SOUTHEAST ENGLAND HOSTEL GUIDE (Kent,Sussex,Surrey)
Southeast England is the most populated part of Britain and you are never far from habitation. Yet most of the region is well-wooded and undulating, and it includes much pleasant scenery, interesting towns and villages and some coastal areas. There are several hostels which are much nicer than most of the London ones!
Transport
Trains and buses are frequent throughout this area, so you should have few transport difficulties. Trains and many buses run until late evening, and on Sundays, but some bus routes have few or no buses on Sundays. All the hostels can be reached from a regular bus or train route, although a few involve a walk of up to 3 km.Several of these places are ideal for a short break from London, and some are very convenient if you would like to stay in a peaceful area and travel into London for the day.
Choose one of these areas:
- THE CHILTERNS Well-wooded hills with lots of footpaths
- HERTS AREA Pleasant mixed countryside with some forest
- KENT Rolling wooded hills and historic cities
- SURREY Hills with good viewpoints
- SUSSEX Coast with fine cliffs and ridge walk with wide views
- BRIGHTON Sparkling seaside resort with a young feel
Hostels
There are several hostels in this region, some of them small and cosy. Many of them are near enough that you can visit London for the day from a nearby rail station. Most are in quiet country areas, some even away from a road. They are mostly cheaper and nicer than most London hostels. Many of them have parking, while most London hostels do not.Transport
If you stay in any of these areas you can usually get a day train ticket which includes unlimited travel in central London. So you can go in for the day, see the sights and return to a peaceful village or country atmosphere at night. The cost is offset by the saving of some £6-£10 in the accommodation cost.THE CHILTERNS
In the Chiltern hills, although you are never far from habitation,
most houses are hidden away in woodland. You can explore a network of
public footpaths joining the many hidden valleys, slopes and plateaus
and leading to attractive villages with cosy pubs.
Jordans hostel, in a village with historical associations with the Quaker movement, is open throughout the year. It is 1 km from a station with day return tickets to London:
Address: Welders Lane, Jordans, Beaconsfield
Tel: 0870-770-5886
Email: jordans + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: Small hostel, self-catering, £11 (2005). Equipped kitchen, lounge/dining, cycle store, grounds, camping, bbq.
HERTS & ESSEX AREA
Most of this area is pleasant though not exciting, but Epping Forest
has some excellent peaceful walks.
Harlow is a good town base for exploring the area, with frequent trains to London and Stansted airport. Its hostel is well-located near trains and buses, with parking close by, and both a pub and a town park next door:
Address: 13 School Lane
Tel: 01279-421702
Email: mail + AT + h-i-h.co.uk
Facilities: £10 (2005), self-catering, easy-going staff. Sociable common room with stereo, jukebox, books, games, internet, no TV; well-equipped kitchen; smoke-free; garden with tables and bbq..
UK Trail opinions: A sociable hostel with easy atmosphere, pub and car parking adjacent, pleasant walks in town park, close to buses and trains..
Address: Windmill Lane
Tel: 0870-770-6118
Email: leevalley + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: £16 (2005), meals, lg lounge w TV, deck, grounds w picnic tables, self-contained lodges with limited kitchen /lounge/dining and TV.
UK Trail opinions: Very well equipped but kitchen equipment poor, very good breakfast, pleasant grounds, walks in country park, excellent access to trains for London, partly sociable but not if people stay in their separate TV rooms.
SURREY
Surrey has hills, small secluded valleys and plenty of woodland.
Hidden among these are two tiny, very remote-feeling, primitive hostels
and a larger one, any of which makes a good weekend retreat from
London. Transport needs a little planning, but Holmbury St Mary hostel
is 3 miles from a station which has good access to
Gatwick airport
and also (but slow) to Heathrow.
Address: Devil's Punchbowl, Off Portsmouth Rd
Tel: 01428-604285
Email: reservations + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: Self-catering, no car access, no showers.
Address: off Ranmore Road, Dorking
Tel: 01306-877964
Email: tanners + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: Self-catering, no car access.
Address: Radnor Lane, Dorking
Tel: 01306-730777
Email: holmbury + AT + yha.org.uk
WINDSOR
Windsor has many attractions including the famous Windsor Castle, the
Great Park and Eton College, and there are frequent trains to London.
There is no known hostel, so you will have to visit here on a day trip.
KENT
Kent has a pleasant countryside of orchards, hop fields and
farmland. Towns and villages are close together, but there are many
peaceful corners. Cities and towns with historical interest and all
worth visiting include Rochester, Faversham, Canterbury and Dover.
A favourite place to visit is Leeds Castle, near Maidstone. This is very expensive at £13, though you might be able to get a discount through age or a membership (but not YHA). There's 3 hours worth of great interest including the castle itself, extensive grounds with gardens, lakes and bird collections, and a super maze.
Rochester
Rochester has great historical interest including a castle. The hostel is a busride out from the city, in a country park with pleasant evening walks:
Address: Capstone Road, Gillingham
Tel: 0870-770-5964
Email: medway + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: Purpose-designed hostel in an old oast house, next to country park, 3 km from city. Kitchen, dining area with small tables, several lounge areas, meals..
UK Trail opinions: A comfortable hostel with several common areas, but kitchen is oppressive as it has no windows and weak extractor fan..
Canterbury
Canterbury is a crowded busy city with a wealth of history and a famous cathedral. It makes a pleasant day trip from London, or you can stay here, with a choice of 2 hostels: Address: 40 Nunnery Fields
Tel: 01227-786121
Email: info + AT + kipps-hostel.com
Facilities: Owner-run, self-catering, £14 (2005). Medium-size kitchen, dining room, TV lounge with videos and internet, garden, cycle store, bike hire, shop, laundry, camping in own or supplied tent, smoke-free indoors..
UK Trail opinions: A pleasant hostel with a casual sociable atmosphere, well regarded by guests, with easy-going helpful staff. Clean but rather cramped..
Address: 54 New Dover Road
Tel: 0870-770-5744
Email: canterbury + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: Attractive large building, £16 incl breakfast (2005). Often has large groups. Beside busy main road. Equipped moderate kitchen with small dining area, dining room shared with groups, lounge with large TV, pool and books, garden..
UK Trail opinions: A good hostel, but large groups and traffic noise could be annoyances. Manager says there is now silence rule after 2300h. Meals only for large groups..
Kent countryside
The Kent countryside is peaceful and remarkably varied, with plenty of footpaths through woods, fields and delightful villages. You can stay in the heart of the Kent countryside at Palace Farm Hostel. You can come here by car, perhaps on your first night across the Channel or your last night in England, then do some local walks in pleasant and varied countryside. Or you could come on a short break from London by taking the train to Sittingbourne then a bus (5/day, none Sun): Address: Doddington, Sittingbourne
Tel: 01795-886200
Email: info + AT + palacefarm.com
Facilities: Owner-run, £16 (2005) incl moderate breakfast. Equipped kitchen, dining room/lounge with TV and wood stove, patio tables & barbecue, drying room, spacious dorms, smoke-free indoors. Country walks, bike hire..
UK Trail opinions: You pay a little more than at most hostels but you get very comfortable, spacious and quiet accommodation in the heart of the country, with very welcoming staff and little extras such as laminated guides for local walks. The owner runs the farm and is an enthusiast for his native Kent..
Seaside resorts
Kent has some rather ordinary but very pleasant seaside towns. One of them, Margate, has a hostel: Address: 3-4 Royal Esplanade, Westbrook Bay
Tel: 0870-770-5956
Email: margate + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: Self-catering, closed 1000-1700h. On sea front. Popular with groups and families. 2 common rooms both with TVs, equipped kitchen shared with staff use, large dining room, garden with seating, laundry, wireless internet..
UK Trail opinions: Seems sociable with pleasant staff..
Dover
If you arrive by ferry you may land at Dover, which is worth an hour or two, and longer if you explore the imposing castle. The YHA hostel in Dover appears to have closed, and no other is known.SUSSEX
The Sussex coast, the sunniest area of Britain, has a string of
resorts, some cosmopolitan like Brighton, some sedate and some tacky.
There are stretches of good cliff scenery of which Beachy Head, near
Eastbourne, is outstanding. Most of the hostels are near the coast, and
several are close to the South Downs Way which gives easy hiking along
bracing hilltops. The inland part of Sussex has much very pleasant and
varied scenery. The hostels are listed from east to west.
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a refined seaside resort at the foot of the chalk cliff of Beachy Head. There are many bracing walks on the South Downs, and you can walk to Alfriston. In a secluded valley near Alfriston is a delightfully situated Youth Hostel with a 5 km footpath to the sea and chalk cliffs. Train then bus will get you there:Address: Frog Firle, Alfriston, Polegate
Tel: 0870-770-5666
Email: alfriston + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: £11 (2005), closed daytime, popular for families. Meals, kitchen, common rooms, internet, cycle store, garden.
Address: Bank Cottages
Tel: 01273-301357
Email: reservations + AT + yha.org.uk
Address: 10-12 Grand Junction Road
Tel: 020-7407-1856
Email: bookings + AT + st-christophers.co.uk
Facilities: Various prices, incl breakfast. Bar. Lounge with TV & movies..
Address: 75-76 Middle Street
Tel: 01273-777717
Email: stay + AT + brightonbackpackers.com
Facilities: Kitchens, TV, internet, friendly atmosphere, with annexe.
Address: 33 Oriental Place
Tel: 01273-733740
Facilities: KItchen, TV room, friendly.
One of the next resorts west of Brighton is Littlehampton. This has a newly developed wharf complex in which is a new YHA hostel:
Address: Fisherman's Wharf
Tel: 0870-770-6114
Facilities: £16 (2008). Modern cottage-looking building, part of Wharf complex on harbourside. Kitchen, cafe in the complex..
Just inland from Littlehampton is Arundel, well-placed for walks on the South Downs. The YHA hostel there is popular with families. It is a good place to stay if you are touring by car, and backpackers can reach Arundel by bus or train then walk 2 km along a riverside path:
Address: Warnigcamp
Tel: 0870-770-5676
Email: arundel + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: Popular with families. Pleasant reception/bar w TV, TV lounge, meals, large dining room, kitchen with eating area, drying room, internet, cycle store, camping.
UK Trail opinions: Pleasant hostel in country area, but 1.5km from station.
You have a 5 km walk across country to get to this bothy:
Address: Gumber Farm, Slindon
Tel: 01243-814484
Facilities: No car access, low-cost, sleeping platform, limited kitchen.
Address: Tottington Barn, Shoreham-by-Sea
Tel: 01903-813419
The only hostel well inland is a small self-catering hostel tucked away in wooded countryside. Local buses within 1 km, rail within 4 km, National Express bus at Uckfield 7 km away:
BLACKBOYS YHA has been closed by YHA, but may be reopened as a YHA- affiliated hostel.
