(This post contains a lot of photos…)
Well, that’s it. I’m officially in the last year of my twenties. Thirty is firmly on the horizon.
So, what better way to celebrate than to pretend I’m still young and stay in a Youth Hostel?!
I’m not actually entirely sure how I ended up on the YHA (Youth Hostelling Association) website, but somehow I came to the conclusion that it would be a great way to spend my birthday. The big day was on a Tuesday, so Mr Footstep booked the Monday and Tuesday off work and, rather last minute on the Saturday, I booked us a room for the Monday night.
I’ve stayed in a few youth hostels in the past, but only one in the UK, and that was for a school trip when I was 12. Searching through the website I got more and more excited about the prospect of a night away – even more so when I discovered that there’s such thing as private, ensuite rooms in youth hostels. That’s basically a hotel, then! My mental images of dorm rooms filled with dozens of bunk beds and noisy roommates were being pushed to one side.
I’d informed the husband that my main requirement for birthday celebrations was a portion of fish and chips. To be honest, I didn’t really care about much else. I’m fairly easy to please. A simple girl at heart. Combine my desire for a chippy dinner with the fact that I just love Whitby, and we seemed to have the ideal destination. Pack up the car, and off we go!
We spent Monday pottering around Robin Hood’s Bay, a beautiful little coastal village in Yorkshire not far from Whitby. I’d never been before, but heeded a friend’s advice that it was very hilly, and that it wouldn’t be very wise to try and navigate our way round with a push chair. Pickle comfortably in a sling, we spent a lovely couple of hours exploring the village and wandering along the shore, before taking the short drive to the hostel. We later discovered that, had the tide allowed, it probably would have been quicker to just walk round to the hostel along the bay, but we obviously needed to take the car anyway.
YHA Boggle Hole is nestled in a little cove, just south of Robin Hood’s Bay a mere 20 minute drive from Whitby, and it’s brilliant! I was slightly hesitant when I discovered that there was a 10 minute walk from the car to the hostel but, even with a baby in tow, the husband and I are very good at packing light. This was greatly aided, I should add, by the fact that the hostel provided a travel cot.
I somehow knew immediately that I would like this place. I think it was the thought of being tucked away by the sea that made me feel cosy and at peace. As we approached the hostel we noticed a separate building up in the hill, with many, many, many steps leading up to it. Having already felt like the Grand Old Duke Of York climbing up and down hills and steps that day, I jokingly quipped ‘I bet they’ve put us in there’. Yep. That’s exactly where we were – ‘The Crow’s Nest’. Actually it was a really lovely little building, and it made sense to put families in there away from the hustle and bustle. But those steps…
The inside of the communal areas had a sort of pirate theme, but in a quirky way rather than a cheesy way. Sadly I didn’t manage to get any photos of the inside of the main building, but there are some on the website. Maybe next time (please, husband?). But it felt strangely homely whilst also being fun and exciting for kids. It did a great job of crossing generations. I love the idea of going back there when Pickle’s a little older, as I imagine she’ll have a whale of a time.
Our accommodation itself was fairly basic; a small, grey walled room with a metal bunkbed (double on the bottom and single on the top), and a fairly nice en-suite shower room. Not glamorous in any way, but entirely functional. The bed was comfy enough, although I feel I’m reaching that stage of motherhood where I’m permanently tired enough to sleep pretty much anywhere, so I may not be the best judge of that. As is expected with most youth hostels, there was a kitchen available to cater for yourself, and it seemed to be really well equipped. But it was also possible to buy cooked meals, and the menu offered a reasonable selection. We opted for the Monday special, which was meatballs and pasta with garlic bread, and it was tasty! We’d also included breakfast when we booked, so the next morning we were greeted with a good hot breakfast buffet. At the end of the day it was a Youth Hostel, not a luxury hotel, but I have to say that it exceeded my expectations on all counts. It was perhaps more expensive than other hostels might be, but I don’t think it was excessively priced when you consider alternative accommodation in the area. I would very happily go back again, for more than one night, and would love to go with friends too next time.
The weather on my birthday was far from ideal for a seaside visit but, being British, we ploughed on with our plans and after breakfast we headed on to Whitby. I’d been a bit disappointed when I’d looked at the forecast and woke up to rain, but a sudden heavy downpour just made for a good excuse to dive into a lovely little cafe for a warming cup of hot chocolate. In between rain showers we wandered round the town and in and out of shops before finding a chippy where would could sit in to enjoy our lunchtime feast. Sadly I’m still not great at the whole remembering to take photos of EVERYTHING for the blog thing, so no chippy photos I’m afraid. I can confirm they were worth trudging through the rain for though. And, eventually, the sun came out and the skies cleared, so we were able to explore the pier and escape from under our raincoats.
I love Whitby. I think it’s a brilliant combination of classic northern fishing town meets fascinating local history meets tacky seaside kitsch. What more could you want?! Growing up, my summers were spent at Clacton-on-Sea, feeding a year’s worth of two pence pieces into the machines. So, in the name of holding on to my youth (as that was the point of our mini-break), I couldn’t resist a quick visit to the amusements. I limited myself to 50 pence worth of tuppences, and at one point I got back up the the heady heights of 36p, but alas, I never quite managed to coax that sparkly hair bow over the edge. But I did get a delightful wave of nostalgia as I fed each coin into the machine and waited to see if anything would drop.
I’ve now bookmarked the YHA website on my computer, and am contemplating where we could escape to next. It seems to be a really ideal way to explore new places, and I think that we could have some great times as a family if we get into youth hostelling.
All in all, it was a really fab couple of days. There’s so much to be said for learning to enjoy simple pleasures in life. For me, fish and chips and time spent with my favourite people (and 50p for the coin pushers…) made for the perfect last birthday of my twenties. And, I mean, 30 isn’t that old, right?!
Laura x
EACH SMALL FOOTSTEP 