Читать книгу Great Book of Spoon Carving Patterns - Joseph Fullman - Страница 68

The YHA, t (01629) 592700, www.yha.org.uk, has 30 hostels in the Southwest, ranging from 1960s city-centre blocks to rustic cottages, Georgian townhouses and coastal mansions. These are no-nonsense, cheap alternatives to guest accommodation for rugged outdoorsy types. The bedrooms and bathrooms are communal, divided only between the sexes. In some of them you cater for yourself, in others breakfast, dinner and packed lunches are available. One-year membership of the International Youth Hostel Federation (currently £15.95 for over-26s, £9.95 for under) entitles you to stay in YHA Hostels all over England and the world at reduced rates. There is no age limit for members in England, and only occasionally are you expected to pull your weigh with domestic chores. With your membership card you receive the YHA Accommodation Guide, which details all the hostels in England and Wales. You can take out membership in any YHA hostel, and get a bed on the same night. Hostels are cheap with discounts for under-18s and families. You don’t have to provide your own bedding. However, note that children under five are not allowed to stay in the dormitories, and not all hostels have family rooms.

There are also five camping barns or ‘stone tents’ in the Southwest, including one at Mullacott Farm on Exmoor and one at Great Hound Tor in the wilds of Dartmoor. Although overseen by the YHA, these converted farm buildings are owned and operated by farmers. Communal dorms with bunk beds, basic showers and rudimentary cookers and fridges combine with remote rural locations to make these some of the more adventurous places to stay. You don’t have to be a YHA member to stay, and dogs are often welcome.