Travel Late-youth hostel Middle-aged William Cook and his mother rediscover the joys of youth hostelling – and the splendours of Berwick-upon-Tweed
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here did you go on your summer holidays? I took my mother to a youth hostel in Berwick-uponTweed, to celebrate her 80th birthday. ‘What a shameless cheapskate!’ I hear you cry. ‘What a penny-pinching skinflint! Couldn’t you have taken her to a nice hotel on the English Riviera?’ Not on your nelly. My mum adores Northumberland, and she can’t stand posh hotels. She’s always loved youth hostelling, she’d stayed in this hostel before and she told me it was really comfortable. I must admit I was sceptical (my memories of the Youth Hostel Association were rather Spartan) but I decided to give it a go. Well, it was her birthday, after all. My recollections of youth hostelling are rooted in the late, unlamented 1970s, when hotels were dowdy and B&Bs were often dire. Youth hostels didn’t promise much, but there were no unpleasant surprises. It wasn’t always cheerful, but it was cheap, and you got what you paid for: a communal kitchen, a communal bathroom, and a bunk in a single-sex dorm. I went youth hostelling several times in my teens (to the Lake District, Skye and Cornwall) and I had a great time. 82 The Oldie October 2021
William and mother at the Berwick hostel. Right: the pair 50 years ago
OK, so it was pretty basic, but what was the alternative? I couldn’t afford a hotel, caravanning felt too
suburban and camping left you at the mercy of the capricious British weather. Still, I’m far less intrepid than my mother. Throughout my adult life, I’ve relished staying in swanky hotels. What’s the point of going on holiday, if the place where you’re staying is less comfy than your own home? If it hadn’t been for her, I never would have set foot in another hostel. And I never would have known what I’d been missing. On our arrival at the YHA in Berwickupon-Tweed, the first thing that struck me was how smart it was. This didn’t seem like a youth hostel – more like a budget boutique hotel. The hostel is in a converted granary. The ground floor is a cosy café. The biggest difference was the ambience. Youth hostels used to have stern wardens who seemed more like sergeant majors than like hoteliers, but the staff here were charming. As they told me, there have been a few changes since I last stayed chez YHA. Bedding used to be a blanket and one of those ghastly sheet sleeping-bags – now it’s fitted sheets and duvets. You used to have to do a daily chore before you were released back into the community. Not any more. You can still cook your own grub, but they also serve
