HI - YHA Brecon Hostel

HI - YHA Brecon Hostel is located in a prime spot for exploring the Brecon Beacons National Park. There are walking and cycling trails, including the Taff Trail, within a ten-minute walk, and the hostel has walking guide books and OS maps available to borrow if you don't have your own.

The Location

This hostel is located about two-and-a-half miles outside of Brecon on a quiet country lane, so it's great if you have a car (there is free parking at the hostel), or don't mind the walk. If relying on public transit, the nearest rail stations are Merthyl Tydfil (twenty miles) and Abergavenny (thirty miles). There is also a local bus (X43) from Cardiff, Merthyl Tydfil, and Abergavenny to Brecon every couple of hours.

We walked from Brecon, but there is also a bus stop (X43, first stop after Brecon) about a fifteen-minute walk from the hostel that has service every couple of hours from Brecon. If you get off at that bus stop, walk straight up the hill towards Groessford, and continue on that road until you get to the hostel, which is well marked with a sign on the driveway.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The bedroom has sturdy, wooden bunk beds with comfortable mattresses. The room has a sink with a mirror, a chair, hooks on the door for jackets (only two, even though the room sleeps four), and shelves at the head of each bed. Theoretically, the bottom shelf (there are two for each bed) is large enough for a large backpack, but because the bed is in front of it, it can't be used, which is unfortunate because there isn't a lot of extra space for bags, although one does fit at the foot of the bed. There is a lock on the door of the room, and no lockers for luggage. Linens come with the room, including two pillows.

The washroom is very clean -- each includes single toilet with a sink. The light in it is on a motion detector, which never stays on long enough, but does come on again when it senses motion in the room. The washrooms are also not marked, so just look around for a door with no sign. The shower is a fairly spacious room with hooks for clothes and towels, but there is no curtain or door separating the shower area from the clothes storage area. The shower is very hot, which is really nice after a long day of hiking.

Common Spaces

There are a few places to relax in this hostel. The lounge is quite spacious, with three couches forming a semi-circle, and a fireplace. It is brightly lit, and quiet (at least it was during our stay). The TV room is a bit smaller and has a TV, an arcade game machine (you pay per play), a giant Connect 4 game, and board games as well as a couple of shelves of books.

The self-catering kitchen is large, spacious, well lit and very clean. It has two gas stoves, an oven, and two refrigerators (one with a freezer), a microwave, and a toaster. There are also shelves to store other food, two large tables with stools, and lots of counter space to use while preparing food. The kitchen is really well stocked with pots, pans, dishes, and utensils. There is a drying room that works quite well (it dried boots and trousers overnight that were absolutely soaked from a wet day on the hills). There isn't mobile reception, but there is a payphone as well as for-pay wireless internet.

Summary

This hostel is pretty great. It is a quiet place, set in a rural area, and a very relaxing place to get away from the city. When we were there, most of the guests were exploring the National Park, and were happy to exchange stories about their adventures, which makes for a very friendly atmosphere.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2011