Castle Hedingham Hostel is situated in Castle Lane, just below the ruins of Castle Hedingham in the tiny village of Halstead in Essex. If you wish to experience life in an English village as it was centuries ago – the stuff of all Victorian novels – you simply must visit Castle Hedingham.
The hostel reception is friendly, home-like, and welcoming. A small shop is open from 8 am to 10 am and 5 pm – 10:30 pm. The hostel is itself a national monument. A tasty full meal service is offered, including children's meals and vegetarian options at reasonable prices. All meals need to be ordered in advance. Packed lunches are also available. A daily menu is displayed at the reception.
Car parking is at a premium, this being a really antique village with narrow cobbled streets suitable only for carriages! In front of the hostel, three cars are able to squeeze in, but other spaces are available in the narrow surrounding streets.
The hostel has a comfortable lounge, guest kitchen, and TV room. A sheltered enclosed back garden with wooden furniture is the ideal place to relax or enjoy your self-prepared meals.
Castle Hedingham itself is one of the finest Norman keeps in Western Europe. Excellent walking and cycling tracks surround the village. Two excellent, ancient pubs are within a stone's throw of the hostel, the Bell and the Wheatsheaf, both serving ale and hearty pub meals. The Bell has live music on weekends and a Quiz night on Saturdays. All the buildings of the village are both a photographer's and historian's dream!
The only criticism of the hostel is that the dorm facilities are rather antiquated and primitive. The dorms are large and space at a premium. The 50 beds are not too comfy, and the dorms are dark and uninviting! The bathroom facilities are also not up to HI standards, but adequate. As this is a national monument, renovations are not permitted to the hostel itself, but some extra cleaning and additional bathrooms could do wonders!
Staying in this village is a unique experience – the locals are incredibly helpful and friendly, so this more than compensates for any incovenience experienced in the accommodation!
— Exklusive Hostelz.com Übersicht
November 2004
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