When you think of a youth hostel in the English countryside, a Victorian Gothic mansion doesn’t spring to mind.
But YHA Castleton Losehill Hall is just that: a stunning stately home built in 1882, now converted into a YHA hostel which travellers use as a base for hiking explorations in the Peak District.
One of the UK’s most beloved national parks, the Peak District is right in the centre of England and stretches across five different counties. There are plenty of walking routes and hiking trails for beginners and advanced hikers alike – and yet I’d never visited!
So when YHA asked if I’d like to spend a day hiking in the hills around Castleton village with a group of bloggers before eating a communal dinner together at their nearby hostel, I was intrigued.
Then they also mentioned spending the night playing board games – and with that, I was sold.
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A day hike in the Peak District, Derbyshire
On a bright and sunny autumnal morning, I stepped off the train in Hope Valley, Derbyshire. The tiny station of Hope is a few kilometres away from YHA Castleton Losehill Hall, so I made a quick stop at the hostel to drop off my bag and meet the group before we all headed out into the countryside together.
We were roughly following the Castleton Circular Route, which starts and ends in Castleton village and covers about six miles through the hills – and some parts get pretty high!
We set off down a winding country lane studded with uneven stone, then crossed into green fields flanked by a line of trees. My hiking boots landed squarely in the mud and I breathed the fresh air into my lungs. Our guide pointed ahead of us, towards the hills. “That’s Shivering Mountain,” she said.
Over the next hour we swung our legs over wooden stiles, waved at the groups of placid cows amiably chewing, and panted our way straight up the side of grassy hills.
Once I fell into conversation with the other bloggers, I almost forgot to look around. I barely noticed how high up we were until I turned to see the view behind us – which looked like this.
Reaching the Mam Tor Trig Point
The panoramic view is stunning from the top of Mam Tor. It stretches far into the distance, from Edale Valley and Kinder Scout to Hope Valley and the Derwent Moors.
There’s a trig point on Mam Tor to mark your achievement, so we stood around for a while to catch our breath and eat the much-welcomed Babybel cheeses which one of our group had thought to bring with her. Then after a celebratory group photo, we continued walking along the ridge.
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After a lot more photo taking (I was with a group of bloggers, after all!) we headed back towards Hope – sweaty, windswept, and ready for the evening’s activities to begin.
A night at YHA Castleton Losehill Hall – what hostels used to be like!
I’ve spent hundreds of nights in hostel dorm rooms. They’ve always been the mainstay of my backpacking adventures – they’re cheap, well-located, filled with friendly faces and a perfect choice when you’re travelling solo.
It’s been an unconscious decision but I’ve realised I don’t stay in hostels too much anymore (getting older means I can’t cope with the noise of other people – and I find it very hard to sleep in a single bed!). The thing I miss the most about hostel life? The communal vibe.
Aside from our afternoon of hiking, the reason YHA invited our motley crew of bloggers to YHA Castleton Losehill Hall was to try out their new Supper Club – a two course meal for £9.95 which you share with the other hostel guests.
It’s a throwback to the best bit of what a hostel stay used to be: everyone hanging out in the same room, eating dinner together and then swapping travel stories late into the night.
And that’s exactly what we did.
After a hearty dinner of pie, veg, gravy and red wine, our group headed for the common room to play some board games. We made our way through a few rounds of Scrabble, had a failed attempt at the confusingly updated Cluedo board, our group realised we needed a different game. Someone suggested ‘Heads Up!’ – the phone game invented by Ellen DeGeneres – and suddenly things got rather raucous.
I guess you can’t separate bloggers from their phones anymore!
But the fire kept burning in the grate, the wine kept flowing, and we laughed uproariously for hours. It was somewhat hard to believe we’d only met each other a few hours earlier.
The next morning we left YHA Castleton Losehill Hall in a cloud of mist which blanketed the surrounding trees. There was a real bite to the air and it felt like autumn had properly arrived.
Although I’d been in the Peak District for less than 24 hours, it still blew away some of the cobwebs. I’ve been working really hard recently and haven’t been too good at moving my body – especially annoying since my running achievements over the summer! – but this little hiking break reminded me how much I love walking outside.
Moreover, it was so refreshing to be amongst a group of total strangers who all had a similar attitude. There were streaks of mud on our clothes, runny noses and red cheeks, and a severe lack of breath while hiking up the hills – but we still had an amazing time together.
I’ll just have to make more of an effort to hike my way through the rest of the Peak District!
- YHA Castleton Losehill Hall is open all year.
- There are 146 beds in 36 rooms.
- Beds start from £15 per person per night in a single gender dorm. Private rooms start from £25, while family rooms start from £20.
- There’s also a breakfast hall, dining room, fully stocked bar and common area (complete with board games!)
- To reach YHA Castleton Losehill Hall from London, take a train from St Pancras to Sheffield then catch a local train to Hope station. The hostel is a 30 min walk away.
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Disclaimer: this trip was in partnership with YHA who kindly hosted me at YHA Castleton Losehill Hall.
1 Comment
Nell
November 12, 2019 at 5:15 pmThis is so lovely. And the Peak District is completely underrated – you’ve made us want to get back there x