Is the end coming for the humble hostel?

There's a shift going on at the moment. You may be aware of it, you may feel quite militant about it. On the other hand, you may have never even known that it was a possibility for yourself..

There is a charity in England called The Youth Hostels Association (or YHA for short). There have been, since its inception (1909 in Germany), millions of people stay all over the world in YHA beds.

The premise is you can stay there (at any age - the name is a bit misleading) for little money.

Historically, in return for cheap accommodation you would help maintain the hostel.

Common duties were sweeping, pot washing etc..

The ideal is now regarded by many as an old fashioned one, centred around an evening communal room, where singing was the order of the day. Alcohol was prohibited and there were strict segregation for men and women at bedtime (married or not). Of course these practices have now been relaxed, singing has given way to internet access and the dormitories have given way to smaller bedrooms for more privacy.

Even so the English YHA has been in decline since it's heyday in the early 1950's. This has been for a mix of reasons, mostly because it is catering to a market that no longer exists to the same extent. People going away no longer want to sweep up and so the YHA has moved with this, trying to align its business model closer to that of a B&B.

(Hostelling is not in decline all over the world though. In Australia, hostelling is still expanding (although there are only 120 official hostels there compared to over 300 at its peak in England)).

Why has this come to the fore now?

There are closures planned in England. The latest batch include hostels that are currently profitable, but when re-modelling is required in the future it would be expensive. By selling these it re-fills the coffers allowing other new hostels elsewhere (also, the YHA has been running at a small loss).

This has lead to groups becoming upset as not only will this impact on the local economy, but some of these hostels are in prime locations, and are beautiful old buildings. It is widely felt that it would be a loss for these Hostels to be bought and future generations staying in 'identity-kit' buildings in poorer locations.

Of course, the advantage of all this is that the YHA will not need to pass on the cost of the upkeep of these older buildings, and cost is one of the core principles. The current mission statement of Hostelling International is:

"To promote the education of all young people of all nations, but especially young people of limited means, by encouraging in them a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside and an appreciation of the cultural values of towns and cities in all parts of the world, and as ancillary thereto, to provide hostels or other accommodation in which there shall be no distinctions of race, nationality, colour, religion, sex, class or political opinions and thereby to develop a better understanding of their fellow men, both at home and abroad"

The current English YHA statement is shorter, but you get the point. This leaves the YHA with a difficult choice.

Eventually, if the current downward trend continues, the YHA is going to run low on funds again. Do they sell off more properties, Increase the cost to stay in them or Offer fewer facilities / reduce costs?

Personally I think that it may be beneficial to allow guests to reduce the cost of their stay by volunteering to help with the work.. So a group of walkers could cover the cost of their breakfast by washing the pots for an hour after a meal, or someone travelling alone who may be a life member and in no hurry to get somewhere could make their stay very cost effective by spending a couple of hours working in the hostel.

Whatever happens, the YHA is going to have to make some tough decisions In their future.

 

(Sources: Wikipedia, YHA England, SYHA and Hostelling International. YHA Logo courtesy of YHA website.)

I came across this on the net….

Orange pitches Glastonbury Solar Concept Tent

 

Read the article HERE.

The lights are cool, But how much would it weigh? It’s not that subtle for wild camping either…

 

But under floor heating? That would be cool…

Something to entertain you better with..

I’ve been hankering for a new camera recently and I’ve settled on the Fuji Finepix S1900. It was a long drawn out process, with the other contenders being the Panasonic Lumix TZ8 and Canon Powershot SX130 IS.

The Fuji won out because it offers the most features, will accept AA batteries and has one hell of a zoom (18x)! (that and it was considerably cheaper)

I’ve not had much chance to use it yet, but I've taken a couple of images this evening, just to try it out. Below is an 8 second long exposure, (most of Orion is visible at the bottom of the image)

My old camera (an Olympus point and shoot) died months ago (it would no longer focus), so It was time to get an new way of taking images, other than with my phone. It’s going to be a bit of a baptism of fire, taking a camera capable of manual control with me on my next walk but there’s an auto setting if things go pair shaped.

The other reason I wanted to get a ‘proper’ camera over my phone cam is I want to start adding short video clips to the blog (the camera in the phone was poor when it came to video).

The Fuji can film in 720p, so it looks great and that huge zoom can be used while filming as well.

 

I’ll keep you posted on how I get on with it.

It’s the Torch report!

I thought I’d share my experiences with my favourite torches. I’ve used all of these where it counts – out in the hills The only exception is the freebie (more on that later) as I haven’t been walking since I was given it.

From top left: Maglite Solitaire (purple), Key chain LED Lenser, Volvo fleet sales torch, LED Lenser Police tech, Energiser (red), Zippo lighter (for scale) Head torches: Alpkit gamma (Lava) and Decathlon Geonaute.

First off, the Maglite Solitaire. This is a torch many of you will be familiar with. It’s very small and light. It comes in a range of colours and only uses 1x AAA.  There is a spare bulb in the bottom under the battery spring. This is the only torch that does not use LED technology. The Maglite is the dimmest on test. This is the torch of choice for going to the loo in the middle of the night when on a campsite, as the glare won’t wake everyone else on the site up. Battery life is poor as it uses conventional bulbs.

 

Next comes the impressive LED Lenser V2 key ring torch. This is a little larger than the Maglite and also heavier, but it ooze’s quality. The cross hatched grip is perfectly cut, the LED has a silvered mirror wrapped lovingly around it. It’s much nicer to use than the the Maglite and would be adequate as your primary source of light but for the fact that it uses LR44 watch batteries (AG13 for our American friends). Although the batteries do last a long time, for this reason, I’m not sure I’d choose this for the hill. I have carried it as a backup before.

 

 

A bit of a surprise next. This is a torch given to me recently by someone who works for Volvo fleet sales. I’ve mentioned it as it as although it doesn’t look like much, It  has impressed me with just how good it actually is for a freebie, Many of the features are copied from far more expensive torches. It’s made from light alloy, has 9x LED bulbs providing a good beam. The batteries are 3x AAA in a magazine inside the torch.. It is a bit rough and ready. I'm not sure that it’s waterproof, though the lens cover could have a little silicon around the edge and around the on/off switch at the back to waterproof it.. Then I’d be happy to take this into the hills. This was going to be added to the car glove box, but my son swiftly decided it was his. If your local Volvo fleet sales guy can get you one, take it.

 

The LED Lenser Police Tech Focus (Long name!) is the brightest torch I currently use. You can focus or spread the beam like a Maglite. On it’s first outing it totally embarrassed my mates MASSIVE Maglite (the one that takes ‘D’ cells). It is lots smaller, much brighter and far lighter. This is one of my favourite torches. It takes 3x AAA, and runs on those for ages. It’s also over engineered to the same degree as the V^2. The bulb is one single high power LED. This torch feels indestructible. The on/off switch can also be adjusted for perfect balance between flash and on/off. It is however the most expensive here costing around £40

 

 

 

 

 

The Energiser glow stick is supposed to be a bit of fun. I found this in the local supermarket, it’s designed for clubbers and children. It didn’t take long to realise it’s the perfect nightlight for ben, It’s great for marking your tent, It’s also good for use inside the tent when your camp site requires lots of stealth. 

It takes LR44 (I think) and has a single red LED inside. It just twists on/off. The only downside is that it looks like something you might find hidden at the back of a lady’s sock drawer..

 

Next is the Alpkit Gamma. This is what I use when I’m walking in the hills at night. It’s so much easier than carrying a hand torch, It’s bright, but not as bright as the Police Tech. It uses 3x AAA.

It has several lighting modes, Main beam (which is slightly too narrow for my liking), A dimmed main beam (achieved by (very) rapidly switching the beam on and off. This mode annoys me slightly but I notice flickering things, no-one I know has noticed this). It also flashes as an emergency beacon. There are 3x smaller LED’s. White: a dimmer, lower consumption bulb. Red: to preserve night vision. Green: to preserve night vision and allow the contours on a map to stand out (red makes them hard to see or disappear - if you didn’t know).

There is also a ‘bar’ on the back (see pic, above right) that can be set ‘on’ or ‘flashing’ so if you are on the road the cars can see you from further away. There are 3 straps (one removable for over the top of your head) but I didn’t like this and as I don’t run/bike in this, I just took it off.

This torch is not only feature packed, but is very well priced (currently £12.50).

Sadly, as with all head torches, it makes you look like a berk, so I won’t use this on a campsite unless I’ve hiked in.

 

Lastly is the Decathlon Geonaute head torch. This takes 3x AAA batteries, has 3x LED inside the case (batteries at the front, unlike the Alpkit Gamma). The torch sometimes has an annoying habit of slowly rotating towards the floor ( I think this is related to how vital the task is), but you can unclip it from the headband and attach another clip. This allows you to clip it to anything handy (a jacket, the side of a tent/door etc.) which is a nice feature. It is reasonably bright and was used before I bought the Gamma. The spread of light is also better than the Gamma. Cost Was around £10 (This range does not currently show on Decathlon’s website). Good for tent lighting or kids, but not much else.

Sodding sideways bloomin’ rain…

So. It’s wet outside. Not that nice fresh rain. Not misty, makes things damp before the sun comes out rain. Not even rain that comes down so hard it bounces back into the air, getting your socks wet..

No. Its worse. It’s evil, directed. Almost intelligent. It’s that type of rain that finds any chink in your armour.

It will change direction without warning, attacking you from another direction. It will force its way in through zips. It sneaks down into layers below.

It will swirl into anything open, whether your car boot, rucksack or eyes. It turns the most incredible walk into a monotonous trudging, squelchy, test of physical and mental endurance.

 

If you’re camped out in it (and your tent can stand the wind) you’ll spend equal amounts of time drying fingers on your trouser leg that have had to handle something else that’s wet  and wondering if that’s a fine mist being forced through the walls of the tent, or just your imagination?

 

You’ll wonder why you do this.. Right at that moment it may well not be worth it. You’re cold, damp and miserable, while your mates are at home or in the pub.

They probably didn’t rip their new £200 coat on a fence going out. They won’t wake up to find that the walls of their house has flicked water at them all night so everything is drenched - and your clean pants are out, on top of your bag ready for the morning.

 

No. But when you do get home, something magical happens. The worse it was, the better the story is in the telling. Your mate got lost, drunk on the way home?

But you? You were lost in the driving rain, in zero visibility, knowing there is a 1,000 foot drop.. Just meters away from where you were stood.... Back home, the damp pants become an anecdote.

The leaking tent? time to air all the gear at home and perform ‘essential maintenance’ requiring a trip to the local gear shop.

 

So next time you look out of the window and despair, don’t for get this trip. Mother nature gave all she could throw at you – and you won.