Impressions of the Deepdale Granary.

By Jean

Stepping off the bus outside Deepdale Granary  we were greeted in the reception by friendly, helpful staff which got our trip off to a wonderful start.

The hostel was clean and cosy. We felt it was excellent value. Easy to use electronic keys were supplied for the front door. Heating was available if needed. Tea, coffee, and sugar were provided.

The hostel is very well located in the lovely village of Burnham Deepdale with lots of interesting places to visit locally and a good bus service. A weekly bus ticket cost £36 and we made good use of it. A range of shops and a good supermarket were only steps away. How convenient to have the reception area in an Information Centre!

The bunk rooms were spacious, and with only 9 of us staying the facilities were ample. (The Granary has capacity for 18).  Parking was good. The obliging staff supplied a Scrabble set when requested and also gave us details of places to eat locally. I was most impressed that shower mats were provided. There was very good WiFi throughout the hostel.

The compact kitchen was very well equipped. Several Members commented on the excellent larder fridge.

An outdoor space would have been great, but no doubt we could have used the main hostel courtyard shared with the sister hostel on the same site,  Deepdale Rooms and Camping.    It is worth noting that larger groups can spill over to the other building which has 50 beds in private en suite rooms of varying sizes.

Our Entertainment

By Robin

A great time was had by one and all.  Our ranks were swelled by one extra member who joined us just for the last night and another who stayed in her camper van on the camping field. Amazingly, on both full days the whole complement started together on a walk, made possible by the excellent coastal bus service operating in the area.

Wednesday 11 September 2019

This morning we all set off westwards on the coastal path for a couple of miles to Brancaster.  After a coffee stop, the group split up, with some getting the bus to Titchwell RSPB Reserve.  Six of us carried on along the coast path on a less-than-inspiring inland section, finally coming back to the coast road at Thornham.  We had lunch by the church and some of us visited the adjacent pub.  More people split off to the bus, with a last intrepid two walking along the main road to the RSPB Reserve where we had time to walk along the sea-wall to the beach and back.  Then it was catch the bus back to base for a welcome cuppa or two.

Thursday 12 September 2019

Today we went east and to start with we all drove to Holkham where we met a member who lives locally and had offered to lead a walk in and around Holkham Park, the grounds of the stately home Holkham Hall.  Again, we all walked together at the start, passing the estate church.  Soon more than half of the group peeled off to the Hall.  The rest of us continued on to one of the lodges and followed just outside the perimeter of the park round to the southern lodge at the end of a long drive back towards the Hall.  Some way along the drive, more left us to carry on straight to the Hall whilst three of us continued the circular walk, eventually passing by the Hall.  After thanking and taking leave of our leader and a quick look at the beach, we went into nearby Wells-next-the-Sea for a fish and chips supper and a visit to one of the pubs.  Some others had eaten out in a pub in Burnham Deepdale.

We enjoyed lovely weather throughout the visit and I believe a good time was had by all.

To conclude

By Carole

We enjoyed our time at Deepdale. The hostel is in a lovely area and we enjoyed our stay at The Granary very much. The whole site is so well cared for. I thought the ‘warm shower for dogs’ on the camp site summed up the high standards at Deepdale.

There are over 150  independent hostels and bunkhouses all around our beautiful British coastline.  All 150 are within walking distance of the sea or the coastal path.  You’ll be surprised at all the wonderful places you will find low cost self-catering hostel or bunkhouse accommodation.  Additionally there a growing number of independent hostels with camping areas.