youth hostels, the history, people and ideas behind them
Back at Borrowdale in the Lake District a couple of weeks ago, I remembered I was last there about fifteen years ago. Lots has changed and lots has not, but that’s a bit like youth hostels too. Last time, I went to Borrowdale because the deputy prime minister, then John Prescott, wanted a visit. He... Continue Reading →
Chatting to a reporter from the BBC last week while taking part in an interview about the history of youth hostels, I was reminded that youth hostels were radical when they began and how much work had to be done to secure their future in 1930. Youth hostels are such a part of life for... Continue Reading →
The youth hostel at Malham is a lasting testament to one man and the history of his wider family’s long association with youth hostels. John Dower, a local architect, designed the hostel in 1937. He also designed the youth hostels at Eskdale in Cumbria and at Bellingham in Northumberland. He achieved a wider reputation when... Continue Reading →
For anyone interested in social history hostels are great. You can visit hostels that played a part in a big social movement, discover another part of the hostel story or get a feel for what people valued most almost a century ago. With a bit of imagination you can carry yourself back to a time... Continue Reading →
In 1932 people around Europe banded together and started an era of travel for all young people. Here's the brief story of those events. You can read the full story of how youth hostels developed in Richard Schirrmann, the man who invented youth hostels, available from Amazon, paperback or kindle. In the early 1930s different... Continue Reading →
SIMPLY HOSTELS 