regarding evening meals. there is more choice at some hostels and apart from the higher prices there is no difference. for example in 2001 i had a 3 course meal at patterdale yh that cost around £5. the main dish was borrowdale trout with veggies. last year in 2007 i had the same thing but missed out the starter because i couldnt afford it. so the main dish of borrowdale trout with veggies and a pudding cost me £9. if i had had the starter it would have been closer to £12. so in 6 years the same meal at the same standard increased in price by a massive 140%. saying all that it is no where near as bad as their overnight stay pricing policy nowadays because at least we dont have to buy the meals while staying at a hostel(unless it is a b&b).

I have volunteered, cleaned carpets, wardened remote hostels, given money to YHA for “small hostels”, brought many groups of thirty and more to a variety of hostels (but never to the deny paid up members access while rooms/beds were available!); I have always tried to give support to the YHA for keeping the more remote hostels available for members. Do I “lack the ability to get a number of these poor students together”? “me” is on a sticky wicket when he (or she) criticizes my abilities, past or present. I suggest he (or she) refrains from doing that unless he (or she) actually knows what my abilities are (or aren’t).

I am aware, however, that many such students want to travel independently of organised groups, and my main gripe is the regular exclusion of these people from “activity/school/group” biased hostels and the closing down of the out of the way places where loners and couples can get away into the wilder places. Luckily, independent hostels are thriving, many of a standard easily matching or bettering the accepted “simple” hostel category which is all many such young people want or need.

….but this is tiresome. No doubt “me” has done plenty for the YHA too……mmmmm.

I have heard recently that Tyncornel Hostel is running smoothly and is open as usual. Dolgoch Hostel is to remain open, the Elenydd Wilderness Hostels Trust having had their offer to buy it accepted by the YHA. When you book up, don’t let the booking people at Matlock tell you they are closed. THEY ARE NOT. Check out

http://www.elenydd-hostels.co.uk

On the food and drink I tend to agree with you but I think the days of generalists in hostel staff are gone. One thing I will certainly stand on the barricades with you is over any moves to reduce the availability or convenience of self catering e.g. more b&b only prices

I’m all for children/youths being fed decent food, and I applaud YHA’s divergence from the school-dinner type meals of old.

However, I don’t think advertising for “Commis Chefs” and “Restaurant Managers” is in keeping with a renewed emphasis on youth either.

These are the type of positions generally advertised for a hotel.

But seeing as YHA is just another hotel chain these days, I suppose that’s OK then.

If that’s the case, can you explain why YHA is increasingly moving towards small rooms, en-suites, fancy meals and liquor licences? Those features don’t seem to me to be particularly ‘youth’ oriented, rather geared towards attracting those with the money to afford them.

Hardly in keeping with the Association’s charitable objective “To help all, especially young people of limited means…”.

I just happen to beleive that some changes (painful as they may be) are necessary to enable YHA to survive in any form. I don’t agree with all of them but I think that most have been thought through before being implemented.

My pet hates are people who a) have power out of all proportion to their presence, b) people who think YHA can live in a socio-economic vacumn ignoring what’s happening about it and c) people who cannot accept that YHA has a renewed emphasis on youth and don’t like it (probably because they aren’t youths themselves anymore). As an aside having an emphasis on youth doesn’t necessarily mean subsidising their stays in hostels.

You don’t have to like my opinions any more than I don’t have to like yours but please try to be a bit more broad minded than ‘you support YHA management therefore you must be one of them’ You might have a cosy circle who are ‘like-minded’ but appreciate that there are others who are equally capable of independant thought and can come to other conclusions.

If I choose to remain anonymous that’s my perogative. If you have a problem with that – tough. Go find another forum other than the internet.

PS – all credit to Chris for not moderating comments in any way.

Jeff

If YHA strives to provide the cheapest it can in a market where it needs to be measured against comparable standard accommodation then why should it provide an additional concession to a group when in fact it is providing the opportunity to all?

As for Megan’s assertions about being priced out or excluded doesn’t she think that children are of limited means. Or for that matter that Escape To prices actually work out as cheaper than standard overnight prices. Obviously she lacks the ability to get a number of these poor students together.

Ok I’ll retract my comment about local groups getting a discount but I can’t accept what you say about it not being a problem. If so why did those who claim to speal for local groups have so much to say to oppose the idea when it was first raised and have continued to do so?