Top 10 Youth Hostel Locations in the Lake District for the Avid Hiker

Located in the ancient market town of Keswick on the banks of Derwentwater, YHA Keswick is idyllically located on the banks of the River Greta and overlooks Fitz Park, with monumental Skiddaw and Latrigg as looming backdrops. Keswick is a bustling town with plenty to offer: a treasure trove of quirky shops and restaurants, the Keswick Museum and Art Gallery, and its weekly market that has been running continuously since it was first chartered in 1276. This has made it popular with passing tourists and passionate hikers alike, the latter of whom flock to Keswick as a base camp for ascents up the North Lakes Fells that encircle the town.

YHA Keswick is fully-equipped, boasting self-catering kitchens as well as the brand new Riverside Restaurant and Bar with a varied menu of food, drinks, and snacks. The hostel also has private rooms; those on the first floor benefit from small balconies floating just above the River Greta. Guests particularly praise the location’s friendly staff and sublime location.

Hidden in the verdant woodlands adjoining Elterwater to Grasmere, YHA Langdale is located in a magisterial Victorian mansion with rolling views of the Langdale Pikes and Loughrigg Fell all the way down to Lake Windermere and Bowness. The mansion is also located on a three-tiered arboretum managed by the National Trust that guests are free to roam and which gives doorstep access to the Central Fells.

Offering shared and private rooms, YHA Langdale is equipped with a self-catering kitchen, restaurant, and barbecue area for meal options, as well as a TV lounge, games room, and access to the antique veranda balcony that features as part of the mansion’s stunning original architecture. Guests had high praise for the hostel’s unique ambiance.

Uniquely situated 963ft (290m) up Helvellyn, the third-highest mountain in England, YHA Helvellyn is a hikers’ paradise a six-minutes’ drive from the former lead-mining town of Glenridding on the shores of idyllic Ullswater. In winter, a ski slope with a drag lift opens a forty-minutes’ walk away too, making YHA Helvellyn perfectly located for the thrill-seeker.

YHA Helvellyn offers both private rooms and ‘landpods’, small outdoor caravan-style accommodations equipped with two double mattresses capable of sleeping two people each. The landpods are a good compromise between traditional camping and glamping. Other amenities at the hostel include a bar, a self-catering kitchen, and communal spaces for socialising and relaxation.

Set in picturesque Eskdale Valley, described by Alfred Wainwright as “one of the loveliest of Lakeland’s valleys” and bordering onto some of its most iconic mountains, including Scafell Pike and Ill Crag, YHA Eskdale is a mountain climber’s dream. Set on fifteen acres of serene private land and within walking distance of a selection of hearty pubs, few hostel choices are better situated.

Like YHA Helvellyn, YHA Eskdale offers landpods for a more traditional camping-style experience, or both private and shared rooms. There is also a restaurant on site, a lounge room, a TV room, and a communal kitchen.

Located in Glenridding right on the shores of Lake Ullswater, YHA Patterdale has a totally unique ambiance, having been built in the 1970s as a Scandinavian-style retreat. Its seams are therefore infused with a sleek retro feel and provides access onto one of the UK’s most beautiful lakes, where guests can hop aboard a heritage Ullswater steamer or rent their own paddleboat, or and one of its most challenging mountain ranges in the Helvellyns. 

As well as offering private and shared rooms, guests have the option of pitching their own tent on the hostel grounds, providing a truly wild feel. Other amenities include self-catering kitchens and laundry facilities and a dining room serving home-cooked breakfasts and dinners.

Located in a traditional Lakelands house in Coniston, a historic mining town lodged between Coniston Water and Coniston Old Man mountain, YHA Coniston Holly How is noted for its central location in proximity to Ambleside and with easy access to a range of hiking paths suitable for walkers of all abilities. Guests can also enjoy watersports on the lake, while the surrounding mountain biking trails are renowned as some of the best in the country.

Due to its extensive grounds, YHA Coniston Holly How is able to offer a variety of accommodation options. On top of shared and private rooms within the hostel building itself, guests can reserve landpods, pitch-up camping spots, or a tipi capable of fitting in up to four people! Other amenities include a games room, a communal kitchen, and a restaurant serving evening meals.

Sat on the shore of Lake Windermere, YHA Ambleside has stunning views of the legendary lake and the Langdale Pikes, with guests having convenient access to both. Visitors will also find bustling Ambleside at their doorsteps at YHA Ambleside where guests will find the iconic Bridge House, the Armitt Museum, and a curiosity cabinet of shops, cafes, and tea rooms.

The hostel itself is extremely well-equipped, featuring a stylish restaurant and bar serving local ales and heartwarming meals, state-of-the-art rooms, a large garden, and a decked terrace balcony.

Set in a gorgeous, grade II-listed Regency mansion in the ancient village of Hawkshead, notably home of the Beatrix Potter Gallery, the hostel is also in close proximity to Grizedale Forest, a rich woodland home to extensive mountain biking trails and a GoApe! Course.

YHA Hawkshead is another with a myriad accommodation options: shared and private rooms and tipis, but also premium bell tents, wooden cabin pods, and luxury cabins. In the mansion, meanwhile, guests can gather together and unwind within its beautifully ornate walls in the TV lounge, common room, shared kitchen, or games room, while the vast grounds are perfect for some outdoor relaxation.

With an unrivalled view of legendary Lake Windermere, YHA Windermere is located in Troutbeck, a sleepy collection of hamlet colonies scattered across a pristine pasturing valley. Beatrix Potter once wrote of the location: “I loved to wander on the Troutbeck Fell… more often I went alone. But never lonely. There was always the company of gentle sheep, and wild flowers, and singing waters.” Use YHA Windermere as a base camp for exploring the mighty lake and conquering its waters, or as an access point to this Lakelands hidden-gem. Discover the William Morris and Ford Madox Brown designed stained glass of Jesus Church, or visit quirky Townend, a seventeenth-century farmhouse resplendent with intricately-carved furniture and an eclectic collection of rare objects and books that U.S. President Woodrow Wilson tried to buy.

YHA Windermere again offers a range of accommodation options, including tipis, pitch-up camping, and the ‘Airstream’, an upcycled vintage Airstream campervan capable of sleeping up to three people. Other amenities include a bar, social spaces, and communal kitchens.

Perched high above Lake Buttermere in a classic slate and greystone house is YHA Buttermere, offering privileged access to its mythical waters, sleepy Buttermere village, and Haystacks, the favourite summit of Alfred Wainwright. In fact, he loved its undulating slopes so much he had his ashes scattered on the mountain after his passing.

YHA Buttermere offers private rooms, landpods, and pitch-up camping. Homemade meals and social spaces are also included, as is access to the pristine grounds, populated with rare local wildlife such as red squirrels and woodpeckers.