Hostels and bunkhouses where breakfast is available.
Although historically hostels and bunkhouses are self catering, these days it is relatively easy to find places that provide you with breakfast. The map above shows the locations of these and a similar map is available showing hostels and bunkhouses where evening meals can be ordered.
Among our network of Independent Hostels, there are many hostels that will happily provide you with a full English / Scottish or Welsh breakfast. More often than not the eggs, sausages and bacon will have been produced locally. In fact at New Ing Lodge in Shap, the eggs are laid by the chickens you see scratching in the garden. There are some bunkhouses too, especially those on long distance paths and cycle routes, that will also do breakfast. Bunkhouses that are used by large groups, in particular, school groups will also often provide a catered option and most will provide vegetarian or vegan options, especially if given advanced notice.
The large city centre hostels often provide free hot drinks and a help yourself continental breakfast as part of their overnight fee. The smaller more rural hostels do make a charge and these are very often substantial meals designed for walkers out in the wilds all day. You will definitely need to pre-book your meals at these hostels.
The hardened and well organised self-caterers among you may well scorn the idea of someone else preparing your breakfast. But there are many circumstances when sitting down to a hot sizzling, hearty meal, prepared by somebody else, is just what is needed.
For instance when you are traveling long distances to a destination and book in for one night at a hostel to break your journey you really don’t want to be worrying about packing your provisions on that stopover morning. So booking in at a hostel that provides breakfast is the solution. Or you may be walking or cycling between hostels and don’t want to carry your breakfast with you each day, so once again finding a hostel that provides breakfast is the answer. It is worth remembering that while evening meals are often readily available at local pubs it is far harder to find somewhere close to your hostel that will serve you breakfast.
For those of you who use the hostels as a base for activity holidays; climbing, canoeing, hill walking, mountain biking, etc, you may find days when you want an early start. It is much quicker and easier to treat yourselves to a breakfast cooked by the hostel owner or staff than stressing and trying to do it yourself.
If there are a lot of people in your group, perhaps coming from different places for a reunion or party, it might be a lot easier to have your first meal of the holiday cooked for you. Then after tucking into a delicious cooked breakfast you can go out and buy the provisions for the rest of the week from the local shops. So much easier than getting different people to buy different things, or having one person buy it all and have to pack it in the car with the rest of their clothes and equipment.
Some people like to have breakfast prepared for them on the morning of their departure too, especially if they are leaving very early and perhaps want to pack the car the night before. There is nothing like a hearty meal to set you up for the journey home…and you won’t be wanting much to eat at lunchtime either.
And then just sometimes it is nice to book a cooked breakfast just because you are on holiday and it’s a treat.
So next time you are planning to go away don’t forget that, no matter where you are going in England, Scotland or Wales, it is very easy to find a hostel with breakfast provided.
