Swaledale Hostel Weekend at Grinton Lodge
For our November hostel break we visit the comfortable and spacious youth hostel at Grinton, near Richmond in Swaledale. We have exclusive use of the accommodation.
The area has great walking trails our walk leader will have guided walks on both Saturday and Sunday, or for those that prefer to travel on two wheels there are plenty of cycle trails.
On the evenings we can socialise in the warm hostel or take a short walk to the cosy village pub. Stargazers can take advantage of the remote location and wrap up to look at the skies if it is clear. There's a games room with table tennis too.
The price includes a welcome drink, breakfasts on both Saturday and Sunday, food for packed lunches, dinner at the hostel on the Friday and at the pub on Saturday.
These weekends are very laid back and a great chance to have a weekend away and get to meet like-minded Spice members. It’s a great starter weekend if you’ve not been away with us before - you can do as much or as little as you choose; it’s your weekend away.
Includes
- two nights' hostel accommodation
- welcome drink
- one cooked breakfast
- one continental breakfast
- two packed lunches
- Friday dinner at the hostel
- Saturday dinner at the pub
- hot drinks any time
- guided walks.
Extras
- any additional cold drinks
Organised walks...
For those that want to, why not join Martin on these organised walks ...
Saturday
There is a choice of two walks. The decision of which we do will be based on the weather on the day.
Option 1: Moorland walk to Reeth via Reeth Bridge
4½ miles (2 hours)
We will head West from the Lodge immediately entering the moorland before a short drop into Grinton Gill (may not be passible after heavy rainfall). After a challenging assent out of the Gill we will continue across the moor on a fairly level path towards a deer park (no guarantees of seeing any deer!). Heading downhill past Bleak House we will cross some farm land heading to the River Swale which we will cross via the Reeth Swing Bridge.
The picturesque suspension bridge is a modern replacement for an older 1920s bridge which was washed away in 2000. The bridge doesn’t appear to be a swing bridge in the usual sense, but it does move a little as you walk across it!
We will enter the typically Dales village of Reeth where we can take refreshments from the ice cream parlour, the local pubs or the local bakery. There is also a visitor’s centre and picnic area.
After a short break we will continue across the bridge over Arkle Beck and head along a riverside path to Grinton and the Bridge Inn or back uphill to the hostel.
Option 2: Pastureland walk through Arklegarthdale
6 miles (3 hours)
From the Lodge we will head downhill across grazing meadows towards Grinton then follow a river path up the Arkle Gill Valley towards Castle Farm House.
We can cross the river via an old Pack Horse Bridge before heading towards Reeth village and the refreshments available there.
After a short break we will retrace our path back towards Grinton.
Sunday: Falls and Follies
5 miles (around 3 hours)
The Sunday walk will begin a short (half hour) drive away in the Village of West Burton. Please use the postcode of the village pub to find your way there via satnav (The Fox and Hounds, DL8 4JY). There is free parking around (not on) the village green.
From the village of West Burton, considered by many as the prettiest village in the Dales, we will cross the flood plains of Bishopdale Beck towards Eshington Bridge. There is then a short, but steep walk up past the ironically named Flattlands farm, before a descent to the village of Aysgarth, a village of two halves. The walk will take the traditional field path, where you get your first glimpses of Aysgarth Falls, to the second half set around St Andrew’s church.
We can have a break here to allow an opportunity to spend some time exploring the upper waterfalls, where a scene from the film Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves was filmed. People can explore the middle and lower falls independently if they wish, but will add about a mile to the overall distance. The café at the National Park visitors centre should be open and there is a local tea room which serves excellent ice cream. There is a craft shop and the church is also worth a quick visit as it houses a choir screen rescued form Jervaulx Abbey when it was closed by Henry VIII.
The walk will then continue through the churchyard to follow the path of the river Ure past the middle and lower Aysgarth Falls.
After crossing Hestholm Bridge we will return to the start point via Sorrellsykes Park. Here you will see some unusual follies built by Mrs Sykes. One is known locally as the ‘Rocket Ship’ and the other is said to resemble a diablo.
Just before the end of the walk there is a final waterfall, Cauldron Falls. If the weather and water flow allow, it is possible to get behind the waterfall itself.
Location & Itinerary
The hostel is just a 10 minute walk from the village of Grinton which has a cosy pub and a small church. A little further is the village of Reeth with three pubs, small grocery shops, arts and crafts shops, and an excellent ice cream parlour.
There are plenty of walking trails and cycle trails in the area and you are just a few miles from the market towns of Richmond and Leyburn.
You can arrive from 4pm on Friday. We'll be going to the nearby pub for a meal about 6:30pm.
We will have guided walks on both Saturday and Sunday.
Karen will prepare a meal in the hostel for everyone on Friday night.
On Saturday we have a cooked breakfast.
On Saturday evening we have a two course meal at the nearby Bridge Inn at 7:30pm for dinner. We will be in touch beforehand with a menu so you can pre-order your meal.
On Sunday there will be a continental breakfast but with hot sandwiches available too.
Food will be provided for you to make up a packed lunch each day.
As always we will appreciate your help in preparing food or cleaning up afterwards.
Travel & Stay
YHA Grinton Lodge is a converted hunting lodge built in 1817 by the Dodsworth family. In 1948 the lodge and 5 acres of land was sold to the YHA. It has undergone several renovations since and now has 20 bedrooms including five en-suites.
All bedding is provided, but please bring towels and toiletries. Bedrooms: 4 x 2 bunk, 1 x 3 bunk (double with single over), 9 x 4 bunk (one en-suite), 4 x 6 bunk (two en-suite), 1 x double bedroom with bathroom, 1 x double bed and 2 bunk room en-suite. Every bedroom has a sink and mirror with toilets and showers nearby. Drying room and washing machine are also available.
We can't guarantee which room you will have but we will make an effort of keeping local Spice members together and room dorm share requests where possible. Bring some ear plugs if you're a light sleeper.
If you choose a sole occupancy or twin share, the room will have bunk beds, but you'll have a bunk bed to yourself, so you'll only need to use the bottom, or sleep on top if you like!
We also have a well-equipped self catering kitchen, so we will cook breakfasts and a Saturday evening dinner for everyone, but please remember that we run these bargain weekends on the understanding that we expect everyone to help out at some point with cooking or cleaning up.
There is a lockable bike shed outside, please bring locks for individual bikes too.
There's a ping pong table in the games room, which is free to use. We have use of a cosy lounge with multi fuel stove, sofas, chairs, tables and window seats as well as a TV room with sofas and chairs. Free wi-fi is available in both rooms.
Depending on where you're coming from, your best route is probably to leave the A1(M) at junction 52 and take the A6055 towards Richmond. This soon becomes the A6136. Follow the road for 7¼ miles then turn right onto the A6108 signed to Richmond and Reeth. Turn left at the end onto the B6270 and follow the road into the village of Grinton. By the church and pub turn left signed Youth hostel ½. You'll come to Grinton Lodge on your left. Turn in over the cattle grid and then left again into the car park.
There is a limited amount of free car parking at this hostel. Please car share where possible.
The nearest mainline train stations are Northallerton and Darlington and you can then get a bus to Richmond and then bus 30 from Richmond stops in Grinton (Little Bridge stop), although there aren't many services and it doesn't run on a Sunday. Details at https://www.dalesbus.org/timetable.html.
| Type | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Member in dormitory | £139.00 | Sold Out |
| Member in double share pp | £164.00 | Sold Out |
| Member in twin share pp | £164.00 | Sold Out |
| Member in en-suite double share pp | £179.00 | Sold Out |
| Member in en-suite twin share pp | £179.00 | Sold Out |
| Member sole occupancy | £179.00 | Sold Out |
| Guest in dormitory | £175.00 | Sold Out |
Not enough spaces left for you? Join the waitlist
Host & Everything Else
Fabulous weekend in a great location. Ideal for everyone whether you want to go on a full walk, just socialise or have a trip out to a local market town.
The weekend was great fun for start to finish and the walks and venue and food was excellent it was a very relaxing and fun weekend.
This hostel is in a lovely setting with stunning views, is large space inside and plenty of parking, short walk to village pub which provided great food & hospitality.
Karen puts so much extra into these weekends.
An excellent weekend in the Yorkshire Dales. Great venue for getting away from the hustle and bustle and recharging after Christmas.
the accommodation was superb best bunk barn I have been to., Location lovely and close to different options. Martin was very good organising the walking although I did not go walking , I know where to go if I wanted to. Karen , Diane and Cath superstars.
The organisation, food, walk planning were all excellent. Please put more events on like this.
Fun sociable weekend in a fantastic location.
Nice people great walks great accommodation.
Gallery
