SOUTHEAST ENGLAND HOSTEL GUIDE

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:

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:

JORDANS YHA (near Beaconsfield)
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:

HARLOW INTERNATIONAL Hostel
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..
HARLOW INTERNATIONAL Hostel

Just by Cheshunt station, with access to countryside, is a new hostel. Trains run frequently from London Liverpool Street until midnight. This hostel is particularly convenient if you are travelling from Stansted airport, or travelling with a car, and it is also on the rail line to Cambridge. The hostel lies next to a lovely country park with trails around lakes, and it is a short walk to pubs and eating places in Cheshunt. From Cheshunt station, walk 100m E and you see the hostel sign):

LEE VALLEY YHA (Cheshunt)
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.
LEE VALLEY YHA

Also accessible for London by tube, but with a 3 km uphill walk to the hostel in the evening, is a cheap but very sociable hostel:

EPPING FOREST YHA (near Loughton)
Address: Wellington Hall, High Beach, Loughton
Tel: 020-85085161
Email: epping + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: £11 (2005). Self-catering, large dining/lounge with well-equipped kitchen, stereo, no TV, smoke-free indoors, deck with smoking.

UK Trail opinions: Pleasant small traditional YHA hostel, very sociable, some long-stayers giving a hippy-ish feel, walks in forest from hostel door.

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.

HINDHEAD YHA (near Haslemere)
Address: Devil's Punchbowl, Off Portsmouth Rd
Tel: 01428-604285
Email: reservations + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: Self-catering, no car access, no showers.

TANNERS HATCH YHA (near Dorking)
Address: off Ranmore Road, Dorking
Tel: 01306-877964
Email: tanners + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: Self-catering, no car access.

HOLMBURY ST MARY YHA
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:

MEDWAY YHA (near Rochester)
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:

KIPPS Backpackers (Canterbury)
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..
KIPPS Backpackers

CANTERBURY YHA
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..
CANTERBURY YHA

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):

PALACE FARM Hostel (Doddington)
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..
Visit HOSTEL WEB SITE!

Seaside resorts
Kent has some rather ordinary but very pleasant seaside towns. Those with hostels are:

MARGATE YHA
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..

BROADSTAIRS YHA
Address: 3 Osborne Road
Tel: 0870-770-5730
Email: broadstairs + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: Self-catering, closed 1000- 1700h. Small equipped kitchen, dining room with TV, lounge with TV, garden with barbecue, laundry.

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. A convenient place to stay is:

DOVER YHA
Address: 306 London Road
Tel: 01304-201314
Email: dover + AT + yha.org.uk

UK Trail opinions: * CLOSING ON 2007 SEP 30 *.
DOVER YHA

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:

ALFRISTON YHA
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.
ALFRISTON YHA

TELSCOMBE YHA (near Peacehaven)
Address: Bank Cottages
Tel: 01273-301357
Email: reservations + AT + yha.org.uk

Brighton is a lively seaside resort. The Backpackers hostel is in the centre close to the seafront. The Brighton YHA is actually at Patcham, 3 miles from central Brighton.

BRIGHTON Backpackers
Address: 75-76 Middle Street
Tel: 01273-777717
Email: stay + AT + brightonbackpackers.com

Facilities: Kitchens, TV, internet, friendly atmosphere, with annexe.

BAGGIES Backpackers (Brighton)
Address: 33 Oriental Place
Tel: 01273-733740


Facilities: KItchen, TV room, friendly.

BRIGHTON YHA (Patcham)
Address: Patcham Place, London Road, Patcham
Tel: 01273-556196
Email: brighton + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: 5 km from Brighton.

UK Trail opinions: * CLOSING ON 2007 SEP 30 *.
BRIGHTON YHA

Arundel hostel is well-placed for walks on the South Downs, provides meals and 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:

ARUNDEL YHA (nr Arundel)
Address: Warnigcamp
Tel: 0870-770-5676
Email: arundel + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: £16 (2005) incl breakfast, popular with families. TV lounge, large dining room, kitchens, drying room, internet, cycle store, camping.

You have a 5 km walk across country to get to this bothy:

GUMBER Bothy (near Arundel)
Address: Gumber Farm, Slindon
Tel: 01243-814484


Facilities: No car access, low-cost, sleeping platform, limited kitchen.

TRULEIGH HILL YHA (near Shoreham)
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.