YHA hostels without dorm beds

[jgurney]

After noticing some YHA hostels were listed as having private rooms only or being available as 'whole hostel' only, I checked what was available all round.

I was surprised to see that only 69 of the 118 YHA hostels (59%) listed had dorm beds on offer.
Another 23 hostels offered private rooms but not dorm beds, and 26 hostels were only available on a 'whole hostel basis).

6 of the 23 with private rooms but no dorm beds also offered camping spaces. In some cases where only private rooms were offered, they cost little more than dorm beds (e.g. £21/night) but others were a lot more costly (e.g. £70 at Holmbury St Mary).

I know that some small hostels have been available only on a whole hostel basis during the week when out of season for a long time, but 26 being on that basis in mid-May seems alarming. Some available only as whole hostel bookings have never worked that way before as far as I know (e.g. Tanners Hatch, Honister Hause, Lockton ('Dalby Forest') and Snowdon Ranger.

The Home Counties seems particularly affected. with both Tanners Hatch and Jordans on whole hostel only, and Streatly and Holmbury St Mary with private rooms only, the nearest dorm beds to London (but not in it) are in the South Downs (Truleigh Hill and Southease ['South Downs']), Canterbury and Cambridge. It seems incredible that the Chilterns and Surrey Hills have no YHA dorm beds on offer.

[Jdsk]

... and closures etc:
viewtopic.php?t=156555

Things change. Perhaps you could add a bit more on why this is a change for the worse.

Jonathan

[axel_knutt]

As the warden at Bellever said to me over 15 years ago:

"Travelodge are our competitors now".

It's not what I would have wanted, but I'm already used to a lifetime of being in a minority of one anyway.

[Jdsk]

There's a long thread of grumbles on here somewhere about the way the YHA are going.

Not surprisingly there's several. But there's one fewer than there might have been because of a fortuitous merge. : - )

Jonathan

[jimlews]

With the delusions of grandeur of the present YHA management, the organisation is moving ever further from it's founding ethos.
One way whereby they might re-engender that ethos could be to offer accommodation along the lines of the Japanese "capsule hotels".

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2025_capsule_hotels.html

If it were done well, they might offer overnight accommodation for, perhaps, £12.00 - £15.00 while still retaining the "posh" expensive stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if the novelty alone would bring in many new customers.

[jgurney]

Perhaps you could add a bit more on why this is a change for the worse.

- YH's available as whole hostels only are no use to the solo tourer or to small groups.

- YH's with only private rooms available are more expensive for the solo tourer (except the odd ones where the room charge is little more then a dorm bed charge). They are also unsuited for small mixed-sex groups (e.g. 3 or 4 friends of the same sex will generally be fine about sharing a private room, but 3 or 4 friends not all the same sex may well not be, or their parents might not be: single-sex dorms get round that issue).

- London has the largest concentration of people in the country. The current regional lack of dorm beds means that most inhabitants of Greater London are more than 50 miles cycling distance from any YH with dorm beds available. There is only one remaining possible triangular three-day trip out from London using two hostels with dorm beds - riding from the southern suburbs to stay at Truleigh Hill and Southease. That does not do much to encourage "young people of limited means" from the area to try cycling to hostels.

[Jdsk]

Thankyou

Jonathan

[jgurney]

- London has the largest concentration of people in the country. The current regional lack of dorm beds means that most inhabitants of Greater London are more than 50 miles cycling distance from any YH with dorm beds available. There is only one remaining possible triangular three-day trip out from London using two hostels with dorm beds - riding from the southern suburbs to stay at Truleigh Hill and Southease. That does not do much to encourage "young people of limited means" from the area to try cycling to hostels.

For the West Midlands, the second largest conurbation, the situation is slightly better, but not good.
Two YH's with dorm beds are within 50 miles of all parts of the West Midlands (Coalport and Stratford-upon-Avon). Three more (Ilam Hall, All Stretton and Sheen) are within 50 miles of some parts. Triangular trips of under 50 miles/day could be made from western parts like Dudley to Coalport and All Stretton or from northern parts like Walsall to Ilam Hall and Sheen.

When I first began cycle touring there were a lot more options. E.g. from my former home in south-west London, there were 12 YH's within 50 miles cycling range (excluding London ones), or 8 disregarding those within 25 miles. That created lots of options for 2 or 3 night tours. I think the modern beginner having so fewer options is certainly a change for the worse.

[gbnz]

"Travelodge are our competitors now".
.

Dorm beds. Quick check, £68 to survive for the night, in the YHA dorm a few doors down the road, tomorrow night.
Obviously it'd be too late to check in tonight, it's past 20.00Hr's.. Have actually been having a quick look in the paper at campsites over in the Lakes (Nb. May drop by next ten days or so) ......£17 - £26 the norm, for sites I know, nights of noise & poor sleep, queue for the toilet, take one's own toilet paper, disinfect after using the sinks et al

Or Travelodge ? £30-£35 for the Travelodge's I've used the past year. Central City locations, dead quiet throughout, superb bedding, ensuite facilities, direct entry onto various towns medieval walls for an evening walk. Or another towns medieval walls, or that 17th century canal, outside the door, Oh and of course, never had an issue turning up @ 22.00, staff always adamant they'll get someone to carry my bike up to the room. Have benefited from a FOC full breakfast previously, "you're cycling", "we'll give you a breakfast". Think it was last year, Travelodge staff ran down to a local bike shop, to see if they could sort some spares (Nb. Tube ? Pads? a Bolt ? can't remember)

Doubt YHA offer such and campsites ? Last years "you can't pitch your tent now, its past 20.00 Hr's", not being uncommon (Nb. Camping & Caravan site, Lakes last spring)

Prefer a wild camp, occasional night in a hotel. But £68 to "sleep" in a dorm ?

[rareposter]

I think the modern beginner having so fewer options is certainly a change for the worse.

I think people now have got far MORE options.

When I did a bit of MTB touring (based on the Tim Woodcock books) as a teenager with a mate from school, we had a load of looking in the YHA book, our parents sending off cheques...
And then we'd arrive, there'd be a bunfight over a shared kitchen, a night that could be disturbed by various snoring / people arriving late / people leaving early and then a bunch of "chores" to do in the morning before you could leave.

Now you can book pretty much anything at any budget online in a few clicks, have a private room, quite often take the bike into it... And quite often not much more than a dorm room.

No contest.
The problem with these YHA threads is they always bring out the folk in rose-tinted specs who recall the days when they'd turn up, share a jolly old yarn of travels on the road with some fellow cyclists, compare the virtues of a Dawes Galaxy vs a Raleigh Randonneur over lashings of ginger beer and it'd all be like something out of an Enid Blyton novel.

All I can say is most of my worst ever nights have been in a YHA. It'd literally be the last place I'd look now after AirBNB, Premier Inn, Travelodge, wild-camping in a hedgerow and...eventually, if there was no other option, a YHA.

They lost their way years ago - trying to compete with the likes of AirBnB, Premier Inn, online booking sites, any number of camping / glamping options and a massive reduction in the number of people doing walking & cycling trips hostel to hostel. That, combined with the sheer cost of upkeep on mostly old, draughty and slightly rundown properties, has forced them to try and adapt. They sold off a load of their less profitable properties.

[Navrig]

There is also a growing network of private/independent hostels.

https://independenthostels.co.uk/backpacker-hostels/

I've used a few of these and they are fine. Most have dorms as well as doubles.

[Paulatic]

I noticed the independent hostel near me isn’t listed in that prior link.
https://www.moffathostel.com/
It is listed on https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/europe/scotland/

[mjr]

Dorm beds. Quick check, £68 to survive for the night, in the YHA dorm a few doors down the road, tomorrow night. [...]
Or Travelodge ? £30-£35 for the Travelodge's I've used the past year.

For tomorrow night? I'm travelling more this year, mostly central and southern England, and I've yet to see one anywhere near that cheap unless booked far ahead.

[mjr]

(e.g. 3 or 4 friends of the same sex will generally be fine about sharing a private room, but 3 or 4 friends not all the same sex may well not be, or their parents might not be: single-sex dorms get round that issue).

I don't think most people object to a mixed room. 'Single-sex' rooms were always a fiction anyway, as there are people who can present as either or neither, but the sort of people who demand to share only with people with similar underpants contents like to pretend otherwise.

[PH]

recall the days when they'd turn up, share a jolly old yarn of travels on the road with some fellow cyclists,
<<<<SNIP>>>
my worst ever nights have been in a YHA.

Made me laugh. I've experienced both, probably in equal measure.
The inability to book a string of hostels to make a weeks tour, caused me to go out and buy some cheap camping gear, that was 23 years ago. I've hardly used a hostel since, other than when it's been a group booking.
I often hear how YHA has lost it's way, the world has changed and if they hadn't I'm doubtful they'd still exist. The original ethos was about the Y, when I was a frequent user I was considered youthful in my 40's. If anything, with the high reliance on school groups, they're probably closer to that original ethos now than they were 25 years ago.