YHAs

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 18:36:26 GMT, "elyob" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Never having used one, just wondering what people's experiences are of them.
What's the accomodation like? What if I know I'm a snorer?! 🙂

Regards

Anonymous snorer.

Snoring is compulsary!

Serious answer: They aint what they used to be. In the past,
accomodation was available on an ad-hoc just turn up basis, and was
strictly in single sex dormitory accomodation.

Nowadays, only about 20% of total bed occupancy is by passing trade -
80% is booked in advance. Family rooms are often available if booked
in advance.

Facilities vary from hostel to hostel. As a minimum you have access to
a bunk bed of adequate but not luxurious comfort. In busy times, space
can be cramped.

I love them to bits, mainly because I believe in the purpose of them.

City hostels tend to be rather impersonal. Rural hostels are more
welcoming, friendly and intimate.

If you have any specific questions, let me know: I'm an experienced
hosteller, and am now also a volunteer hostel warden.

Love and beds from Rich x

--
Jesus was apparently betrayed by 8.3% of his disciples.

"Richard Bates" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 18:36:26 GMT, "elyob" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Never having used one, just wondering what people's experiences are of
them.
What's the accomodation like? What if I know I'm a snorer?! 🙂

Regards

Anonymous snorer.

Snoring is compulsary!

Serious answer: They aint what they used to be. In the past,
accomodation was available on an ad-hoc just turn up basis, and was
strictly in single sex dormitory accomodation.

Nowadays, only about 20% of total bed occupancy is by passing trade -
80% is booked in advance. Family rooms are often available if booked
in advance.

Facilities vary from hostel to hostel. As a minimum you have access to
a bunk bed of adequate but not luxurious comfort. In busy times, space
can be cramped.

I love them to bits, mainly because I believe in the purpose of them.

City hostels tend to be rather impersonal. Rural hostels are more
welcoming, friendly and intimate.

If you have any specific questions, let me know: I'm an experienced
hosteller, and am now also a volunteer hostel warden.

Love and beds from Rich x

I was just kind of wondering whether I should join and set myself some plans
for the summer. Questions in no particular order ..

It's called YHA, I'm 30+ does that count as youth?!
You mention facilities. Do some therefore offer washing machines and the
like?
What if I was going to attempt LEJOG. Are there ones which fit in nicely
with the main route?
If I'm by myself, then I'll be in a large dorm (mostly)?
Obvious one, but are they welcome to cycles, and provide decent security (in
general)?

Thanks.

Any other general stuff to someone who has never used one appreciated.

elyob said:

Never having used one, just wondering what people's experiences are of them.
What's the accomodation like? What if I know I'm a snorer?! 🙂

YHA (and SYHA, and NIYHA) hostels are well-run, clean, provided with
showers and kitchens and usually put people in single-sex dorms. Your
snoring will not trouble you at all. I can say this from plenty of
experience of sharing dorms with snorers of various degree, from gentle
rhythmic whistling sounds to the full symphonic room-rattler. What might
be less pleasant for you while you snore is when a desperate fellow
hosteller finally goes postal on you. However, this is rare.

They usually have a decent bike shed, friendly helpful staff and provide
excellent cheap basic accommodation. You do not need to carry bedding;
you will get a sleeping sheet (ask what to do if you've never used one
before, it's baffling until you've seen it done). When you leave you put
the sheet in the laundry.

Some of the remote locations are just amazing, but are really remote;
you need to be carrying supplies.

You may have heard a lot about hostels that relates solely to the old
days, such as early curfews and chores. These are either rare or gone.
However, the YHA website will tell you about any remaining curfews,
usually for inner-city hostels in order to keep out drunks and stop
people using the place for a kip after the clubs. The webiste will also
tell you about the facilities at each hostel.

There are also independent hostels. Standards are much more variable,
but I'm usually happy with the hostel, even if once in a while some of
the hostellers turn out to be [censored], usually due to booze.

--
Joe * If I cannot be free I'll be cheap

"elyob" <[email hidden]> writed in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I was just kind of wondering whether I should join and set myself some
plans for the summer. Questions in no particular order ..

It's called YHA, I'm 30+ does that count as youth?!
You mention facilities. Do some therefore offer washing machines and
the like?

anks.

Quoted message said:

Any other general stuff to someone who has never used one appreciated.

Join if you want, but the only (apparent) advantages of membership these
days is a £3 reduction in the cost of an overnight stay, and the highly
literary Triangle magazine.....

'Youth' is a state of mind, it has nothing to do with YHA - I suspect
that the average age of hostellers is around the same as yours.

Whenever I've tried to book a trip using youth hostels, I've been
unsuccessful due to the money-grabbing machinations of the YHA autocracy
who prefer to let out hostels wholesale to school parties, or to close
them on a whim. (speaking dispassionatly as a member of 30+ years).

Mike - Leicester

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 18:36:26 GMT, "elyob" <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

Never having used one, just wondering what people's experiences are of them.
What's the accomodation like? What if I know I'm a snorer?! 🙂

YHA is fine - clean, cheap(ish), room in most for the bike, most have
a shop and many a bar. A good source of local knowledge, too. A lot
of them now have smallish rooms, so your snoring will not disturb too
many people ;-)

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

JLB said:

elyob said:

Never having used one, just wondering what people's experiences are of them.
What's the accomodation like? What if I know I'm a snorer?! 🙂

It's a long time since I stayed in a hostel. My parents bought me life
membership when I was a teenager.. I have yet to make really good use of it.

Last one I stayed in was Wanlockhead whose hostel stamp (do they still do
such things?) was a bicycle.

...d

elyob said:

Never having used one, just wondering what people's experiences are of them.
What's the accomodation like?

While we're on the subject, has anyone stayed at the Ty'n-y-caeau one in
Brecon? I'm pondering a trip up the Taff Trail to Brecon and back this
spring.

Quoted message said:

What if I know I'm a snorer?! 🙂

I must admit, this is my primary worry about communal sleeping
arrangements. I snore like a [censored].

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
"Too lazy to work, too nervous to steal"

elyob said:

Never having used one, just wondering what people's experiences are of them.
What's the accomodation like? What if I know I'm a snorer?! 🙂

I've used them a fair amount recently, and am generally impressed by
them. My experience in this country is limited, but on the continent
they've been fine, with one exception[1]. Basic facilities providing a
minimum standard, but usually quite well. You can also meet some
interesting people, especially if you're prepared to chat to strangers.

Best "props" that we found when touring northern Italy were a pack of
cards and a bottle of wine.

Jon

[1] Ostello di Mira. Allegedly near to Venice (The hostel in Venice
books up about 2-3 weeks in advance out of season!). Actually at the end
of a dirt track and basically in a swamp. Run by a group of kids. A
group of French girls who were staying there had their car broken into
while there. Given that there is no "passing" traffic and that the car
was parked next to the building, they had to be aware of who did it! If
it had been my first experience with hostels, it could have put me off
for life. Thankfully the rest were brilliant.

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 20:01:31 GMT, "elyob" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I was just kind of wondering whether I should join and set myself some plans
for the summer. Questions in no particular order ..

As from 1st March this year, membership is no longer necessary.
Non-members pay a £3 surcharge per night. If you intend to total more
than 5 nights then the membership pays for itself. Tip: YHA (Scotland)
life membership is cheaper than YHA (England and Wales) life
membership, and is valid anywhere.

Quoted message said:

It's called YHA, I'm 30+ does that count as youth?!

There are no longer any upper age restrictions. There are
knee-jerk-reaction limits to younger ages.

Quoted message said:

You mention facilities. Do some therefore offer washing machines and the
like?

Washing machines are rare, but you can wash your clothes in the
handbasin.

Quoted message said:

What if I was going to attempt LEJOG. Are there ones which fit in nicely
with the main route?

Probably. CTC have a pre-planned YHA route. "Nicely" is a subjective
term. I'm a pootler and find YHAs too thinly spread. Mile-eating
cyclists will have no problem reaching them.

Quoted message said:

If I'm by myself, then I'll be in a large dorm (mostly)?

Again, you will almost certainly have to share. But there is a move
away from large 20 bed dorms. 4,6&8 bedded rooms are more common now.
If you specifically wish to be alone then ask the warden. No promises
will be made but if the hostel is sufficiently quiet then it shouldn't
cause a problem. (Wardens tend to fill rooms completely before
spilling into the next one, as it makes cleaning much easier).

Quoted message said:

Obvious one, but are they welcome to cycles, and provide decent security (in
general)?

Every hostel I have stayed at has a bike shed of sorts. You will still
need to use your own bike-lock. If the warden is him/herself a keen
cyclist then you will often find repair facilities.

Quoted message said:

Thanks.

Quoted message said:

Any other general stuff to someone who has never used one appreciated.

Snoring is compulsary.
--
Jesus was apparently betrayed by 8.3% of his disciples.

"davek" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

elyob said:

It's called YHA, I'm 30+ does that count as youth?!

I vaguely recall from my dim-and-distant youth hostelling days that in
some countries there is an upper age limit - something like 26 in
Germany, I think.

This was never the case in England, though, so you'll be fine.

Bavarian youth hostels have an upper age limit of 26, hostels in the rest of
Germany have no upper age limit. If I translated the Bavarian youth hostel
webpage correctly, the Bavarian state government makes funds available to
organizations that cater to people under age 26. In order to receive these
funds, the Bavarian Youth Hostel Federation (Bayerische
Juegendherbergsverein) sets an upper age limit of 26. Youth group leaders
are exempt, as are (I think) parents travelling with children. I'm also told
that Bavarian youth hostels have started accepting guests who are over age
26 on a space available basis, after everyone under 26 has been
accommodated.
--
mark

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 23:14:06 GMT, elyob wrote in
<[email hidden]>, seen in
uk.rec.cycling:

Quoted message said:

"Ross Hamilton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm ashamed to admit that despite joining the YHA as a life member
(mainly with the intention of using hostels during my European
travels), I've never actually set foot in a hostel, here or abroad.

A mate said exactly the same tonight. Well, he said he's a life member and
stayed in on once.

The way I look at it now is, should I happen to end up somewhere
unbooked, I've always got the card should there be a hostel nearby to
use. And in years to come maybe I won't have the wherewithal to both
travel all over the place [1] *and* stay in decent hotels.

Bit like my NT & English Heritage life memberships which I don't get
all that much use out of: they're paid for, and who knows how useful
I'll find them in the future?

[1] One advantage of working for the railway: free & discounted travel
in Europe. 🙂

--
Ross, in Lincoln
Reply-to address will bounce; replace "junk-trap" with "me" for e-mail

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 08:45:12 +0000, Richard Bates wrote in
<[email hidden]>, seen in uk.rec.cycling:

Quoted message said:

Tip: YHA (Scotland)
life membership is cheaper than YHA (England and Wales) life
membership, and is valid anywhere.

And, AAMOI, should you be into castles and other historic things, CADW
(Wales) life membership is significantly cheaper than life membership
of either English Heritage or Historic Scotland, with the same
benefits (free entry for two into EH, HS & CADW properties, and I
think IoM too).

At almost 20 quid for two to get into Edinburgh Castle, for example,
that card comes in handy when I have friends visiting. 😉

--
Ross, in Lincoln
Reply-to address will bounce; replace "junk-trap" with "me" for e-mail