I'm debating a night in YHA (Hartington Hall if that makes any difference) in a couple of weeks as I'll be in the Peak District solo. I intend to book a private room.
I stayed in them a lot in my teens and twenties, but now in my mid forties I have some hesitation. Will I be the weird older bloke? Will I not sleep due to the "kids" staying up all hours? Or am I just overthinking it and it'll be a basic and perfectly functional bed for the night?
Thanks!
Last time I stayed in a youth hostal I was probably the youngest there at 45. Most were over 60.
You'll be fine.
YHAs are full of old blokes. They are the largest user demographic, by far. I'm 61, along with mates of similar age we use youth hostels regularly on hillwalking trips.
Will I be the weird older bloke
No, unless you actually are a weird old bloke in everyday life
Or am I just overthinking it and it'll be a basic and perfectly functional bed for the night?
Yes
I regularly stay in Youth Hostels and I'm 53. I'm usually one of the younger residents. You'll be fine.
1- Why are the yoof not using them in big enough numbers? If it wasn't for oldies, they'd all close. Too expensive now or just don't provide what young'uns are interested in? Or has society lost it's interest in travelling about on a tight budget?
2- Is it time for a rebrand? Current branding makes no sense anymore and hasn't for 30 years. I'd go further - people like the OP either don't know how it currently is or are actively put off by the name.
They're nothing like they were in the olden days. They're now expensive and/or often fully booked out to groups so unavailable. They also don't have the coverage they once did as 'non performers' were sold off.
Nowadays, they have all the downsides of the old YHA; often scruffy, restrictive, poor availability and facilities with the costs approaching more mainstream accommodation. I only use them if there's no/few other option(s) e.g Durness.
1- Why are the yoof not using them in big enough numbers? If it wasn't for oldies, they'd all close. Too expensive now or just don't provide what young'uns are interested in? Or has society lost it's interest in travelling about on a tight budget?
They still get used a lot by school and DoE groups, hence the ability to book the whole hostel. A lot of the time that's done, it's for those sorts of groups.
2- Is it time for a rebrand? Current branding makes no sense anymore and hasn't for 30 years. I'd go further - people like the OP either don't know how it currently is or are actively put off by the name.
Well they've had all sorts of consolidation exercises, selling off hostels that aren't profitable but they've never really been "Youth". There's a long thread somewhere on here from the last round of sell-offs they had about what they were trying to be, who they were aimed at etc.
However, to answer the OP, it'll be fine, willing to bet anyone else there will also be middle aged at least! 😉
Hartington is a nice hostel, I've been there a few times. My Mum (who absolutely does not qualify as anything close to "Youth!) has stayed in a private room there with a friend a couple of times for a weekend break in the countryside type thing. She doesn't like hotels or B&B where breakfast is served; she wants to get up in her own time and sort herself out. She's not very "with it" in the mornings so a YH room gives her the chance to just do things at her own pace.
Thanks all.
I must admit, the cost of staying there is quite interesting. For the cost of a private room at Harrington Hall (and for quite substantially less than a private room at Youlgreave) I can get an AirBnB for the night, albeit in a less good location.
@lunge That's exactly the problem. And your still in a hostel sharing communal facilities often with some pretty odd characters (AKA 'us' 🙃).
In towns my default is Premier Inn for their bikes in rooms policy. Following that, in order; other 'cheap' chain hotels, pubs/normal hotels/b&b's, airb&b's then bunkhouses/hostels. All dependant on availability/cost. Obviously, when touring, you need to be flexible.
Just go!
I'm in my 60's and often stay in youth hostels. Don't feel either old or weird there.
I stayed in them a lot in my teens and twenties, but now in my mid forties I have some hesitation. Will I be the weird older bloke? Will I not sleep due to the "kids" staying up all hours?
go for it! YHA needs our support.
recently at York YHA it wasn't the kids causing all the noise at night but some middle aged blokes who'd obviously been out on the town for a few ales and then came back to the hostel banging doors and shouting in the early hours...
but part from that it was great (says a 57 year old hosteller!), though no more dorms for me, just private rooms 🙂
Hartington Hall YHA is in a fantastic location. Not stayed in many, but it’s the best YHA for me so far. Pizza served in the bar was very welcome after 3 days pedalling to get there. They had secure bike storage. Didn’t have any issues with noise, nearly everyone had gone to bed by 11.
(I was 46 at time of stay and had a private room.)
Only problem with YHAs in general for me are the relatively early closure times of check-in desks.
Some good points as I would like to support yha s, however, for bike touring duties I m a premier inn user. Pay in advance at a good rate, bike in room or secure storage, arrive any time as all confirmed. Other wins are kettle in room for aeropress duties.
I don't get the hate from some quarters, I think they're great. They are often in quirky old buildings with loads of character. At least one castle that I know of and listed mills, old manor houses etc. These are often located ideally for outdoor activities in places you'd never find a soulless Premier Inn (Black Sail for example).
If you're in group and sharing, the costs are not that bad. I've stayed in dozens and whilst basic, they are always clean and functional. Many, if not most have secure bike storage, kit drying rooms etc. You often have the choice of paying for decent cooked food or diy catering in well equipped communal kitchens, many have a bar.
They are usually buzzing with like minded people off out climbing, mountain biking, hill walking etc. so can be sociable places to chat over breakfast or share a beer in the evenings. Horses for courses. I'd use a Premier Inn in a city centre, but in an outdoor activity location in the Lakes, Peaks, Snowdonia etc. I'd choose a YHA over one every time.
Why are the yoof not using them in big enough numbers?
As someone said, Air B&B for big groups.
And "Glamping" for solo / couples / small groups.
Just realized quite how long ago my last stay in a hostel was, let alone a YHA though!
And even nice hotels are seemingly inflation defyingly ludicrously cheap these days. Our trip last month was £70 for a nice room, in a nice hotel in Kirkby Lonsdale including breakfast for two. Even if you don't attach any value to the food it'd be hard to undercut £35/person by enough to make me want a cheaper experience.
just don't provide what young'uns are interested in? Or has society lost it's interest in travelling about on a tight budget?
I don't think that can be the case, just look at the number of news stories for " [free to access location] has been ruined by Instagram". I don't think getting out into the UK's countryside has ever been so popular.
diy catering in well equipped communal kitchens
this is the big one for me, yes a Premier Inn has its uses but I'd rather be in a more convivial place, able to self-cater, it's part of what makes a YHA more special and for me the appeal when travelling on my own.
They are usually buzzing with like minded people off out climbing, mountain biking, hill walking etc. so can be sociable places to chat over breakfast or share a beer in the evenings.
Maybe this is it then....in a world where employers are really struggling to find young people prepared to pick up the phone to talk to clients/colleagues, the thought of being in an atmosphere where talking to strangers is part of the experience might be considered a bit daunting rather than a positive....and the sterility of a Premier Inn (with good wifi to talking to people you already know online) is more appealing.
Hartington Hall YHA is in a fantastic location. Not stayed in many, but it’s the best YHA for me so far. Pizza served in the bar was very welcome after 3 days pedalling to get there. They had secure bike storage. Didn’t have any issues with noise, nearly everyone had gone to bed by 11.
+1. I stayed there a couple of years ago, pizza and beer was very welcome after a long day's cycling. It was good value for a group sharing a room.
Plus it's an easy walk to the pubs in the village.
I can understand that. Sometimes I like the anonymity of a Premier Inn or similar, other times I enjoy the craic as in a Club Hut. The problem with the YHA is it's Club Hut quality for Premier Inn pricing. If I want to go self catering (for budget or just don't want to eat out), AirB&B can be similarly priced with none of the YHA downside.
me and Mrs ton use YHA's a fair bit. some are still fantastic.some are pretty pony. my biggest gripe is the price. which basic sparse, often not very well maintained lodgings, it is far too pricey.
if available in the area we are in, our fave choice is a IBIS hotel. very bike friendly.
Last time we booked a SYHA as a family it was the same cost as the motel in Aviemore, and no way as comfy. It was however ideal for some meeting of other folk, cooking our own meal, the lads being independent of us two etc.
I would also say that as a family with teens, we were almost the youngest staying there!
And it was half empty, as has been our experience of occasional (maybe one or two a year) bookings in SHYA between 2014-2024.
They still get used a lot by school and DoE groups, hence the ability to book the whole hostel.
No. 2 spawn’s school residential is booked in to a YH.
A lot of them are in great locations but inconvenient if you're not arriving by car, which maybe the yoofs aren't. The days when loads of people there might have arrived by bike are long gone. (Obviously for places like Black Sail the remotenes is kind of the point, but I think that's different from somewhere being on a busy-ish road a few miles out of town). On top of that, as mentioned above they're no longer cheap but they look pretty basic next to an AirBnB.
diy catering in well equipped communal kitchens
On the rare occasions I've done that in a hostel, it's been hell on earth. Like all the worst aspects of a student flat.
A village one like Hartington is actually not too bad, it's a lovely building. Private room there and walk into the village for a pub dinner, that's great.
Having a busy dorm-room and trying to cook in a shared kitchen with a dozen other people is something that no amount of cheap pricing would tempt me to do any more.
Being able to cook your own food can, for a family, be a big cost saving over a Hotel.
They would of course be cheaper if more people used them
Yeah we use them a fair bit (with and without our kids in tow) and I'm now 46 (I think)
No problem at all.
However as above some are good and some are not so good, for various different reasons.
I agree that some of the charm is definitely the the buildings and locations, and for that I'd often say it's worth more than the cost of a premier inn if it's a good hostel.
However on the other hand you get some that are badly run, in poor condition, or have the heating turned up hotter than the surface of the sun and windows that don't open - consequently you risk a poor night's sleep.
When I go to one nowadays I tend to prefer staying in one of the outdoor shed style things. Then you have your own space, not too much heating, a bit like camping and you sometimes get a fire pit....yet you can still use all the hostel facilities.
Had a couple of not bad, but slightly annoying experiences last year. First one we were cycle touring, had a long day and were looking forward to the advertised restaurant on site. Got there and as we were the only people and another couple they decided to just not open the kitchen. Had to traipse to the closest (shit) pub a few miles away.
Other annoyance was paying for breakfast the night before only to be told on arrival in the morning that they didn't really have anything. Only got bacon and beans no bread or anything else. No offer of a refund!
Some of the staff can be, erm, characters also but that's part of the fun, really
Being able to cook your own food can, for a family, be a big cost saving over a Hotel.
Sure, but families can do that in an AirBnB, probably for similar, money, without having to share the kitchen with strangers.
I've stayed in plenty of hostels, but they're a tough sell in many ways these days I think.
I've stayed in plenty of hostels, but they're a tough sell in many ways these days I think.
It is definitely something they are struggling with.
Outside of the city ones or, perversely, the really remote ones such as black sail then compared to the proliferation of holiday homes they are struggling to find a market. They do seem to be depending more and more on entire centre bookings, as local councils have to shut down their centres probably the best market.
Going back to the OP that they shouldnt feel concerned about being the oldie since chances are they will be the kid is a bit of a problem for an organisation called the YHA.
You'll be fine, a riding buddy & I stay in them all over the country, We're weird so we hid in the room 🤨 🤣
They do seem to be depending more and more on entire centre bookings, as local councils have to shut down their centres probably the best market.
That does seem to be the case now. A close friend of mine has worked in YHA’s up and down the country for years, places like Kendle, down in the SW, and most recently in Talybont-on-Usk, in many places as assistant manager and looking after the catering. She’s now jacked it in, as her personal circumstances have coincided with the centre going full self catering and only needing two people to run it. I know she’s had a great time working for the Association over the years and got to see and walk in wonderful countryside, but I think she’s reached a point where having a fixed place to live has become more important, especially as her mums health is now somewhat compromised.
It does mean I get to see her for drinks more often, as we’ve known each other for many years.
We're hardly yoofs but stay in them, sometimes only travelling 10 miles to do it. They can be wacky places where you might have unusual exchanges with people or pick up wonderful images, 'we've got the cleanest taps in Hemel Hampstead' went on record. They do vary but they are a great institution and each one that closes is a tragic loss. Attitude not age.
@billmc I totally agree. Unfortunately, for my use case, they're not really first choice now. The days of staying in a shed (Durness), being ordered around by Herr Flick (Glen Nevis), mixing with unwelcome weirdos and queuing for the microwave are over for me - especially at their comparable cost.
I stayed in my first one whilst in Primary School in the Peak (50 years ago bejesus). Went on my first Hostelling holiday in the Dales as a member at 15 and have continued using them since. Though nowadays, as last choice. The charm of mixing with people not of my choice and staying in scruffy, communal accommodation has largely worn off. Having said that, I still stay in climbing club huts with my climbing club chums. However, you know the other club members in advance and can choose to attend or not...
It's a sad reflection on the YHA. It's not an age thing as they always had a wide age range of users. I think it's largely availability and cost. As their target market now seems to be exclusively booked group bookings (presumably due to DBA type restrictions), they are rarely available and when they are, I can stay somewhere 'nice' for similar cost.
@billmc I totally agree. Unfortunately, for my use case, they're not really first choice now. The days of staying in a shed (Durness), being ordered around by Herr Flick (Glen Nevis), mixing with unwelcome weirdos and queuing for the microwave are over for me - especially at their comparable cost.
I stayed in my first one whilst in Primary School in the Peak (50 years ago bejesus). Went on my first Hostelling holiday in the Dales as a member at 15 and have continued using them since. Though nowadays, as last choice. The charm of mixing with people not of my choice and staying in scruffy, communal accommodation has largely worn off. Having said that, I still stay in climbing club huts with my climbing club chums. However, you know the other club members in advance and can choose to attend or not...
It's a sad reflection on the YHA. It's not an age thing as they always had a wide age range of users. I think it's largely availability and cost. As their target market now seems to be exclusive group bookings (presumably due to DBA type restrictions), they are rarely available and when they are, I can stay somewhere 'nice' for similar cost.
We generally get double rooms eg Hartington has the 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' room, lovely carving, comfortable bed and en-suite. We stay in all sorts on our travels but the declining number of hostels restricts choice for many just as eg the Peak is opening up to a whole new diverse population of visitiors.
Well, thanks for all the views, I've booked Harrington, a single private room, and will report back.
If you have a big beard, sandals and an odd approach to shared space, you'll fit right in and definitely leave a lasting impression. Enjoy 🙃
I’m a life member of SYHA, but rarely use them for similar reasons to others in this thread.
i think the shift 25ish yrs ago to remove the need for chores etc was probably the right thing for the time. But I think the world has moved on again in times of airBnB, and actually if they look at their core mission a member driven org with volunteering driving reduced fees would actually be worth reconsidering. I do occasionally consider standing as a trustee - but I don’t think I’m passionate enough about it.
I've used the one in Berwick a couple of times, cycle up from home, walk the walls, fish and chips, couple of beers. Its a beautiful building set right on the harbour and attached to the city walls. Cracking breakfast as well.
Osmotherley next for me.
i think the shift 25ish yrs ago to remove the need for chores etc was probably the right thing for the time. But I think the world has moved on again in times of airBnB, and actually if they look at their core mission a member driven org with volunteering driving reduced fees would actually be worth reconsidering.
Interesting point. Yes, a reduced fee through doing some of the housekeeping would give it a USP again.
Communal rooms were very much part of getting the price down obviously to some some of those have given way for space for more private rooms and ensuites.
Random thought - I wonder how they are dealing with the single sex rooms and the changes after the recent court ruling.
a group of 5 of us had a few nights 'bikepacking' the other week, 2 nights in the Port Charlotte one on Islay and 2 night in Lochranza, on Arran. Port Charlotte was one of the best we have used, very helpful warden, clean and tidy rooms, nice layout and good common space, felt almost like a basic hotel. Lochranza, where we have been before is a depressing smelly building in a state of poor repair.
I'm not sure that their model is going to last, the breakfasts haven't changed in a decade or more, and the pricing isn't anything bargaintastic compared to other offering now available.
Maybe this is it then....in a world where employers are really struggling to find young people prepared to pick up the phone to talk to clients/colleagues, the thought of being in an atmosphere where talking to strangers is part of the experience might be considered a bit daunting rather than a positive....and the sterility of a Premier Inn (with good wifi to talking to people you already know online) is more appealing.
STW : No you won't be weird or old, they're full of people just like us.
Also STW : Why does no one want to go to hostels and talk to us?
STW : No you won't be weird or old, they're full of people just like us.
Also STW : Why does no one want to go to hostels and talk to us?
😀
Yeah but not but....it's a self fulfilling prophesy innit. Some 'brave' younger people go (who can tolerate the smell of imperial leather and don't retch are the sight of old feet in sandals) so there are now young people to talk to for prospective other young people to talk to...."if you build it, they will come" and all that.
."if you build it, they will come" and all that.
I think in the case of YHA, they need to RE-build it. It's been mentioned in previous threads on YHA but they've long since lost their way, they're struggling to find their market, the current branding doesn't help (and as mentioned upthread, were they ever "youth"?!)
Time to re-brand, reinvent themselves and rebuild it as something that young people DO want to go to. Not something that young people go to cos the school has booked them in there.
Could really push the traditional touring aspect of it by doing tiered pricing: arrive by walking or cycling = cheaper than arriving by car.
In the olden days, you HAD to arrive on foot, bicycle, canoe or horse. You also had to do a horrible chore before leaving and the hostel was completely closed between 10:00 and 17:00... Not very 'customer' friendly.
Is it time for a rebrand? Current branding makes no sense anymore and hasn't for 30 years
Old people's hostel? 🤔
Senior's hostel?
Recalling-your-long-lost Youth Hostel?
Is it time for a rebrand? Current branding makes no sense anymore and hasn't for 30 years
Old people's hostel? 🤔
Senior's hostel?
Recalling-your-long-lost Youth Hostel?
The SYHA has for a long time been officially called "Hostelling Scotland", although everyone old enough to not be a youth certainly still calls it SYHA and their properties "Youth Hostels"!
In the olden days, you HAD to arrive on foot, bicycle, canoe or horse.
Surely train or omnibus was acceptable? Actually I don't think I've ever driven to a hostel except when we had booked it out completely.
they weren't all horrible chores, although I suspect if you annoyed the warden you may have been more likely to get the toilet jobs! I do some stuff with a group of young people who sleep on church/village hall floors etc. They are all enlisted to clean the place before we leave. I've never once heard a complaint, and actually I think they like the experience.You also had to do a horrible chore before leaving
and the hostel was completely closed between 10:00 and 17:00... Not very 'customer' friendly.
If that reduced your staff and heating costs by 1/3 and thus the charges by the same would that be the end of the world? Especially if there was any kind of shelter where early arrivals could hide from the weather (I seem to remember being able to arrive about 4pm)
I first went to a hostel unaccompanied with a friend at 14/15 - I assume that would now be a safeguarding nightmare.
You also had to do a horrible chore before leaving
I remember that. [/shudders at the memories]
and the hostel was completely closed between 10:00 and 17:00... Not very 'customer' friendly
To be fair, most hotels you can't check in before 3pm. They might be "open" in as much as there's a bar area but you can't access your room.
To be fair, most hotels you can't check in before 3pm. They might be "open" in as much as there's a bar area but you can't access your room.
You can if you are staying for multiple days and you are already checked in.....on the old hostel model (and maybe even now in some cases - not sure) if you were staying for 2 nights you had to make yourself scarce for most of the day. Not always an issue but if it was belting down....
I've stayed at the Gairloch Hostel a few times with work (school group) booking the whole place out and the cleaning expectation at the end of our stay was pretty much a full fat change over -clean of kitchen in fridge, vacuum all rooms and strip all beds, sweeping down hard floors and outside and porch/boot room, check and wipe down shower and sinks and scrub down toilets.
To be fair, most hotels you can't check in before 3pm. They might be "open" in as much as there's a bar area but you can't access your room.
You can if you are staying for multiple days and you are already checked in.....on the old hostel model (and maybe even now in some cases - not sure) if you were staying for 2 nights you had to make yourself scarce for most of the day. Not always an issue but if it was belting down....
I've stayed at the Gairloch Hostel a few times with work (school group) booking the whole place out and the cleaning expectation at the end of our stay was pretty much a full fat change over -clean of kitchen in fridge, vacuum all rooms and strip all beds, sweeping down hard floors and outside and porch/boot room, check and wipe down shower and sinks and scrub down toilets.
The Gatliff Trust hostels in the Western Isles remind me of old 70s hostels. Cheap. Basic. No booking allowed.
Last year I was at Howmore there were a couple of dozen people in and only one group arrived by car.
The price of modern SYHA hostels I,ve been to if there was a Travelodge alternative for a few quid more I'd be there instead.
Youth Hostel is a misnomer nowadays. The majority (especially those in honeypot areas) are cheap hotels for 40-60 year olds on a boozy weekend that involves a bit of outdoor activity.
In terms of actual youths who have got there unaccompanied, I think I've seen one group at Hawkshead once. It was noteworthy because they were the exception.
Anecdotal more than anything, but my daughter (now 24) and her BF used to use them a couple of years ago and pretty sure she'd meet other young folk - she actually ended up working for them at Matlock HQ. They tend to wild camp more than anything now though.
Currently walking the WHW, not sure if she's staying at any YH's along the way, I'll ask
From memory (not totally reliable as I did the WHW in 1982...), there were SYHA hostels in Rowardenan, Crianlarich and Glen Nevis. There was also a hostel in Glen Coe - miles off route so we camped at the kings House. I don't know if these hostels are still SYHA (or whatever it's called now) or have been sold off. The first two were typical hostels and fine. Glen Nevis was run by a horrible Nazi and very unfine. I know he's no longer there as I've stayed a number of times since whilst winter climbing on the Ben and the Warden was 'normal'. However, I've not stayed in Glen Nevis Hostel for a few years so it may have since been closed or sold.
I'm one of those people who takes groups of youths to youth hostels. For the past few summers, the organisation I volunteer for has taken a few 4 person rooms at Aviemore SYHA for a mountain bike resi for teenagers and adult leaders.
Maybe Aviemore is an outlier, but it's been mix of people - families, younger travellers and older folks from the UK and abroad. The young people get to mix with people of various ages / nationalities when preparing breakfast / dinner and in the common room. That's a big part of the trip tbh. The staff there have been great too - even when one of the group wandered off with the bike shed key for a while...
Glen Nevis hostel is well nice these days. Wish I stayed there rather than a shitey hotel in town last time I was in FW.
As others have said, I stayed in a YHA a couple of times last year, at 44 I was probably the youngest staying there, most people were in their 60's I'd say!
They're mostly to be considered as budget low frills hotels these days, but reliably consistent so you know what you're getting... Locations are usually a lot more central to town than anything else approaching their price point too, which can be handy.
Compared to some of the hotel chains I've stayed at in the past, if the budget is tight, I'd rather book a YHA more often than not as long as I'm getting a private room that is...
I've a soft spot for YHAs.
I remember using them on school trips (Whitby) and road trips with mates (Edinburgh, Glen Nevis). And also as a place to dry out gear when wild camping (not a phrase I used then!) on long walks like the Dales Way (Grassington?).
I once stopped in at St David's (Whitesands) YHA when I was driving around Wales in my early/mid 20s. All my camping gear was soaked through so I decided to stop under a roof for the night.
An old couple were caretaking and the fella showed me around. When I signed in he said "It's just you and a load of women tonight, you might get lucky!"
I did. And we've been married 20 years.
(I should probably mention to the OP that if you sneak someone into your dorm because it's empty, there is the possibility that Welsh-speaking ramblers will arrive in the dead of night sleep in the other bunks and then leave again before dawn, saving you all any embarrassment)
@reeksy You've reminded of a dorm faux pas of mine. As a yoof, needed the loo in the middle of the night. Blacked out dorm full to the gunwales with kit scattered everywhere. There was always limited kit room in dorms. Navigated my way passed all the trip hazards and snory men in bunks, strained the greens then returned. Got a bit disoriented on the return and as I was getting into my bunk, a very deep voice said 'what the **** do you want?'...😆
a group of 5 of us had a few nights 'bikepacking' the other week, 2 nights in the Port Charlotte one on Islay and 2 night in Lochranza, on Arran. Port Charlotte was one of the best we have used, very helpful warden, clean and tidy rooms, nice layout and good common space, felt almost like a basic hotel. Lochranza, where we have been before is a depressing smelly building in a state of poor repair.
I'm not sure that their model is going to last, the breakfasts haven't changed in a decade or more, and the pricing isn't anything bargaintastic compared to other offering now available.
Not to mention that our group's average age was nearly 60 and we were younger than many in either hostel. Fully agree that their model may not survive given the lack of youth, youth hostelling. A real pity as they are often located in places chain hotels would never operate.
So, thought I'd give an update on this as I started the thread. TLDR - it was really bad.
Arrived at Harrington Hall and all looked good, nice bar, outdoor area looked good, happy days. However, once I got to the room things took a severe downturn. Now I want to preface this that I did not expect luxury, I did not need anything more than a clean room and a plug socket. That was it.
The room was tiny, I reckon it was about 8ft square, if that. There was no plug socket (reception told me that some rooms just don't have them). But the worse bit was the state of the room in general. Mould on the walls and window, a rotting window frame and it looked like, bar changing the bedding, nothing else had been cleaned in years, it was filthy. It was also full of flies. And it was ridiculously hot, and as the window frame was so warped and rotten I couldn't open any more than an inch or 2 to let some air in or some flies out.
So after a chat with reception to ask if there were any other rooms available (there weren't), or if there were any other options ("no, that's the room you booked), or if they could help in any way (they couldn't) I cut my losses and left.
10 mins on the internet and I found a room at a very nice, if slightly old and aging spa hotel near Matlock. This wasn't The Ritz either, but it had a very helpful fella on reception, was clean, had no mould or flies, a window that worked and plug sockets. They also provided me with a fan as the room was quite warm. What's more is that it cost £10 less per night than the room in the YHA (with the proviso that I booked it 30 mins before I checked in so I accept the price may have dropped to fill the room).
So yeah, not a great experience, and I can't think of any reason why I would book a room in a YHA when I can get vastly better facilities for the same or less money.
That's a bit crap Lunge! I hope you complained...
Vastly different to my own experience of YHA's, but there we go... The rooms I've had have all been huge, very clean and well prepared, not lacking in plug sockets and all quite a bit cheaper than anything else I could get in the area...
That's a bit crap Lunge! I hope you complained
I did. And the response wasn't really as good as I hoped it'd be. Certainly didn't change my view or make me more likely to book again.
That's a real shame. The one thing Hartington Hall does have going for it is the location and it's a lovely building.
I guess like many of those sort of YH - old building converted while trying to retain period features but also comply with modern H&S - the cost of doing a good job and maintaining it all is too much for YHA to cope with.
However your tale does reinforce my previous view that a YH would be an absolute last resort accommodation for me.
That's an awful state of affairs. We've had a few YH stays in tired accommodation but nothing that bad.
Though I'd be interested where you ended up as a last minute deal - near Matlock could be convenient for a couple of nights away!
Though I'd be interested where you ended up as a last minute deal - near Matlock could be convenient for a couple of nights away!
NEWBATHHOTELANDSPA.COM A little tired and perhaps passed its glory years, but perfect good and the staff were brilliant.
That's great thanks.
But the worse bit was the state of the room in general.
Sorry to hear that, will you write to yha?
I had a similar experience in a hostel that closed shortly afterwards for good, it was an experience my wife still reminds me of 😬
diy catering in well equipped communal kitchens
That’s pretty much the format these days, there will be a couple of staff to run the place, but whereas previously there would be other staff taking care of catering, it’s all self-catering now, to keep costs as low as possible.
A very close friend of mine has worked in hostels all over the country for years, up in Kendal and the Lakes, South Wales, Devon, and the last one she worked in was Talybont-on-Usk, up until the end of last season, and they’re now self-catering. Which suits her, because her mum is now at a point where she needs someone helping her at home.
I stayed at a YHA in Derbyshire recently camping.
I was surprised how good the facilities were. I was also surprised that at 51 I was quite young compared to most 😂
it’s all self-catering now
Some have gone that way, I'm guessing those in quieter or less popular locations. Many others still have restaurants or dining rooms providing cooked meals if required.
There is a huge range of facilities of varying ages and condition across the YHA estate. We've stayed in some excellent modern ones, and some pretty basic but adequate older ones.