Talking about my generation….

Three generations of Andertons: Ann, Rachel and Liz, on their way to Walla Crag

In February half-term we were visited by three generations of the same family: grandmother Ann Anderton, her daughter Liz, and her granddaughter Rebecca.  For Ann, this was her first visit to a youth hostel ever, having found Derwentwater Youth Hostel on the internet.  Ann takes up the story:

“Never having stayed at a Youth Hostel before, I didn’t quite know what to expect, and was delighted with the magnificent setting of Barrow House with its proximity to Derwent Water. The house itself is warm and welcoming, the range and quality of food available is of the highest standard, and the hospitality of the staff is incomparable. 

Within an hour of arriving, we were crossing Derwent Water on the launch, returning to Barrow House some hours later having walked back along the lake side path.  After our evening meal and an energetic evening of table tennis, I was childishly delighted to choose a top bunk bed, so I could watch the sun rise over the lake next morning from my snug bed. 

Having enjoyed a refreshing night’s sleep, our destination for the second day was Walla Crag.  We commenced the walk by climbing the path beside the splendid Cascade and, before starting the ascent to Walla Crag, we paused to admire Ashness Bridge (and take yet more photos) before continuing the ascent. The views from the summit were spectacular, and the ‘icing on the cake’ was watching a Red Kite hovering above us. 

We all had a very enjoyable couple of days and, I am pleased to announce that an annual stay Barrow House is now a fixture on our calendar.”

Although the age range of the three generations is comparatively wide, they all enjoyed themselves equally.  As Ann says: “we’re not really aware of the age thing, since our motto is ‘go for it’.  I hope that our story inspires others such as ourselves to stay at the hostel”. We hope so too Ann, and thank you for sharing your experience.

Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteering

Our glamorous Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award volunteer, Flo King

We are quite used to young people staying at the hostel whilst doing the outdoor element of their Duke of Edinburgh Award, but we are now beginning to experience some of the young people doing their residential volunteer placement within the hostel itself. One such volunteer was Flo King, who came to us in December on the five day residential placement required by the gold award.  It is an opportunity for students to build on a talent, learn something new or do something to help others.

Flo worked incredibly hard over her five days, tackling mounds of dirty dishes, serving meals, interacting with the guests, making beds, cleaning toilets and helping in the grounds.  She certainly got stuck in, and experienced the wide range of tasks that the hostel demands and carried them out extremely well.  Flo was unfazed by the hard work and seems to have enjoyed her placement immensely: “I worked at Derwentwater Youth Hostel for a few days over Christmas to complete my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. I had such a fun time and the place itself was absolutely stunning. The staff who worked there made me feel incredibly welcome and really made me feel part of the team! I would happily go back and work there any time!”

We thoroughly enjoyed having her here. It’s fantastic to see how a young volunteer develops in confidence and very soon becomes part of the staff team, and in Flo's case she was able to work independently and provide a much-needed and much-appreciated pair of capable hands.  She was particularly good with our guests. We are always happy to welcome other D of E students with their placements.  If you know anybody who you think might like to do their volunteer placement at the hostel, do get in touch.

Holiday swap

Jamie and Hamish Cooper have a laugh during their visit to the hostel...

Imagine having booked accommodation for 50 people, only to be told with 3 week’s notice that there had been a double booking and your accommodation was not available to you…..

This is what happened to a group of families who had been expecting to go to a castle in Northumbria for the half-term holidays.  Fortunately, Derwentwater Youth Hostel came to their rescue and they were able to swap their castle for a Georgian mansion.  The group consisted of 20 children, whose ages ranged from a grown-up 14 to a tiny four month old baby, and 30 adults. A lot of the adults busied themselves in the self-catering kitchen cooking for everyone – they even made bread!  Meanwhile, the children had a wonderful time putting on concerts and playing musical instruments. There was also a very impressive felt-making session where some very colourful and artistic slippers were made for the children.

"The hostel was alive with the sound of children enjoying themselves. It was great for everyone to be able to find their own space to play music, games or whatever and the Lake District is just such a great place for families" said Fiona Cooper, who helped organise the trip.   "We managed to organise a couple of family walks and we also had the use of a couple of kayaks we'd brought along.  I was so lucky to find Barrow House, thank you so much Kathy and Dave for getting us out of a very tight spot!  We all had a fabulous time."

The hostel was certainly a big hit, with several of the families being keen to return to Derwentwater Youth Hostel.  It’s really good to know that we can compete with a castle!

Jennings Rivers Ride

Working together in the leafy sunshine on the 2011 Rivers Ride

If you are looking for a great day out for all the family then the Jennings Rivers Ride could be the one for you. Organised by Cumbria Community Foundation, it is a series of Cycle Sportive Challenge Events which all start and finish in Keswick, following some of the UK’s finest scenery. One of the routes is the Family Ride, which challenges youngsters and adults to ride a distance of 11 miles around beautiful Derwent Water. There is also a middle distance route and a long distance route for the hardcore among you. The event is called the Rivers Ride because sections of the routes follow the river courses and many of the bridges which were affected during the floods in 2009. 

However, it’s not all about cycling as there’ll be a Family Fun Day in Fitz Park, Keswick at the start/finish point of the event. On the field you’ll find a large marquee with entertainment, food and drink and a wide array of family-friendly games and things to do.

The inaugural event took place last September and our very own Trustee Sarah Snyder was involved with supporting and promoting the Family Fun Day activities, wearing her Cumbria Community Foundation hat.  This year Sarah will be riding herself and would love to get a Derwentwater Team together. “I’m so excited about sharing this initiative which is aimed at every cyclist, from beginners and families to professional riders. The atmosphere is electric – there are so many keen cyclists all gathered amongst the most beautiful scenery.”

This year the event will take place on Sunday 16th September. The hostel is magnificently placed to be both a base for taking part or to watch the event – the route passes the bottom of the hostel’s drive. If the Macleod’s from last month’s newsletter inspired your family to get fit on a bike, then this is the event for you!  And if you want to join Trustee Sarah in the Derwentwater Team she would love to hear from you – you can contact her on sarah@derwentwater.org.

For information about other events going on in the Keswick area, you can check out Keswick Tourist Association's events list on our website: http://derwentwater.org/news.php.   The link to the events’ listing is on the top left-hand side of the news page.

More volunteering news

Beate gets stuck into some deep cleaning!

We have been extremely lucky in recent months with having people offer their services voluntarily. In addition to Flo our Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteer, stalwart seasonal staff member, Pez Bullen, has been helping put the grounds to right all over the winter whilst he waits for his seasonal job to start in the Spring.

We are also pleased to welcome Beate Fichtl from Germany.  She arrived at the hostel on the 19th February and will be staying for 2 months.  This is the very first time she has been to England and she has come over to polish up her English.  She is studying both English and Latin at Regensburg University at home and is hoping that her experience at Derwentwater, mixing with both staff and customers, is going to help her with her English conversation.  Her friend, Kathrin, volunteered at the hostel 2 years ago and recommended us to her.

Her role while she is here is to help staff with as much as of the day to day hostel work as she can. She will be helping in the kitchen and the pot wash as well as with the housekeeping.  But of course, key to her English experience is her contact with customers, so visitors can expect to meet her over the morning fry-up or ladling out the soup in the evening.

Beate is looking forward to her time at the hostel: “Derwentwater is probably one of the most inviting places I have ever been to. Not only is the area extraordinarily beautiful, but also people living in and around the hostel are very friendly, open-minded and helpful. I am sure I will benefit from my stay here, both personally and with regard to my knowledge of the English language and culture.”

We really appreciate her volunteering to help the hostel staff.  Not only is it really useful to have an extra pair of hands but it’s great to be able to welcome a new person to work and live at Derwentwater – a new friend for all of us.    It’s really interesting for us to find out about Germany and how their systems work - it’s educational for all the staff team as well as for the volunteer.  And Beate certainly knows the way to our hearts- she came armed with a big variety of delicious Bavarian chocolates!

You don’t have to be a student to volunteer at the hostel – we welcome volunteers of all ages and experience.  If you, or anybody you know, thinks they would like to offer their services – even for a few days – then we would love to hear from you.

Families together

The families from the Blackpool Catholic Association pose for the camera on our terrace

During one of the half-term weekends we were delighted to welcome a large group of families from Blackpool Catholic Association totalling 48 in all.  Both adults and children enjoyed the hostel location immensely and they had a brilliant time together.  Sonu Antony from Blackpool Catholic Association says: “Thank you so much for making our stay so memorable and wonderful. We think Derwentwater Youth Hostel is the very best blend of nature and hospitality on earth".  And thank you Sonu, for saying such a lovely things. We hope to see you all again next year!

If any of you think you might have a few families who would love to holiday together in the Lakes we would very pleased to accommodate you.  Our catering is very flexible and if you are tired of cooking we can certainly take the strain off you.  The children will love exploring and playing in the grounds and if the parents don’t want to join in then they can always relax in one of our lounges overlooking the Lake view – maybe with a nice glass of wine or local beer! Just get in touch to discuss your needs with one of the team – contact@derwentwater.org.