June is a great month for youth hostels. The weather is great, the days are long and can be warm. For many youth hostels it's the busiest time of year, especially for those with school and youth groups staying. It's also an important month for youth hostels. It's the month when they had their official... Continue Reading →
Never overtaken, never equalled
The Magic Triangle is an indispensable history of youth hostels around the world. Written by two men from the international federation of youth hostels it is a definitive history which, given its scope, is unlikely to be equalled or overtaken. Sadly it is rarely available today. Published in 1982, the book runs from the beginning... Continue Reading →
A brave experiment
Just back from a week in the Outer Hebrides, that chain of islands on the edge of the Atlantic coast of Scotland that I love so much. Time up there reminds me of a brave experiment in youth hostels that began in 1961. Each year in September, Herbert Gatliff, an unusual and influential Englishman, took... Continue Reading →
Youth hostel words and how they evolve
I love words. Not surprising. I wouldn't write if I didn't and I love the etymology of words. I love finding out where words come from. The word hostel is an old one. It pops up in a translation of Genesis and Exodus from 1250 and in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in about... Continue Reading →
Should we ban cars?
This week the Guardian ran a piece on the ten best hostels and lodges that can only be reached by foot. Surprisingly to me and another reader they neglected Black Sail hut in the Lake District but included Glen Affric in Scotland. More interesting than that oversight, another reader commented that "the Youth Hostels Association... Continue Reading →
SIMPLY HOSTELS 