Developed by the Royal Geographical Society, Discovering Britain is an exciting series of geographically-themed, self-guided walks in locations across the UK. Discovering Britain aims to brings geography alive for everyone. Why not enjoy a few of these walks and make Read the full article…
Category: Story
Corris – A Centre for Alternative Hostelry
I arrived at Corris Hostel wet and somewhat weary after an afternoon hillwalking around nearby Machynlleth. It was a Friday, mid October; this was now my third time staying here but I still had plenty left in the area to occupy myself with for the rest of the weekend. The place was just as I recalled it.
Locally Sourced and Scrumptious
New Ing Lodge on the high fells of Shap make an extra effort to source local food. The meals they serve are simple British recipes at their best and because the food is bought from locally high class producers it is fresh and high quality. This all shows in the fulfilling taste, which is just what you need after a day out in the wilds of Cumbria. I have never known simple food taste so good.
Aye aye Pal, city break in Glasgow
For all the hard partying of a weekend, there is also a very elegant and cultured side to Glasgow, tilt your head upwards and Victorian edifices of yesteryear come into focus.
Trendy Manchester
The accommodation is located in the Northern Quarter of the city which for me is a ‘must-stay’ area. This bohemian district is packed with trendy Manchester bars and clubs, pavement cafes, from which to sip a latte; whilst watching trendy young Mancunians buzz around the Northern Quarter,
School Group; Over the hills and far away
No two school groups are the same and just recently DERWENTWATER INDEPENDENT HOSTEL staff were fascinated and intrigued to see how students from two very different parts of the globe enjoyed their visit to the hostel.
Stay and Play music gigs at Clink Hostels
Clink Hostel’s ‘Stay and Play’ gives musicians and travellers a free bed for the night in the nation’s capital, and all they have to do in return is play at Clink78’s smartly refurbished bar,
Two nights at Llangollen Hostel
I went out for an evening stroll through the foxglove-filled Pen-y-coed woodlands. I climbed up to the top of the hill overlooking Llangollen to explore the dramatic Castell Dinas Bran ruins.
Geocaching around Bala
Geocaching is a gps based treasure hunt to find hidden containers in interesting locations. Bala is an area that has some geocaches that I have been keen to visit and I was totally blown away by the views and the quality of what I found when geocaching Bala.
Edale Bunkhouse
Rock Hopping on the path up to Kinder Scout in the Dark Peak. We were staying at the THE STABLES BUNKHOUSE on the flank of the Kinder plateau, the start of the Pennine way. It has a fab location just on the edge of the wilderness and a five minutes’ walk from the pubs in Edale.
Shap; Breaking a Journey at New Ing Lodge
We stayed at New Ing Lodge in Shap to break our journey on the way from south England to Scotland. Just five minutes from the M6, and offering so much more then a Travel Lodge, our night at New Ing Lodge became one of the best bits of the holiday.
Skiddaw House : A snow odyssey
On Friday the 22nd of March, gale force winds started, combined with snowfalls, which were horizontal and relentless for 4 days over Skiddaw. The result was huge snowdrifts on the access track, making it impossible to get in and out of Skiddaw House hostel for 3 weeks.
Open water canoeing at Derwentwater
The perfect place to explore and kayak in Borrowdale, with easy access to Keswick and Buttermere and open water canoeing access direct from the hostel we couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Stop over in Alnwick Hostel
Our long drive home from Scotland was broken by a stay in a small ensuite room in the ALNWICK YOUTH HOSTEL. Alnwick has myriads of stone paved roads, independent shops, cafes and pubs. Set amidst the streets, almost built into them is Alnwick Castle. This is where the courtyard scenes in the early Harry Potter films were shot.
Surfing in South Wales
After a quick tour of the hostel we headed over to Sam’s Surf Shack to rent the a coupe of boards, wetsuits and boots to explore the Rhossili Surf.
Geocaching around Ambleside
I spent Easter weekend in the Lake District researching an article and looking for a selection of hidden items. I was geocaching. If you have not heard of geocaching, it is possibly the fastest growing outdoor activity in the UK.
Kendal, Historic Lakeland Tour
At Kendal I received a warm welcome from Jan at Kendal Hostel (currently closed), right in the middle of town. Jan, a Blue Badge guide, gave me a wealth of information on the town. In the evening I set off to see what was on offer at the Brewery Arts Centre behind the hostel.
A Weekend in the Woods at Shining Cliff Hostel
Rather unseasonable for this year the first Saturday in March was a glorious warm cloud free day. The ancient woodlands where we spent the weekend gloried in the signs of spring already showing a hint of the Bluebells that will cover the understory in six weeks or so.
Self Catering Cottage or Dudmaston Bunkhouse ?
I was looking for a holiday cottage when I came across the Independent Hostel Guide. I was looking for self catering accommodation for 4 families in Shropshire. I thought we needed a large self catering holiday cottage or self catering house, but Big Mose Bunkhouse was a fraction of the price, self catering and turned out to be perfect.
December in the Lake District
I’ve been to the Lake District many times, but never before in winter. We arrived in Kendal just as sunset was turning the surrounding hills a delicious shade of ice cream pink.
Conwy Valley
The Conwy Valley stretches from the heart of Snowdonia out to Wales north west coast and is an ecologically precious area rich in ancient history. Most people head here to enjoy the spectacular walking in the national park, yet there is so much more to this pocket of North Wales than simply Snowdonia.
