Wednesday, March 21
YHA - A step too far?
As I've mentioned Oxford accomodation was at the YHA. A new purpose built hostel opened only in the last 3 or 4 years.
I've long been a keen supporter of the YHA ever since my first backpack trip in the mid 70s. Over the years I've been instrumental in actively introducing a number of people of all ages and social background, to the benefits of this mighty organisation.
But the recent changes in the YHA's approach to their visitors is becoming detrimental to its core membership.
The smaller hostels continue to provide a warm and friendly environment to meet up with people sharing their own joy of travel. But the larger hostels have, IMHO totally lost the plot.
When I used to bring my own kids along I felt that they were in a secure environment where I wouldn't need to be concerned over who else was wandering the corridors.
The kids were exposed to a wide range of people from all cutures. And I made sure their behaviour was acceptable to those around them.
At Oxford I stayed for two nights. On each evening I shared one of the communal areas with a drunk. For some time. Amiable enough, but a different drunk each night. So not an isolated incident.
One, well beered up, told me he was homeless and just using the YHA as the cheapest place to kip, rather than stay in a local town further up the railway line, where he normally slept....... hmmm.
Apparently this was the best deal for him.
I'm not adverse to swearing myself but I hope I'm cognisant of those around me in such a communial environment to temper it accordingly. So I was getting increasingly irritated by the strong language being loudly used. I could have hauled out the hostel staff to sort it, but an amiable drunk is a happy drunk, and I could see it kicking off big time if I really wanted to make a point. And I didn't want someone turfed out due to their lack of drinking capacity.
But who sold them the beer? The YHA reception. If you sell it, best police the consequences surely?
And as for the three seperate parties of French teenagers staying (for the week?) I assume they had adults in charge, but they were remarkably absent whenever the kids decided to have their own pesonal version of a rave. Loudly. At times VERY loudly.
In the dormitories. In the games room. In the..... Well you get the idea I'm sure.
Now reading that back does rather make me sound at times like an BOF.
But my point is that the city hostels in particular have lost the YHA plot. In chosing to compete with the budget hotel market, they have brought in the budget punters. In droves.
And frankly some of them really don't give a shit about the type of place and the tradition of the organisation that they are sharing.
The rot speeded up when the hostel system was opened up to non members. There was some negative response from the traditional membership at that time, with the main question being 'Well what does the membership fee actually stand for now?' But the general feeling at that time was to give it a chance.
Post the Foot & Mouth epidemic in 2001 the YHA was hurting, and it needed to adjust to cope with the loss of income over such an extended period of time.
Over the past 12 months I've stayed at three hostels, two specifically constructed/refurbished for the 'revitalised' YHA. All in town/city locations. And my stay at these places has been discomforting.
OK. Lets name them just to be clear - Oxford, Keswick and Ambleside.
All three are depersonalised and fail to meet even most of the simple needs of those poor souls still trying to self-cater for meals. All suffer from what I'll coin as a suitably descriptive term 'the Chav syndrome'.
I've lost count of the times I've watched the abuse of the gentle hostelling tradition so dear to those long term users of this once proud and resourceful organisation.
And why am I still a member?
For those hostels still catering for the outdoor person. Especially the walker. Where else can you walk in wet, cold and weary, and walk out the following day dry, rested and aware of having shared some good experiences with some great people?
So whilst I'm naming and shaming here, take a look at Grasmere Butharlyp Howe
Its big. It handles school parties. And its a joy to stay at each time I visit.
Ditto Coniston, Elterwater, Borrowdale & Patterdale.
Now if they can get it so right and addhere to the same YHA policy, why are the others ones that I will try hard not to return to. In fact I'd rather use a B&B or budget hotel instead.
Oh, and my perk for being a YHA member? £1 pound off each night's accomodation.
What happened to the £3 surcharge introduced for non members? That 'perk' quietly slipped away.
My own thoughts, but I suspect I'm not alone on this one. Labels: Accomodation
Tuesday, February 27
Skiddaw House reopens
I walked part of the Cumbria Way in 2005, in an attempt to introduce my teenage son to the gentle art of walking, self-reliance and to show how easy it is to create a sense of achievement through personal initiative and effort. A bit of a real father/son bonding.
We started in rain in Ulverston. Walked through rain up through Coniston. Spent a long enjoyable day travelling up the Langdale valley and over the pass into Borrowdale (rain and ooooo so thick mist this time. Look at the peaks over there. Bugger they've gone again)
And we finally called it a day. In rain. In Keswick.
By this point my son had shrunk 6 inches and was the cleanest he's ever been. But he was a happy chappie. Shorter maybe, but brimming with good nature.
And of course that afternoon the sun came out. So off for a different sort of bonding down the pub. Well it had to be done. It's traditional at the end of a walk isn't it?
For that trip we used YHA accommodation and the final straw was the thought of a long rain drenched crossing over Skiddaw to Caldebeck, and the general lack of features beyond that point.
At that time the Keswick YHA was closed for refurbishment, and there were no more hostels beyond that on the Way. Skiddaw House had ceased to operate as a YHA, and that would have been the only saving grace to encourage us to continue onwards. The thought of a stay at such a unique spot.
Happily one of the ex-wardens plans to reopen Skiddaw House as a Bunkhouse in early April 2007. Find out more here. All success to their venture.
I'll definitely be planning a visit later this year. It's an area I haven't explored yet and what a great rest point.
Probably for a night out of that rain again. Well it is the Lake District. Ever wonder why the lakes are always so full?
Whoops - nearly forgot - check out Whitepsider's blog (Skiddaw House Re-Opens) for a bit more detail.Labels: Accomodation, Lake District
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
I've long been a keen supporter of the YHA ever since my first backpack trip in the mid 70s. Over the years I've been instrumental in actively introducing a number of people of all ages and social background, to the benefits of this mighty organisation.
But the recent changes in the YHA's approach to their visitors is becoming detrimental to its core membership.
The smaller hostels continue to provide a warm and friendly environment to meet up with people sharing their own joy of travel. But the larger hostels have, IMHO totally lost the plot.
When I used to bring my own kids along I felt that they were in a secure environment where I wouldn't need to be concerned over who else was wandering the corridors.
The kids were exposed to a wide range of people from all cutures. And I made sure their behaviour was acceptable to those around them.
At Oxford I stayed for two nights. On each evening I shared one of the communal areas with a drunk. For some time. Amiable enough, but a different drunk each night. So not an isolated incident.
One, well beered up, told me he was homeless and just using the YHA as the cheapest place to kip, rather than stay in a local town further up the railway line, where he normally slept....... hmmm.
Apparently this was the best deal for him.
I'm not adverse to swearing myself but I hope I'm cognisant of those around me in such a communial environment to temper it accordingly. So I was getting increasingly irritated by the strong language being loudly used. I could have hauled out the hostel staff to sort it, but an amiable drunk is a happy drunk, and I could see it kicking off big time if I really wanted to make a point. And I didn't want someone turfed out due to their lack of drinking capacity.
But who sold them the beer? The YHA reception. If you sell it, best police the consequences surely?
And as for the three seperate parties of French teenagers staying (for the week?) I assume they had adults in charge, but they were remarkably absent whenever the kids decided to have their own pesonal version of a rave. Loudly. At times VERY loudly.
In the dormitories. In the games room. In the..... Well you get the idea I'm sure.
Now reading that back does rather make me sound at times like an BOF.
But my point is that the city hostels in particular have lost the YHA plot. In chosing to compete with the budget hotel market, they have brought in the budget punters. In droves.
And frankly some of them really don't give a shit about the type of place and the tradition of the organisation that they are sharing.
The rot speeded up when the hostel system was opened up to non members. There was some negative response from the traditional membership at that time, with the main question being 'Well what does the membership fee actually stand for now?' But the general feeling at that time was to give it a chance.
Post the Foot & Mouth epidemic in 2001 the YHA was hurting, and it needed to adjust to cope with the loss of income over such an extended period of time.
Over the past 12 months I've stayed at three hostels, two specifically constructed/refurbished for the 'revitalised' YHA. All in town/city locations. And my stay at these places has been discomforting.
OK. Lets name them just to be clear - Oxford, Keswick and Ambleside.
All three are depersonalised and fail to meet even most of the simple needs of those poor souls still trying to self-cater for meals. All suffer from what I'll coin as a suitably descriptive term 'the Chav syndrome'.
I've lost count of the times I've watched the abuse of the gentle hostelling tradition so dear to those long term users of this once proud and resourceful organisation.
And why am I still a member?
For those hostels still catering for the outdoor person. Especially the walker. Where else can you walk in wet, cold and weary, and walk out the following day dry, rested and aware of having shared some good experiences with some great people?
So whilst I'm naming and shaming here, take a look at Grasmere Butharlyp Howe
Its big. It handles school parties. And its a joy to stay at each time I visit.
Ditto Coniston, Elterwater, Borrowdale & Patterdale.
Now if they can get it so right and addhere to the same YHA policy, why are the others ones that I will try hard not to return to. In fact I'd rather use a B&B or budget hotel instead.
Oh, and my perk for being a YHA member? £1 pound off each night's accomodation.
What happened to the £3 surcharge introduced for non members? That 'perk' quietly slipped away.
My own thoughts, but I suspect I'm not alone on this one.
Labels: Accomodation
Skiddaw House reopens
I walked part of the Cumbria Way in 2005, in an attempt to introduce my teenage son to the gentle art of walking, self-reliance and to show how easy it is to create a sense of achievement through personal initiative and effort. A bit of a real father/son bonding.
We started in rain in Ulverston. Walked through rain up through Coniston. Spent a long enjoyable day travelling up the Langdale valley and over the pass into Borrowdale (rain and ooooo so thick mist this time. Look at the peaks over there. Bugger they've gone again)
And we finally called it a day. In rain. In Keswick.
By this point my son had shrunk 6 inches and was the cleanest he's ever been. But he was a happy chappie. Shorter maybe, but brimming with good nature.
And of course that afternoon the sun came out. So off for a different sort of bonding down the pub. Well it had to be done. It's traditional at the end of a walk isn't it?
For that trip we used YHA accommodation and the final straw was the thought of a long rain drenched crossing over Skiddaw to Caldebeck, and the general lack of features beyond that point.
At that time the Keswick YHA was closed for refurbishment, and there were no more hostels beyond that on the Way. Skiddaw House had ceased to operate as a YHA, and that would have been the only saving grace to encourage us to continue onwards. The thought of a stay at such a unique spot.
Happily one of the ex-wardens plans to reopen Skiddaw House as a Bunkhouse in early April 2007. Find out more here. All success to their venture.
I'll definitely be planning a visit later this year. It's an area I haven't explored yet and what a great rest point.
Probably for a night out of that rain again. Well it is the Lake District. Ever wonder why the lakes are always so full?
Whoops - nearly forgot - check out Whitepsider's blog (Skiddaw House Re-Opens) for a bit more detail.Labels: Accomodation, Lake District
We started in rain in Ulverston. Walked through rain up through Coniston. Spent a long enjoyable day travelling up the Langdale valley and over the pass into Borrowdale (rain and ooooo so thick mist this time. Look at the peaks over there. Bugger they've gone again)
And we finally called it a day. In rain. In Keswick.
By this point my son had shrunk 6 inches and was the cleanest he's ever been. But he was a happy chappie. Shorter maybe, but brimming with good nature.
And of course that afternoon the sun came out. So off for a different sort of bonding down the pub. Well it had to be done. It's traditional at the end of a walk isn't it?
For that trip we used YHA accommodation and the final straw was the thought of a long rain drenched crossing over Skiddaw to Caldebeck, and the general lack of features beyond that point.
At that time the Keswick YHA was closed for refurbishment, and there were no more hostels beyond that on the Way. Skiddaw House had ceased to operate as a YHA, and that would have been the only saving grace to encourage us to continue onwards. The thought of a stay at such a unique spot.
Happily one of the ex-wardens plans to reopen Skiddaw House as a Bunkhouse in early April 2007. Find out more here. All success to their venture.
I'll definitely be planning a visit later this year. It's an area I haven't explored yet and what a great rest point.
Probably for a night out of that rain again. Well it is the Lake District. Ever wonder why the lakes are always so full?
Whoops - nearly forgot - check out Whitepsider's blog (Skiddaw House Re-Opens) for a bit more detail.
Labels: Accomodation, Lake District
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
