barns is extensively photographed and described, and availability can be checked online for the next twelve months.

If you’re looking for somewhere simple to stay in the Lakes, these could be just the job.

If you’re heading north to tick off some more of Sir Hugh Munro’s list of 3,000-foot mountains, you could do worse than check out Munro Magic first.

All 284 Munros & 220 Corbetts are covered in detail including descriptions, pictures, location maps, walking routes and weather reports, as well as listings of nearby accommodation in which to rest up afterwards.

Pete Owens is a man with a mission. A mission to track down the finest “facilities” inflicted upon cyclists by the planners of our highways. Take a look the hall of fame (or should that be shame?) at the Warrington Cycle Campaign.

Sadly, there are more of these every year. This forum is a place where you can see pictures, and share stories, of hostels gone by.

Deep in the heart of Mid Wales lie T’yn Cornel and Dolgoch, the last survivors of six hostels which once dotted the isolated Elenydd area. This is hostelling as it used to be - an open fire for warmth, gas for lighting and cooking. The addition of a shower is the only concession to 21st century comforts.

But the survival of these hostels depends on the efforts of a committed bunch of volunteers - the Elenydd Wilderness Hostels Trust. Formed after both hostels were scheduled for closure, the trust have already been able to save T’yn Cornel (with the help of two generous benefactors) and are currently raising funds to buy Dolgoch next year.

They desperately need your help, both financial and moral, to succeed in their mission. Why not join the trust and lend them your support!

Have you ever stepped off a Lakeland path in order to avoid a muddy patch? If so, you’re adding to the problem of footpath erosion that’s blighting footpaths all over the Lake District National Park.

But help is at hand! Over at Fix the Fells they’re collecting the millions of pounds required to repair and maintain the well used network of footpaths across the District. Go there now and make a donation!