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Please see Penrith for other available Penrith hostels and accommodations.
Please see Penrith for other available Penrith hostels and accommodations.
The Hostelz.com Review
This hostel is very hard to get to without a car, but is well worth the long trek. It is one of our favorite hostels.
The small hostel is housed in what used to be the office building of a mine. It is located about 2 km (about 1 mile) out of town, and is accessible only by a walk (or drive) uphill on an unlit rough dirt road. The road starts near the bus station in the ridiculously quaint Glenridding, which is accessible from Keswick and Penrith (which has a train stop) through a series of rather unreliable but very friendly local busses. Bring your flashlight if you are arriving after dark, and expect rough terrain.
This trek doesn't prove too difficult for most of the visitors to the hostel, as most are there to hike (trek) anyway. The hostel serves as a gateway to the mountain trails of the Lakes region of England, and caters to the mountain-walking crowd: as you're already halfway up the mountains, getting an early start guarantees a great day of hiking.
The hostel serves reasonably-priced, delicious, and hearty home-made food, including fresh-baked bread and mouth-watering soups, all served family-style. The rooms are small, the beds comfy, the bathrooms adequate but not great, and the dining room cramped but cozy. The staff and management are very friendly.
Loners and the kid-averse may not like this hostel as it's hard to find any privacy, and many families with kids stay here. I loved the one-big-family atmosphere, though, and would recommend this place to anyone in the area.
The small hostel is housed in what used to be the office building of a mine. It is located about 2 km (about 1 mile) out of town, and is accessible only by a walk (or drive) uphill on an unlit rough dirt road. The road starts near the bus station in the ridiculously quaint Glenridding, which is accessible from Keswick and Penrith (which has a train stop) through a series of rather unreliable but very friendly local busses. Bring your flashlight if you are arriving after dark, and expect rough terrain.
This trek doesn't prove too difficult for most of the visitors to the hostel, as most are there to hike (trek) anyway. The hostel serves as a gateway to the mountain trails of the Lakes region of England, and caters to the mountain-walking crowd: as you're already halfway up the mountains, getting an early start guarantees a great day of hiking.
The hostel serves reasonably-priced, delicious, and hearty home-made food, including fresh-baked bread and mouth-watering soups, all served family-style. The rooms are small, the beds comfy, the bathrooms adequate but not great, and the dining room cramped but cozy. The staff and management are very friendly.
Loners and the kid-averse may not like this hostel as it's hard to find any privacy, and many families with kids stay here. I loved the one-big-family atmosphere, though, and would recommend this place to anyone in the area.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
June 2006
Their Description
HI - YHA Helvellyn Hostel Details
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Map
Location/Contact| Address | Greenside, Penrith (Glenridding), Cumbria - The Lake District, England |
| Location | |
| Website | None (if you know the URL of their website, tell us and we'll add it) |
| Telephone | +44-17684-82269 |
| Fax | +44-17684-82009 |
How is HI - YHA Helvellyn Hostel rated on other websites?
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
I really loved this hostel. It was fun and friendly and you couldn't ask for easier access to hiking trails. The views were gorgeous, the town charming, and did I mention the views? I want to go back as soon as possible. The food was truly excellent. If they're making it when you get there, try the amazing vegetarian nut loaf! The family-style dining really helped me get to know my fellow hostelers. Many of the other guests were British families on vacation, which was a special treat for an American tourist like me. The one drawback -- being YHA employees, the hostel staff would only direct us to other YHA hostels. They wouldn't tell us that there were many lovely independent hostels in the area (in fact, they lied to us). While I understand this policy in principle, they took it a bit too far, really inconveniencing our planning. At all YHA hostels take staff recommendations with a grain -- no, a bushel -- of salt. — Petra (2006-10-16)