Readers respond to John Harris’s article about the Youth Hostels Association’s decision to sell many of its properties
John Harris hits the nail on the head (Youth hostels are a muddy, joyful miracle. Losing them to Brexit and the cost of living would be a tragedy, 30 July). We have just finished one of our annual one-week stints as volunteer managers, this time at Poppit Sands in Wales, and can testify to all it offers and also to the concern from hostellers on hearing that it is for sale. These hostellers included families with young children enjoying an inexpensive seaside holiday, travellers from Belgium, France and Germany (having mutually despairing conversations about Brexit) and walkers on the Pembrokeshire coastal path hoping for a room and a hot shower (which we could supply).
Youth Hostels Association properties not only provide safe, clean, affordable accommodation but they also frequently offer stunning views and quirky buildings full of history. And they have souls. As volunteer wardens and longtime hostellers, we have met fascinating people, discovered local history and folklore, and stayed longer and done more than if we had had to budget for hotel or guesthouse accommodation.
