YHA To Close Ten Hostels

Ten youth hostels, including some in the Peak, Cumbria and the Dales, are to close as a direct result of impact of the foot and mouth crisis says the YHA.

The closures have been on the cards for months now, with the Association apparently using the threat as a means of pressuring government for additional funds. Some money has been forthcoming - see links to previous stories below - but not enough to prevent the closures.

The hostels will close after the summer season following on from an estimated loss of £4 million last year. The YHA's cheif executive Roger Clarke reportedly told the BBC: "It is sad for us. Closing and selling these 10 youth hostels is not something we welcome, but the losses we sustained last year, which amounted to £4 million, aren't ones that we can carry." [Hear full interview in streaming audio on the BBC site]

The rationale behind the closures is that they will allow continued investment and development in the other 210 hostels in the UK.

The hostels earmarked for closure (an appropriate metaphor no?) are Aysgarth and Linton in the Dales, Elton and Buxton in the Derbyshire Peak and Dufton in Cumbria - all walking areas - plus Holmbury St Mary in Surrey, Copt Oak in Leicestershire, Norwich, Thurlby in Lincolnshire and Windsor in Berkshire.

As a counterbalance, the BBC reports that some nine new hostels will be opened over the next 12 months, but only one, at Betws y Coed in Snowdonia, is in a major walking area.

At OUTDOORSmagic we think it's disgraceful that this is being allowed to happen. Youth Hostels are a vital national resource that offer amazing, affordable accommodation in major outdoor areas and are a major factor in opening up access to the outdoors to everyone.