Top 10 hostels
On-a-budget accommodation, perfect for making the pennies go further
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1. Hatters Hostel, Birmingham
Free tea and toast, wifi and ensuite rooms are just some of the perks of staying in this funky hostel located in the city’s vibrant Jewellery Quarter. Enthusiastic staff can book tours of Cadbury World or give train times to Shakespeare’s birthplace in nearby Stratford upon Avon. Security cards allow you to come and go as you please and there’s also a kitchen, laundry, games room and TV lounge where staff serve free popcorn while you watch your favourite show.
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2. YHA National Forest, Leicester
Set in the heart of the National Forest, this new hostel is the perfect place for families and school groups wanting an eco-friendly break. Showers in the two, three and four-bedded ensuite rooms use solar panel-heated water while a wood-chip fuelled boiler keeps everyone feeling toasty. There’s also a lounge, coffee bar, games room and restaurant serving local food and ales.Walking and cycle trails will take you deep in to the Forest. Don’t miss the National Trust’s Calke Abbey and Conkers with its adventure playground, assault course and mini-beast hunts.
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3. Albatross Backpackers, Newcastle
With no lockout and electronic room keys, this centrally located 177-bed hostel is the perfect base to explore the city’s legendary nightlife. Facilities in this 150-year-old, former bank are top notch - from a pool table in the chill-out cellar to a laundry, kitchen, vending machine and free wifi.Knowledgeable staff will give you the rundown on the best bars and must-see attractions such as The Angel of the North, The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and Hadrian’s Wall.
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4.YHA Elmscott, Bideford, north Devon
There are spectacular views of Lundy Island from this 32-bed former Victorian school, just a few minutes walk from the South West Coast Path. Inside it feels like a traditional youth hostel with board games in the cosy lounge and a small kitchen (admire the pictures of former pupils adorning the walls). Don your hiking boots and walk along the coast to Hartland for a pub lunch or visit the picturesque seaside village of Clovelly.
5. Deepdale Backpackers, Norfolk
Thoughtful touches such as reading lights and lockers make this eco-friendly hostel stand out from the crowd. Get cosy in front of the woodburning stove in the lounge and enjoy the underfloor heating. Cook a meal in the kitchen or treat yourself to a slap-up breakfast or lunch in the neighbouring Deepdale Café. The White Horse pub specialises in local mussels and oysters caught metres from the door. Numerous activities include kitesurfing, birdwatching or seal spotting at Blakeney.
6. Astral Lodge, Hastings
Popular with foreign student groups, this 90-bed hostel on Hastings seafront offers clean, comfortable accommodation with four to six-bed ensuite rooms, a pool table and large lounge and dining room (you can also book breakfast and half or full board). Take a stroll along the pier or ascend the cliff railway for a stroll in Hastings Country Park. The pretty Cinque Port of Rye is close by, as is Battle, site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings.
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7. Dales Bike Centre, Richmond
Mountain bike enthusiasts Stuart and Brenda Price run this 14-bed hostel, cycle hire shop and café in a stone barn in beautiful Swaledale. Sleep in two or four-bedded rooms and tuck into a filling breakfast of cereals, bacon sanis or croissants before burning it all off on the Yorkshire Dales Cycle Way. In the evenings guests can use the neighbouring café with its free wifi, magazines and scrummy cakes or take a five-minute stroll to the pubs or restaurants of nearby Reeth or Grinton.
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8. Meininger City Hostel, London
It’s the location that makes this German-run hostel so appealing, only a few minutes walk from Hyde Park and other top attractions such as the Natural History Museum and Harrods.
The hotel-style stylish lobby with its floor-to-ceiling windows and leather sofas creates a good first impression while all the 48 rooms have ensuite shower rooms, TVs and lockers. Tuck into an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet before exploring London’s sights.
9. YHA Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
Go crabbing on the quayside, just a five-minute walk, from this no-frills hostel housed in a former church hall. Enthusiastic staff will recommend the finest walks along the North Norfolk coastal path, or visit some of Europe’s best bird sanctuaries. Admiral Nelson was born a few miles down the road at Burnham Thorpe where you can enjoy a pint in his old local, a 17th century pub where the ale is still served straight from the cask. Back at base, cook a meal in the well-equipped kitchen before retiring to the TV room.
10. Low Luckens Farm, Carlisle
Eat home-grown vegetables at this 220-acre organic, eco-friendly farm on the River Lyne in north east Cumbria. Accommodation is clean and simple with two first floor dormitory-style rooms (one ensuite, one shared facilities) Downstairs there’s a single/disabled room, small kitchen and a woodburner in the cosy lounge, which doubles as an educational facility for visitors interested in sustainable farming. The Pennines and Lake District are both within an easy drive.
