HOSTELS IN NORTH ENGLAND -- NORTHUMBERLAND, NEWCASTLE, DURHAM

The northern Pennines is a near wilderness area with stretches of empty moorland mixed with pleasant wooded valleys with hostels. Northumberland is spacious and breezy with distant views and good for cycling, and a variety of hostels. Hadrian's Wall (Roman wall) runs through and has several hostels close by. Off the uncrowded coast is Lindisfarne (Holy Island) and the Farne Islands for bird life. There are several bunkhouses in the area.


NORTHUMBRIA

This section describes the counties of Northumberland, Durham and part of Cumbria. Although not the most sought-out part of England, this region has its own unique atmosphere that makes it well worth a brief visit. If you have only an hour or two, drive through the Vale of Eden and look at the villages and small towns. Or, if you are following the eastern route through Northumberland, stop and have a walk in Redesdale Forest. If you have more time, go a slower route and enjoy the peaceful forest and lakeshore around the artificial Kielder Water. There is a new hostel here, so this is a delightful place to spend a night. Or stay at Byrness hostel, well placed for bus and car travellers. If you have days available and are a keen walker, walk the Pennine Way or part of it and get thoroughly familiar with some wild country.

If driving between England and Scotland, don't just rush from London to Edinburgh, but deviate a bit and, if possible, spend a night somewhere in this area. The locals are very friendly and always keen to help you (whether you need it or not!), but you will find the local dialect hard to understand; it has an intonation quite unlike any other dialect of English.

Newcastle-on-Tyne

is the chief city in this area, an impressive workaday city but not a scenic destination, populated by a boisterous good-hearted people with an accent quite different from any other in Britain. It has 2 hostels:

NEWCASTLE YHA (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
Address: 107 Jesmond Road
Tel: 0870-770-5972
Email: newcastle + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: £16 incl breakfast (2005). Kitchen, TV lounge, games room, dining room, cycle store.
NEWCASTLE YHA

ALBATROSS Hostel (Newcastle)
Address: 51 Grainger St


Facilities: Around £17 (2006); equipped kitchen, lounge w TV, free tea/coffee.
ALBATROSS Hostel

Durham

Durham is a small city with just a few items of interest, but these are outstanding. A great cathedral and a castle, both standing on a tall crag, with a fine walk around the loop of the river. The University is one of the oldest in England. If you have a rail pass, or if you are driving up the eastern side of Britain, it is an essential stop. It has no hostel, but the University has dorm beds available in the summer.

Northumberland

Northumberland is a county of wide spaces and open long-distance views. Weather is usually cool and breezy but much drier than the Lake District, and if you walk you will really feel a breath of fresh air. This is ideal country for motoring and energetic cycling (the energy is needed against the wind and hills!)
Berwick

North Northumberland

Berwick-on-Tweed is a delightful little town on the main route from London to Edinburgh (frequent trains and buses) and an ideal place to visit for an afternoon. You can walk round the old walls for good views of the town, sea and countryside. If you have time, stop overnight at the pleasant little hostel:

BERWICK-ON-TWEED Backpackers
Address: 58 Bridge Street
Tel: 01289-331481
Email: bkbackpacker + AT + aol.com

Facilities: Lounge/dining room with equipped kitchen, radio, small breakfast included, car park nearby.

UK Trail opinions: Convenient and pleasant. Dorm, also singles/twins with TVs, all can share self-catering.
BERWICK-ON-TWEED Backpackers

The Pennine Way

The Pennine Way, Britain's most famous long-distance footpath, runs through Northumberland. You don't have to walk the whole Way to enjoy the rugged countryside and spacious views -- just stay in one of the hostels on the route for a couple of nights. There are several small self-catering hostels along the Pennine Way.

At the extreme northern end of the Way, just over the border in Scotland, is Kirk Yetholm hostel.

Moving south you come to the village of Bellingham (pronounced BELLIN- jum)(hourly buses from Hexham) which is pleasant and well-placed for walkers, cyclists and car tourers. It has a pleasant 1 to 2 hour local walk along a wooded valley with waterfalls. It has no takeaway food shops. It has a high-quality bunkhouse on a working farm:

DEMESNE FARM Bunkhouse (Bellingham)

Tel: 01434-220258
Email: telfer + AT + demesne.plus.com

Facilities: Owner-run, £13 (£10 with own sleeping bag) (2005). 16 beds. Large common/dining room with equipped kitchen, no TV, smoke-free, cycle store, dryer, camping.

UK Trail opinions: Simple but pleasant and well-equipped bunkhouse in centre of village.
Visit HOSTEL WEB SITE!

Beside the Pennine Way in delectable countryside, 3 km from nearest main road (hourly buses from Bellingham and Hexham) along narrow road and rough track with 4 gates, with lots of local walks in the adjacent wide open countryside, is a beautifully-located small bunkhouse:

SHITLINGTON CRAG Bunkhouse (near Wark)

Tel: 01434-230330
Email: joandali + AT + btinternet.com

Facilities: Owner-run, 8 beds, £13 (£10 with own sleeping bag) (2006); Well-equipped kitchen, small cosy lounge with wood fire, radio & CD; drying facilities, provisions, camping, sometimes meals.

UK Trail opinions: A small cosy retreat on Pennine Way, away from roads, very friendly owners, fabulous views of wide open countryside, usually space for individuals.
Visit HOSTEL WEB SITE!

Kielder

If you are driving to Scotland, a very attractive route is by Europe's largest artificial lake, Kielder Water. There are lots of outdoor activiites here as well as cycling and walking. You can get here by bus (about 1 per day) from Bellingham, but no long-distance buses come this way. Halfway along the lake is a resort centre with fine views which includes a bunkhouse:

REIVERS REST Bunkbarn (nr Kielder)
Address: Leaplish Waterside Park, Kielder Water
Tel: 01434-251000


Facilities: 24 beds, £16 (2006); equipped kitchen/dining room w fine views, 8-bed dorms, double & family rooms.

UK Trail opinions: Quite expensive but well-fitted and beautiful location.

At the head of the lake is Kielder village with a well-appointed YHA hostel:

KIELDER YHA
Address: Butteryhaugh
Tel: 0870-770-5898
Email: kielder + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: Newly-converted school, high quality; well-equipped kitchen, good sociable dining area, lg lounge w TV, internet, children's games; small dorms, meals.

UK Trail opinions: Reported to do superb meals.
KIELDER YHA

Hadrian's Wall

This is one of the star attractions of Northumberland. The interesting bits of the wall are well scattered, so plan your tour carefully. A good base is Hexham, which you can get to by train from Carlisle and Newcastle (hourly including Sundays), with a hostel 2 miles away at Acomb. If you want to visit the Wall by public transport, there's a leaflet (from any local hostel or phone 01434-322002). The total bus network is good, but some run only in summer. There's a 3-day bus rover ticket for £8. If you want to visit the Wall within a day, take a tour from Newcastle or Carlisle.

You can walk the length of the Wall or just visit parts of it. There are several available hostels, most of them on the bus route. Here they are from west to east.

BIRDOSWALD YHA (near Gilsland)
Address: Birdoswald Roman Fort, Gilsland
Tel: 0870-770-6124
Email: birdoswald + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: Within Roman fort. £14 (2005), self-catering. Kitchen, lounge/dining, laundry, grounds.

ONCE BREWED YHA (near Haltwhistle)
Address: Military Road, Bardon Mill
Tel: 0870-770-5980
Email: oncebrewed + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: Large lounge with internet, no TV, small well-equipped kitchen with good eating area, meals in large dining room, games room w pool, patio, no views, laundry, cycle store.

UK Trail opinions: In lovely country, pity you can't see it from hostel. Potentially sociable but has an impersonal feel. Kitchen well-equipped but small. Close to visitor centre & pub.
ONCE BREWED YHA

The following hostel is 3 km from the Wall so a fair walk, but ideal if you want a base in this area far from roads amid unspoilt countryside.

GIBBS HILL FARM Bunkhouse (nr Haltwhistle)
Address: Bardon Mill
Tel: 01434-344030
Email: val + AT + gibbshillfarm.co.uk

Facilities: £10 w own sleeping bag, £13 w bedding (2005). On a working farm. Equipped kitchen/dining, drying room, laundry, cycle store. Meals in farmhouse.

UK Trail opinions: A new bunkhouse, well-equipped, with adjacent b&b and holiday cottages. Very remote in the midst of lovely countryside.
Visit HOSTEL WEB SITE!
GIBBS HILL FARM Bunkhouse

Hadrian's Lodge 2 miles from the Wall and 2 miles from Haydon Bridge used to be a bunkhouse but is now a more luxury B&B. They do have a bunkroom but with no self-catering and priced higher than most hostels.

Northumberland Coastline

Northumberland has a lovely coastline with unspoilt beaches, better for brisk walks than sunbathing or swimming. Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands are a popular destination, and there is an impressive castle at Bamburgh. Near this section of coast you have a choice of 3 bunkhouses:

Near Beadnell is a bunkhouse almost on the beach, easily reached by 5 buses a day from Newcastle, 3 from Berwick:

TACKROOM Bunkhouse (Beadnell)
Address: Annstead Farm
Tel: 01665-720387
Email: susan + AT + annstead.co.uk

Facilities: Low cost; sleeping bag needed (bedding available); equipped kitchen/dining room with TV; 3-tier beds.
Visit HOSTEL WEB SITE!

A few miles inland, good for car travellers, 2 trains/day or transport from Alnwick:

JOINER'S SHOP Bunkhouse (via Alnwick)
Address: Preston, Chathill
Tel: 01665-589245
Email: Waldopepper + AT + ntlworld.com

Facilities: Low cost; large kitchen/dining/lounge w TV, 3-tier beds, sheets extra.

In the village of Belford (5 buses per day from Newcastle & Berwick, also eve and Sun) is a bunkhouse where you can join in climbing, walking or beach activities daily or get transport to the beach:

OUTDOOR TRUST Bunkhouse (Belford)
Address: Windy Gyle
Tel: 01668-213289
Email: info + AT + outdoortrust.co.uk

Facilities: Low cost, sleeping bag needed, 2 lounges with fire & TV, meals or use of kitchen.

The North Pennines

This area is the nearest thing to wilderness that England can manage -- miles of remote rather austere moorland with little habitation. The Pennine Way passes through, and there's lots of scope for long- distance hikes with not too much up-and-down, sweeping views, and you will meet few people. The terrain is highly exposed and weather conditions can be harsh, though the hostels are comfortably protected in little valleys. Bus access is pretty poor. A fine cross-country cycle route also passes through the area.

Alston is a fascinating small town, the highest and remotest in England. Nenthead 10 km away has a mining heritage centre. Both these places have 2 buses a day from Carlisle and 1 from Haltwhistle (no buses Sundays).

Alston's YHA hostel has closed. There may be another hostel called Compasst, while Nenthead has two simple bunkhouses, one in the mining centre and one attached to the pub.

THE MINERS ARMS Bunkhouse (Nenthead)

Tel: 01434-381427
Email: minersarms + AT + cybermoor.org.uk

Facilities: £11 incl bedding, breakfast £4. Good dorms with 3-tier bunks, no common room or kitchen, pub next door (2 rooms, 1 with TV), meals, cycle store.

UK Trail opinions: Simple but cosy, but no common room or kitchen. Pub next door (smoking), smoke-free restaurant with meals.
Visit HOSTEL WEB SITE!

MILL COTTAGE Bunkhouse (Nenthead)
Address: Mines Heritage Centre
Tel: 01434 382037
Email: info + AT + npht.com

Facilities: Low cost, good beds with curtains. Good kitchen but equipment limited, small common area, patio tables.

UK Trail opinions: Good bed for night when walking, in quiet country setting, comfy but limited facilities.

Ninebanks hostel is a quiet retreat in a moorland valley, with no nearby pub and no adequate bus service, but with excellent secluded walking.

NINEBANKS YHA (via Alston)
Address: Mohope, Ninebanks
Tel: 0870-770-5974
Email: ninebanks + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: Small, low-cost, self-catering. Kitchen, common room, drying room, laundry, shop, cycle store.

There are 4 buses a day (not Sundays) from Durham via Consett to Edmundbyers.

EDMUNDBYERS YHA
Address: Low House
Tel: 0870-770-5810
Email: edmundbyers + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: Small, self-catering. Kitchen, lounge, dining room, drying room, cycle store, shop.

The Vale of Eden

In marked contrast to the moorland, this is a comfortable verdant vale with a soft climate, woods and pastureland, and some lovely villages built of warm red sandstone. This is ideal cycling country, and if you drive be sure to take your time. The scenic Settle-Carlisle railway (5 trains per day incl Sundays) gives the best access, with stations within walking distance of the following 3 hostels. Penrith is on the main rail line from London to Glasgow with frequent trains, and also has 2 express buses a day. There are 4 buses a day from Penrith to Kirkby Stephen.

Dufton is a tiny village from which there is a fine day's walk across the Pennines to Teesdale.

DUFTON YHA

Tel: 01768-351236

Kirkby Stephen is a delightful little town with many interesting corners. It has a hostel (the former Methodist Chapel at the top of the main street) which is very sociable, although the guests are mostly serious walkers busy planning their next day's route along the Pennine Way or Coast-to-Coast. There are several buses a day in several directions. This is also a base for walks on the Howgill Fells 6 km away, with moderate but rewarding hikes along valleys and ridges empty of people.

KIRKBY STEPHEN YHA (Kirkby Stephen)
Address: Market Street
Tel: 0870-770-5904
Email: kirkbystephen + AT + yha.org.uk

Facilities: Giant common/dining room using pews as seats, lounge corner, lounge on balcony, no TV, moderate well-equipped kitchen, small well laid-out dorms, free parking nearby.

UK Trail opinions: Very pleasant hostel, potentially very sociable, patronised mainly by hikers & cyclists. * CLOSING ON 2006 OCT 31 *.