HIRE A HOSTEL
Often set in the heart of big mountain country, booking out an entire hostel is a great way to immerse yourself in a landscape.
Hostels are synonymous with mountain regions, usually offering good basic accommodation at good prices. The days of doing chores and mucking in to cook a communal dinner for random guests are thankfully a distant memory, but hostels are still vibrant places with a wonderful community feel. Pandemic lockdowns have made the past year an uncertain time for mountain hostels, with rules changing quickly in terms of what kind of accommodation you can book. However, during the restrictions many of the smaller hostels have been made available for exclusive hire, allowing you to get full use of the location and facilities with your own group. Often set in stunning locations with famous hillwalks directly from the door, this is a great way to really immerse yourself in a mountain region and potentially not see another soul during the duration of your stay. There is a catch though – if you go for a really remote hostel, you’ll have to carry all of your food, kit and supplies for the whole trip with you when you check in. The YHA is the biggest operator of hostels around the country (yha.org.uk) but there are plenty of independent hostels if there isn’t a YHA handy.
WHERE TO DO IT So talked about it’s almost become a cliché, but Black Sail Hut in the Lake District’s remote and roadless Ennerdale valley is a magnificent place to escape for a few nights. There are 16 beds, a communal dining area, a kitchen, a wood-burning stove, a wooden bench outside, and not a lot else apart from big views of Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Pillar. YHA Snowdon Ranger, at the foot of Wales’ highest mountain, is another cracker. T