The Journey: 90th anniversary

We're celebrating 90 years of adventure for all. Take a look at then and now – our trip back in time offers a taste of how life has changed during YHA's history. 1930 Price of a pint of beer: Approximately 5p Take in the view: Blackpool Tower (158m/518ft) UK...

We speak to Ray Mears – TV presenter, author and Fjallraven’s bushcraft ambassador – on why now is the perfect time to be focusing on the small details of nature, and what we can learn from other cultures and their relationship with the land. How did you get your...

Lord John Bird MBE is a campaigner, social entrepreneur and life peer. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Big Issue, and a lifelong advocate of YHA. He spoke to The Journey while at a critical point in helping to push through the Ride Out Recession...

1. Find the county’s highest pointWherever you find yourself in 2021, turn it into a little treasure hunt by reaching the highest point of the county you’re in. If you’re in Cumbria, that means climbing Scafell Pike, at 978 metres; if you’re in Derbyshire, it means...

On our 90th anniversary, we thought it would be the perfect time to list 90 of our favourite things to do. 1. Climbing a tree 2. Baking a cake 3. Listening for woodpeckers 4. Playing an instrument 5. Learning a new language 6. Eating something you’ve cooked...

This magazine is called The Journey. We gave it that name because staying with YHA is all about discovering new places and having new experiences. But we humans aren’t the only ones to make special journeys. Here are four extraordinary animals who make incredible...

Welcome to our special section for our youngest hostellers. YHA began all the way back in 1930 (the same year that Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, was born!), and children have been staying in our hostels ever since. In a normal year, around 400,000...

The YHA Songbook was first published in 1952, and it remains a fondly remembered part of our past. Picture the scene. It’s the 1950s, and you’ve arrived one autumn evening at a YHA hostel in the Lakes. The welcome is a warm one. The warden takes your details,...

For the past five years, our magazines have featured exclusive interviews with some truly inspirational characters. Here’s a selection of the messages they’ve shared with us.  Chris Packham, presenter & naturalist “To stimulate interest in the natural...

Much like our hostels, the YHA magazines like the one you’re reading now have gone through various iterations over the decades. They’ve always aimed to inspire and inform. Here’s the cover of our very first magazine.“Breakfasted, Booted and ON THE MARCH” By...

This year marks our 90th anniversary as an organisation, but YHA’s story stretches back even further – and it’s seen more twists and turns than a switchback mountain trail. Here’s the full timeline of our evolution, from the first years of the 20th century to the...

The official opening of Maeshafn youth hostel on 4th July 1931. Tom Fairclough, Rev HH Symonds and Berta Gough are all present. From the beginning, YHA has always been a grassroots organisation. Its formation came about thanks to people all over the country – of...

Our hostels span several centuries of different design trends. The 150-plus hostels in our network are united in terms of their values, their purpose and their spirit of welcome. But they differ from each other in countless ways. From Swiss-style chalets and former...

Guests have been collecting stamps at YHA hostels for more than 80 years – and the tradition continues. Everyone loves the chance to reflect on where they’ve been. It was back in 1939 when the first YHA hostel stamps were issued, and they quickly became a point of...

Our 90th anniversary year has been very different to the year we imagined, writes Chief Executive James Blake. The challenges are more significant than ever, but our mission has never been more important. YHA is a national charity determined to stay at the...

From our longest-serving members to our youngest school groups, we always love receiving your letters and emails. Here's a recent selection. Dear YHA, Seventy years ago, in September 1949, my mother and godmother set off on a cycling adventure of Cornwall. They...

Seventy-five years on, their smiles are still contagious. This hale and hearty group of YHA members are pictured in around 1945, engaged in the simple act of enjoying the outdoors. The support of our members has always been integral to everything we stand for as a...