You never know who you'll meet in a hostel self-catering kitchen, and at YHA New Forest, at a certain time of year, you're as likely to find yourself surrounded by ethereal creatures with wings and flowers in their hair as by hikers with backpacks and bobble hats....
To be awestruck by an engineering wonder of the world you don't need to travel to the Pyramids or even as far as the Humber Bridge. There's one a minute's walk from YHA Ironbridge Coalport, past the kilns of the old china works and the duck houses bobbing on the...
Imagine you're a seagull and swoop down to YHA Manorbier using the satellite view on Google Earth. This is the best way to appreciate in advance of arrival the hostel's location, perched above the craggy Pembrokeshire coast. It's surrounded by wildflower meadows,...
Is there a more carefree way to travel than on the open top of a double-decker bus? On a sunny spring morning we wound slowly through the lanes towards Land's End, looking down on clouds of blackthorn and out to the turquoise sea. We heard the cheerful twittering...
In the walled garden at Avebury Manor lime-green fists of rhubarb were punching through the soil. A ladybird crept out of hibernation to warm up on a twig. The low sun lit up snowdrops and crocuses; now and then a bee buzzed past. After a dreary winter, spring was...
"Goodbye orange door, I love you!" said the little girl next door as her family hoisted their rucksacks and left their chalet in the dim October morning light. How attached kids can get to a place in a very short time: we too have often had to say formal 'goodbyes'...
"The road to the Honister Pass has turned into a waterfall!" "Abandoned cars are blocking the road to Keswick." "A four-wheel drive might be able to get out via Grange." Reports came in thick and fast as the rain fell in sheets, non-stop, for three days; the River...
I had overheard people discussing The Winter Timetable in tones that suggested it was important, but didn't understand why until a member of the team at YHA Keswick spelled it out for me: "It means that some local bus routes will stop running from tomorrow. So if,...
Along with a camera and a coffee pot there's one more thing I try not to forget when packing for a trip: our kite. To untangle its colourful tail streamers and throw it straight up into the gale blowing off the sea brings an instant and joyful feeling of connection...
Can any other words revive two hot and crumpled children as quickly as: "By the way, there are a couple of trampolines in the garden"? We had arrived at YHA Cholderton Stonehenge on a sunny May evening, and it was a welcome oasis: a Wiltshire farmhouse built from...
"Don't be a Guillemot!" We might have been bemused by this social distancing sign had we not earlier peered over the cliff and seen these streamlined, penguin-like seabirds huddled together on a ledge beside the crashing waves. Previously we'd encountered them only...
By Jenny Lunnon, YHA's Family Ambassador An old woollen mill beside the rushing River Greta, YHA Keswick is a great choice for a winter or spring family break. Though it doesn't have its own outdoor space it's right by lovely Fitz Park, which offers sports...
