Before I met my husband I did not really know much about YHA, but when our children and their cousins started to be able to walk a bit of distance around the age of 3/4 years Grandma announced that we should all go Youth Hostelling. I had no ideal really what to expect, but just went with the flow, listened and took notes when the many stories about past adventures started to emerge. You see Grandma and her sisters took their kids YHAing and although most trips involve getting wet, crossing bogs and eating soggy sandwiches everyone had fond memories of these walking holidays. Gone have the days where you have to make your own bed, lay tables and help clean up, but the ethos of hostelling is still very much alive. Many life skills can still be fostered and adventures made. Most people that stay in hostels are like minded and happy to help with route ideas and those that can remember the jobs they use to do are always offering to help staff (who these days have to decline such help to be in line with YHA policy!).
You can still book a bed in a male or female dorm or you can book a room all to yourself and some hostels even have on-suits. Camping and pods in the grounds can also be booked and most hostels now have wi-fi. Some hostels are still very remote and off grid with Black Sail and Ennerdale Hostel in Cumbria even needing to generated their own electricity. The major plus with YHA these days is though that you can buy breakfast, lunch and a evening meal meaning if your on a multi day trek you do not need to carry or worry about food. There is also normally a nice lounge and bar area selling local beer and soft drinks with board games, books and maps. There is also a residences kitchen so you can make your own meal and importantly there is a drying room! On any outdoor adventure to have a drying room at the end of the day is a luxury! Sounds crazy but having dry feet at the beginning of the next day is so good! Most hostels have bike sheds too, but I need to work on them for a paddock for my horses (hopefully most local farms could oblige on that front though)!
For me the major attraction of booking a hostel is their location and I don't think I have ever been disappointed with the view and each hostel normally has a history or past life before the YHA took the place on. There are not many places you can stay for such a reasonable price in the locations on offer. YHAs and the other independent hostels really do mean that we can all at some point experience some of the most wild and nature rich areas of the UK.
This years trip was our 9th summer hostelling (first trip in summer 2015) and over the years we have done many combination but they all have a similar theme that we walk from hostel to hostel and ideally there are wild swim spots on route. Whether I am walking or with a horse the other major advantage of travelling by this means is your whole pace of that life slows down and suddenly the world becomes a little simpler at a average speed of 3 to 4 miles per hour.
The main aim this year was to hostel without a car. We have done this in the past in part, but we have ended up leaving cars in random places for a couple of days. So this year we made the extra effect to work out a routes that we could do from home without any motor vehicles. When we arrived at each hostel I took great pleasure in explained we had walked here and none of us had a car! It felt like a big achievement, but really what it actually proved was that getting around the Lakes by bus and boat is doable and really we all need to ask the question why are we not doing this more!
Day 1 - 555 Stagecoach bus to Brockhole, Windermere, the boat Wray Castle, then walked to Tarn Howes and down to Coniston Holly How YHA
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| On the bus! |
We all took the 555 bus from various locations from South Cumbria to Brockhole (Lake District National Park Authority) just north of Windermere. From Brockhole you can catch a few boat trips, but we took the one over to National Trust Wray Castle. From Wray Castle we walked on the bridleway past Blelham Tarn to Outgate.
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| Getting the boat to Wray Castle |
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| Holly Howe YHA |
Day 2 - we walked from Coniston to Elterwater via Cathedral Quarry and had a lovely stay at Elterwater Hostel (independent hostel)
Following a lovely cooked breakfast and finding lunch in Coniston village we picked up the bridleway that runs right past the hostel. This is a great low level trail through woods which ends in the lane to High Tiberthwaite. Here we turned left up the lane to High Tiberthwaite and then took the bridleway past Moss Rigg Wood/disused quarries.
Once you have had a explore around the quarry take the bridge by the ford and then take the lane up the hill towards Little Langdale and then turn right towards Dale End and down the track to Elterwater Hostel. The mountain views are fantastic and do make time to take in the views.
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| Little Langdale Tarn |
Day 3 - from Elterwater we travelled on the 516 Stagecoach bus to Old Gungeon Ghyll then over Stake Pass to Borrowdale YHA
The first two days of the trip had been quite easy walks. I had in a way planned it like this to ease everyone into walking as I new today could potentially be a long hard days walk. This is a classic Lakeland route with amazing mountain views in a landscape that is remote and wild in places (just needs a few more trees!). This route is a bridleway, but please note the comments about the bridge, Blea Rock and the gradient.
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| After the foot bridge look out for this sign directing you up Stake Pass |
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| Looking down into Langdale |
The decent down is a relatively new path and shows that you can have routes in the Lakes without any stone pitching. This path zig zags down to a bridge, but unfortunately some of this path is washing out making it challenging in places. The bridge at the bottom would be described as dangerous if taking a horse across as there is a massive bolder to get over and there is a drop off down to a fast flowing beck. The LDNPA rangers are hopefully going to try and improving the bridge to make it safer to get a horses over, but really when this bridge needs replacing it should be made longer and a little wider so it is safer for all. As you come down the pass there are a couple of swimming spots with plunge pools. Once in the valley you can either keep on the bridleway or cross the river via a narrow foot bridge and pick up the footpath. About half way down Langstrath is Black Moss Pot. This has become a very popular swimming spot and for those who are brave enough there are a couple of places to jump off high rocks. From here head to Stonethwaite (can take either side of the river paths) and then walk through the lanes to YHA Borrowdale.
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| Path going down into Langstrath |
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| The bridge at the bottom of the pass |
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| Look into Langstrath Valley |
If your doing this route with a horse then you should keep on the the bridleway until you reach Black Moss Pot and then ford the river and take the track that runs on the opposite side of the river to Stonethwaite. If you keep on the bridleway then you will be faced with crossing the rock slabs under Blea Rock, which are very slippery and steep with the route being very narrow in places. Last year Cumbria Bridleway Society agreed with the National Trust and the LDNPA rangers that equestrians could ford the river up stream before Black Moss Pot to avoid the Blea Rock area (More info on this can be found on the Ride Cumbria Facebook Group).
Day 4 (last day) - Borrowdale YHA to Watendlath, over Armboth Fell past Blea Tarn and down to Thirlmere, then home on the 555 Stagecoach bus
On the OS map this route looks quite mild, but do not be deceived by its lower elevation it still has steep fells and there are a number of bogs! The part from Watendlath to Thirlmere is also not well used meaning here you need to be able to read a map as the path is like a sheep trod. This route is a bridleway but there are a couple of issues to tackle if doing the route by horse or bike so please note the below comments.
From the Hostel pick up the footpath to Rosthwaite and then cross the road and take the bridleway up to Watendlath. This route is popular with down hill mountain bikers and for equestrians this route would be easier going up rather than down as there are a couple a rocky areas to tackle. This route is steep and do not be surprise if you need to take a few breaks to take in the view!
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| Blea Tarn |
Once in the trees head towards Harrop Tarn, which is a studding location for a break or a swim. Here you need to make a decision on the route you take down from Harrop Tarn and I would not recommend the bridleway to anyone. This is very steep and rocky and hard for anyone on foot nethermind with a horse or bike. There is a footpath which could be taken, but again it is very steep. The best route down is to pick up the forestry tracks, however currently there is tree felling taking place and the reservoir shore road is closed so this may not be possible, but hopefully in the future the forest tracks can be used again for access as this is all open access land (under Section 15 of the CROW Act).
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| Harrop Tarn |
Once you reach the west shore road of Thirlmere you can walk along the shore path to Wythburn/Slackhow Bridge and then alone the lane to the main road where the bus stop can be found. Here we caught the 555 bus to get home. Tired and ready for home this marked the end of another family hostelling trip. Uncle Andrew's lucky dip of sweats and chocolate were defiantly needed for the bus trip home!
Other Lake District Hostelling trips and useful links
Black Sail and Ennerdale
Catch the bus from Keswick to Buttermere and walk over the fells for a night at Black Sail. This is a fantastic mountain bothy located in a truly wild landscape made up of a mix of woodland, meadows and river. You could imagine beavers, wolfs, lynxes and eagles being very at home here. Ennerdale YHA down the valley is fantastic too meaning you could stay at both as part of a multi day trek trip.
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| Ennerdale |
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| View through the front door of Black Sail |
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| Sunset at Black Sail |
Buttermere
A great location if you want to stay in one place as there as lots of trail options.
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| Buttermere |
Eskdale
Another great place if you would like to stay in one place or link it up to Wasdale YHA. If you would like to take your horse you can rent a field from http://www.whahousefarm.co.uk/
Useful links
YHA - https://www.yha.org.uk/
Independent Hostels - https://independenthostels.co.uk/
Stagecoach buses - https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/cumbria-and-north-lancashire/open-top-buses#
Boats - https://www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk/events/take-the-boat-to-wray-castle
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