Hotpot! YHA Helvellyn, YHA Bath, YHA Wye Valley

Red Tarn, as viewed from Helvellyn

An intriguing title, I know. I have employed a tricksome gambit to garner your attention.

Marvel! At my devilish cunning as I continue to keep you guessing.

Gaze! Upon my Hitchcockian powers of suspense.

Tire! Of this unnecessary postponing of a reveal that can only prove disappointing.

Well then, to the meat of it.

There are a number of hostels I visited long enough ago that I can't confidently attest to the currentness of my account. I have limited photos (if any) of my time there. I also have limited memories, which are the photos of the mind, in a way.

I have decided to group these together in-between more detailed descriptions of my ventures. I have dubbed posts with grouped hostels 'hotpots', because, in my tortured analogy, this mix of information is metaphorically more potatoes than meat.

Unwisely continuing my food metaphors, I hope you have your roasted vegetables, light sauce and grilled fish ready, because this is a real Sauvignon Blanc of a post. What I mean by this, of course, is that it is exceptionally dry.

Worry not, however, as I will season this ‘unappetizer’ with the spice of description.

As you may remember from last week’s post, after my stint volunteering at Ambleside, my brother made the trip up from Yorkshire to visit. Our destination: YHA Helvellyn, there to bask in the glory of accomplishment, and, if weather permitted, the sun. I remember favourable conditions for the climb over Helvellyn from Ambleside. The route is very well-frequented, to the point that on a busy day it can feel more highway than path. The famous Striding Edge (comprehensively shown here) is not a route to rush, but perfectly manageable when visibility is good. On our return, a 2am hike* in atmospheric fog, we opted for the safer Swirral Edge on the north-east side.

YHA Helvellyn is a mid-19th century building next to the Ulls Water (river) and a pleasant 30-45 minute walk from Ullswater (the lake). I remember it being quite cosy in the common room, with a number of games and books for communal edification and delight. These are a regular fixture at YHA hostels, and can be quite rewarding to browse. Whether a guidebook on local history or an ageing copy of Trivial Pursuit, here, sometimes, treasure lies. In YHA Helvellyn for example, I took a recipe from a cookbook that I still use to this day.

On the subject of cooking - A perfect segue. This is theming - I promised you potatoes! For your consideration: YHA Bath(atas Bravas) and YHA Wye Valley (Dauphinoise).

Deep within the recesses of my memory, YHA Bath looms large as one of the few city stays of my childhood. The building is impressive, an 1853 “Italianate grade II listed mansion” up a hill from the city centre. My family has a picture somewhere of me and my siblings on the balcony over the entrance. I remember Bath for its grand Georgian architecture, its abbey, and, of course, for the eponymous Roman baths, whose roborative powers I remember doubting after taking some of the waters in a nearby restaurant.

YHA Wye Valley is a different kettle of fish. Set up the valley from the meandering River Wye, deep in the Forest of Dean, the thing I remember most from this stay, aside from the obligatory rain, was the joy of canoeing along the river. I am a bit of an elemental soul anyway, and paddling down the waterway was the perfect way to take in the sights. And sights there are a-plenty! Goodrich Castle was a particular highlight.

Alas, that traitor Memory lurks again, and there are far more detailed and current accounts of these places out there. My aim with this blog, as I hope you have ascertained, is to entertainingly chronicle my journeys. The draw (I hope) is not in the cold reproduction of routes or in relaying all there is to know of an area, but in the semi-informative retelling of my mild adventures.

With that in mind, thus concludes this Hotpot post. How was everything for you?

*Lest you think I’m burying the lede. Why 2am? Boring travel-related reasons. Boring travel-related reasons and the Spirit of Adventure!