I really think they have lost their way . It can be cheaper to get a B and B..Even if you go with your other half and kip in the dorms time you add breakfast a B and B can be cheaper and the private room prices are just silly for bunk beds .We have just come back from North Wales where 3 nights in a dated Llandudno hotel cost £108 with breakfast .The youth hostels would have cost more!!

Been too expensive / low quality for years. Not used one in 20 years, just use B&Bs.

i disagree – certainly on the west coast and islands of scotland where the arse is ripped out of the BnB market completely.

The market i think is over priced by far is the camping market – that really is a rip off….

Independent hostels tend to be more competitive, closer to the original ethos.

Been great for big family get togethers and didn’t find them too expensive.Used them a lot in the last 20 years.Favourites were Malham,Kettlewell and Grinton.
The kids loved them .

Yeah, I think the Scottish ones still provide a service, good accommodation where it’s needed (i.e. near the hills) for cheaper than anything else.

I think the costs of the SYHAs have to be viewed in the light that the popular ones (Crianlarich, Glen Coe) are probably subsidising the less well used ones (Achiltibuie?) and also paying to keep the likes of Corrour open over the winter, which is brilliant.

good point – i find them competitive on single person traveling or big groups.

as a couple they are not so good and often (but not always) a bnb can be had for similar – how ever i find hostels to be a known quanitity with specific facilities – such as bike lock ups / drying rooms /kitchens. and BnBs are so variable – and even to the point where they dont have things they list some times….

I found that you also had to commit to joining up, then making a point of using them more than once or twice a year.
We got a group membership for our club and lots of us used it for weekenders.
As mentioned by Trail Rat,you don’t get as many B&Bs that are geared up with big drying rooms and space for lots of bikes.

I blame Chris….

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGG5OhEcpOQ[/video]

We always find them miles cheaper as a family of four and the kids love them as they tend to be in great locations where they can run wild. having said that i stayed at black sail with a mate once on a 5 day walk and it cost a fortune…. (toooo many beers) 😳

Back when I was seeing the kids for contact weekends (them down south with mum, me up north) we did probably every open YHA in the SE of England, as they could normally pull together a family room for us since I booked well ahead. It was no cheaper than travel lodges, but in some great locations with some fantastic buildings and culture, and the basic nature of the accommodation wasn’t a problem

They then continued to close all the quirky and interesting locations – places like Badby, Bradenham, Ivinghoe, or if they didn’t close them, they made it almost impossible to get a booking at any of them as they were group bookings only.

The only places you could get a booking were the urban ones… And what was the point, because they weren’t as ‘basic’ they ramped the price up and it was cheaper to stay at a travel lodge.

They started off as cheap, basic accommodation in areas where there was a shortage – somehow they managed to gradually try and cast off all three of their USP’s 👿

I’ve also found them excellent value for money. You get to stay in some lovely old listed buildings (wilderhope-manor) and the hostel normally have extensive grounds that the kids can run about on. You always meet other people and families and this for me is it’s biggest appeal. You know how easy kids make friends, it’s so nice to see and we always take a little bag of lego and the kids will make friends and play nicely for ages. They are my accomodation of choice if travelling solo on a biking weekend for eg. Everyone’s friendly and you always get talking to someone. The downside is occasionally that not everyone’s perosonal hygiene is up to scratch but you can avoid smelly people by simply moving away from them! lol. We’ve found the meals great value for money too but the ale they sell is a little expensive.

Most of the ones down south seem to have the family rooms fully booked for quite some time, so the cost doesn’t seem to be putting people off……..

+1 for the SYHA ones, we stayed at Ratagan last Sept & it was decent enough. However the private one in Invergarry (Saddle Mountain) was much better & cheaper! Highly reccommend that one.