Cycling UK Forum

I've just been up to Kendal YHA and there is a notice on the board that it is to close some time arround Sept, I dont think a date has been set yet. I think it's a good staging post to get you in the lakes or out of the Manchester area for LE JoG and according to the staff it's quite finacialy viable. the snag is it's an old building and that is where the problem lies, grade 2 listed. There is a hope that the hostel will be bought by a private concern or individual and it will keep going.

Grasmere Thorney How is going too sadly. According to this article in the Westmorland Gazette, it's not because these hostels aren't viable; they've been chosen because they're the most saleable properties, so the YHA can reinvest the money elsewhere in the network. I think this is appalling: Thorney How was the first property the YHA ever bought.

http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/ ... h_hostels/

Regretfully this is the way of YHA for a considerable number of years, close smaller hostels esp those that are expensive in their upkeep, and reinvest in swanky town centre hostels.

In all fairness to the YHA they do have rather a lot of hostels in the Lake District, there's loads of other excellent ones to stay in big and small.

Malpas wrote:In all fairness to the YHA they do have rather a lot of hostels in the Lake District, there's loads of other excellent ones to stay in big and small.

The idea behind "loads" of hostels is to walk from one to the other.
Nowadays it seems that most people arrive by car.