Cycling UK Forum

For some time the number of youth hostels has been reducing, often in locations suitable for long distance cycle tourists. I have been a YHA member from about 1964 and have seen how some hostels succeed, and others fail.

YHA Grinton Lodge is up for sale, asking price £950,000. Nearby hostels like Aysgrath, Keld, Ellingstring have all closed, leaving Grinton Lodge and Hawes in the northern part of the Yorkshire Dales. Hawes appears to have a high usage by school groups, meaning that often it is difficult o find a YHA vacancy and if Grinton Lodge closes the problem of using the YHA in the area will be made much worse.

There is potential for a cycle route from the northern Lake District to Whitby, using Grinton Lodge as a middle location for the Whitby route. Hostels at Whitby, Osmotherby, Helvellyn may also gain from the cycle route.

To provide more funding to YHA and Grinton Lodge my suggestion/proposal is for the YHA to issue share options to YHA members or affiliates, such as Cycling UK or the Ramblers groups. Shares offered at a price reflecting the property value. For example, at £950,000 value and at 10000 shares in Grinton Lodge, each share worth is £95.
Possibly one share could be purchased for £95 and provide a 10% discount on bed night fees at Grinton Lodge and perhaps a 5% discount for any other hostel in England and Wales, up to five shares per member allowed.

Shares could be returned to the YHA at 90% of the original value when not required. If the hostel closed or was transferred to new owners, a refund of 1/10000 of the property value could be returned or an offer to transfer the shares to an alternative hostel with adjustments for any differences in values. Each year the hostel property value could be estimated and listed in the YHA accounts. YHA would need to specify precise terms and conditions.
Could this approach support hostels located to help cycling and should Cycling UK engage with the YHA to explore how this may be workable and benefit both cycling and the YHA?

Could this suggestion be discussed at the Cycling UK AGM 19 September or submitted for consideration at the YHA AGM, is 9 November. I think other changes at the YHA may be desirable and need assessing.
https://www.yha.org.uk/about-yha/governance
If I submit the above, can someone second it?

I would consider buying five shares.

https://www.geograph.org.uk/article/For ... -Britain/1
https://guardian.pressreader.com/articl ... 6460788021

Several threads on YHA in the not-too-distant past:

viewtopic.php?t=165086
(there's also a link within the first couple of posts on there about YHA closures)

Ultimately, they stopped caring about walkers and cyclists, they've got competition from the likes of Travelodge / Holiday Inn and it's a lot easier for them to just focus on school groups / DoE / large group bookings.

Seems like a reasonable idea (whilst I admit I have little knowledge of the finance/feasability side!).

What would YHA have to lose? And it might be an excellent proof-of-concept for future sales.

My gut says that CUK won't touch this, but I suppose we won't know until we propose it? I'm already a member (but not currently a YHA member).

Some useful links and information from cyclists. One positive comment mentions Grinton.

https://www.cyclinguk.org/policies-and- ... d-accounts

It appears CTC has funds available to promote cycling. If they purchased shares in hostels suitable for linking routes or as bases for cycle rides, some positive outcome may be achieved.
All hostels listed as possibly closing could be assessed for investment in.
Perhaps Grinton Lodge as a trail and have a plan after consultation with the YHA.

It’s an interesting idea but I doubt you would get 10,000 people to buy shares at £95 each. And it only saves one hostel, so what happens the next time they decide to sell off a hostel?

If 10,000 people were using it every year then I doubt it would be up for sale.
As a business proposition it’s a huge old building which must require a lot of expense to keep it going. There are also , that I know of, a couple of bunk house style places near by.
My last stay at Grinton,was I think August 2023, I had a dorm to myself despite a stay there was on offer at £9/ night I shared the members kitchen, next morning, with a hiker no one else.
The dog kennels in the grounds were full of families and fire pits. Peoples 'wants' have changed and as much as I would like it to be there if I can make it up that hill again I don’t think it’s viable.

Gave up on YHA when they allowed advance booking, it no longer is for those that arrive under their own power, & car travellers ruined the atmosphere completely......Oh, if only we could go back to the 50s/60s....

It's on the Coast to Coast. There were ~20,000 a year walking that at one time, but when it was made an official National Trail in 2022 the figures were down to 6000.

TrevA wrote: 13 Sep 2025, 3:04pm It’s an interesting idea but I doubt you would get 10,000 people to buy shares at £95 each.

But you don't know unless you ask.

TrevA wrote: 13 Sep 2025, 3:04pm And it only saves one hostel, so what happens the next time they decide to sell off a hostel?

We see where it goes. Maybe lots of people have Nx£95 in savings? DId you think of that? Are you always this pessimistic?

mattheus wrote: 13 Sep 2025, 6:49pm

TrevA wrote: 13 Sep 2025, 3:04pm It’s an interesting idea but I doubt you would get 10,000 people to buy shares at £95 each.

But you don't know unless you ask.

TrevA wrote: 13 Sep 2025, 3:04pm And it only saves one hostel, so what happens the next time they decide to sell off a hostel?

We see where it goes. Maybe lots of people have Nx£95 in savings? DId you think of that? Are you always this pessimistic?

Good luck with it, but I won’t be investing.

Paulatic wrote: 13 Sep 2025, 5:48pm If 10,000 people were using it every year then I doubt it would be up for sale.

Doesn't matter. Perhaps people will buy-in despite not planning to stay there? (Isn't that how landlords and hotel owners operate?)

Paulatic wrote: 13 Sep 2025, 5:48pm The dog kennels in the grounds were full of families and fire pits. Peoples 'wants' have changed and as much as I would like it to be there if I can make it up that hill again I don’t think it’s viable.

That's a good thing. The "dog kennels" might subsidise the main building, who knows? It's called diversification, or a diverse portfolio. Do you know about these terms?

The suggestion could encourage people within cycling distance or for walking groups near by to buy shares, resulting in more people attending. Cyclists or Cycling UK could choose hostels that helped with routes and cycling networks or arrange special cycling events based on the hostels. The net result could increase usage and add to options for cycling trips. They don't need to sell 10,000 shares, they don't need to obtain £950,000, they only likely need for an increase in people visiting to make it more profitable.

It would also become more personal knowing they have shares in the hostel they are visiting.
Grinton Lodge to
Leeds is about 61 miles and
60 miles to Newcastle,
York 58 miles,
Harrogate 43 miles.

I don't see much of a loss side to the suggestion, as shares could be returned and extra people using the hostel could keep them open. If the end result was positive, for the YHA and Cycling UK, potentially it may be helpful.

ps I stayed at Grinton last month, several cyclists, families, walkers, campers etc.

axel_knutt wrote: 13 Sep 2025, 6:25pm It's on the Coast to Coast. There were ~20,000 a year walking that at one time, but when it was made an official National Trail in 2022 the figures were down to 6000.

For the last 4 years , since a great campsite opened, I’ve had a week in Danby Wiske. I spend too much time in the White Swan. It’s coast to coast walkers which keep it in business along with the back packing camping field at the campsite. Very interesting different people to talk to every night. There is a very definite pattern with overnight locations. One guy recently described the walk as a pub crawl
In the backpackers field I’ve only spoke with one guy who was going to stay at the Grinton hostel. He stopped at the Buck Inn for a meal before heading off up the hill to the hostel. On learning of his plans the Buck Inn offered him a room at a discounted rate he couldn’t refuse.
What I wonder is when there were 20,000 a year where on earth did they all overnight at? A lot of capacity must have gone.

mattheus wrote: 13 Sep 2025, 6:52pm Perhaps people will buy-in despite not planning to stay there? (Isn't that how landlords and hotel owners operate?)

I'd rather spend the £95 on actually staying somewhere. On which note, a quick glance at booking.com for a random couple of nights in September shows it's cheaper to stay at the pub where I can have my own room than it is to stay at the YHA where I'll have to share with any number of randoms coming and going.

If you're going to offer dorm accommodation, it needs to be dorm prices, not more expensive than my own room and a full breakfast provided in a B&B.

Dales Bike Centre is also just up the road, that's an excellent bunkhouse type stopover (also with a campsite and some pod accommodation options) and again, cheaper than the YHA plus with guaranteed secure bike storage and a cycle workshop.

In fact if Grinton are wondering where their potential customers are, I'd guess they're 2 minutes up the road at DBC... One significant factor in that might be that (according to a review from this time last year on TripAdvisor), the YHA has one outdoor socket for charging e-bikes and won't allow them indoors. That's just unacceptable in this day and age. DBC allow charging of both fixed- and removable battery e-bikes indoors.