undercover_mrx@hotmail.co.uk

Anyone got anything to say on the new guide book - sorry I mean
'accomodation guide'?
I must admit I like the fact there is a photo of 'every' hostel this
time around, but I'd have liked the old style 'how to get to' maps for
each hostel to return. Lets hope all the phone numbers are right this
time.
Never the less on first impressions I like it - it is better - but I
was hoping for 'even better'. I always thought YHA was going to do an
online guide only and scrap the paper version - obviously not this
time!?

Mr X.

Dave Pickles

undercover_mrx@hotmail.co.uk wrote:

> Anyone got anything to say on the new guide book - sorry I mean
> 'accomodation guide'?
> I must admit I like the fact there is a photo of 'every' hostel this
> time around, but I'd have liked the old style 'how to get to' maps for
> each hostel to return. Lets hope all the phone numbers are right this
> time.
> Never the less on first impressions I like it - it is better - but I
> was hoping for 'even better'. I always thought YHA was going to do an
> online guide only and scrap the paper version - obviously not this
> time!?

On the plus side, the photos are helpful and the reception opening hours
line up with reality rather better than previous editions. However the
caveats are missing - "limited parking", "awfully long way from the
village" etc. Anyone relying solely on this publication might be in for a
surprise.
--
Dave

Judith

On 19 Jan 2007 12:04:29 -0800, undercover_mrx@hotmail.co.uk wrote:

>Anyone got anything to say on the new guide book - sorry I mean
>'accomodation guide'?

I may be wrong, as I have only spent about 10 minutes looking at it,
but it does not seem to contain any opening dates for any hostel. Eg
"Open Fri, Sat from Easter to August Bank Holiday". It looks like
Rent-a-Hostel, erm I mean "Escape to" is now the main business for all
hostels outside the city centres, so they don't want to publish
opening dates in case they have to (heaven forbid) actually open!

Judith

jonathan.gurney@wlc.ac.uk

Judith wrote:
> On 19 Jan 2007 12:04:29 -0800, undercover_mrx@hotmail.co.uk wrote:
>
> >Anyone got anything to say on the new guide book - sorry I mean
> >'accomodation guide'?
>
> I may be wrong, as I have only spent about 10 minutes looking at it,

> Judith

I've spent less, so far, but the first thing to catch my eye was the
entry for York Racecourse YH.
It states that the town centre is "a few minutes drive away". Would any
hostellers here who know York recommend a car as a sensible means of
making that journey?

I'm also puzzled at the ratings in the 'Car-free and easy' leaflet
which came with the handbook.
YH's are graded 1 - 5 for public transport accessibility.

Black Sail understandably has 1 (hard to access) but Tanners Hatch (an
easy walk from the London bus network or a railway station) has the
same, as has Epping Forest, a stroll from the Underground. I'd hardly
say Tanners Hatch and Epping Forest were as inaccessible as Black Sail!
However Arundel has 4 and Telscombe 3 despite both being 2 or 3 miles
from their nearest bus stops or stations - not much different from
Tanners or Epping. Similarly Litton Cheny has a 1, although I think it
is closer to a bus route than is Telscombe (3).

Jon

Chris Hunt

Back in the olden days, say 5 or 10 years ago, when the handbook was a
black-and-white(ish) document put together with quill pens and John
Bull printing sets contained all sorts of things:

When the hostel was open
How much it cost to stay
A map and directions to help you find it
Which OS map you'd find it on
How far to the nearest shop/pub/bus stop/railway station
When the local market day was

Now we're in the "information age", with all this information
technology at our disposal, the handbook's all glossy and colourful. It
just hasn't got any information in it.

Fran

Chris Hunt said...
> Back in the olden days, say 5 or 10 years ago, when the handbook was a
> black-and-white(ish) document put together with quill pens and John
> Bull printing sets contained all sorts of things:
>
> When the hostel was open
> How much it cost to stay
> A map and directions to help you find it
> Which OS map you'd find it on
> How far to the nearest shop/pub/bus stop/railway station
> When the local market day was

Nod. These are all things hostellers might well want to know. Let's
add meal details to all that, and a list of general facilities.

> Now we're in the "information age", with all this information
> technology at our disposal, the handbook's all glossy and colourful. It
> just hasn't got any information in it.
>
Stupid, isn't it. The website's a waste of space and the handbook isn't
much better. Even if the website were good, up to date and accurate, it
wouldn't be any use for those of us who don't carry computers around
with us. What we want are bits of paper that can be stuffed into
rucksack pockets, looked at on trains and buses, have margins that can
be scribbled in - in short, a booklet exactly like the one described
above. Which would be so much cheaper to produce.

--
To reply see 'from' in headers; lose the domain, and insert dots and @
where common sense dictates.

Jacki

jonathan.gurney@wlc.ac.uk wrote:
>
> I've spent less, so far, but the first thing to catch my eye was the
> entry for York Racecourse YH.
> It states that the town centre is "a few minutes drive away". Would any
> hostellers here who know York recommend a car as a sensible means of
> making that journey?

Absolutely not recommended to drive into York. I'm not sure what the
York Racecouse hostel is, as I haven't seen the book (it doesn't appear
to be on the website), but presumably it's something different to the
one at Water End? If that's the case, there's plenty of public
transport going past the racecourse into the city, and York's very
compact to walk around (and easy to get lost in!).

It's generally recommended to use one of the many park-and-ride
facilities around York.

Chris Hunt

> However Arundel has 4 and Telscombe 3 despite both being 2 or 3 miles
> from their nearest bus stops or stations

Arundel is barely a mile from Arundel railway station, I don't know
where the nearest bus stop is, but no doubt there are several of them
in the middle of the town - about the same distance away if you take
the path by the river.

Telscombe is a touch over two miles from Southease station (the new
hostel at Itford Farm will be right on its doorstep!), there appear to
be regular buses along Telscombe Road - about 3 quarters of a mile from
the village.

Nick Pedley

<undercover_mrx@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1169237069.445987.286200@51g2000cwl.googlegro ups.com...
> Anyone got anything to say on the new guide book - sorry I mean
> 'accomodation guide'?
> I must admit I like the fact there is a photo of 'every' hostel this
> time around, but I'd have liked the old style 'how to get to' maps for
> each hostel to return. Lets hope all the phone numbers are right this
> time.
> Never the less on first impressions I like it - it is better - but I
> was hoping for 'even better'. I always thought YHA was going to do an
> online guide only and scrap the paper version - obviously not this
> time!?
>
Going for an online only guide would inconvenience me a lot as I take the
book with me when I'm away on long trips or camping. I can then use it to
phone around hostels in the area to find a cheapish bed for the night if I
want a break from a long drive or a dry, quiet nights sleep.
The bookmark may offer a single point of contact but there's no guarantee
it'll be answered or have the booking details of certain hostels/B&Bs/barns.

Not everyone can get online easily (especially when travelling), nearly all
travel firms (hotels, cruises, b&b assocs etc) offer a paper guide which you
can sit down and read in comfort where you like. YHA seem to have copied
ideas from these. I like the new area maps with local roads and towns
included.

Annoying part is not being able to jump to a desired region quickly using
the page edge colour code, instead you have to flick thru and watch the page
headings. I'm not bothered whether a hostel is in City, Coast or
Countryside, I just want somewhere to stay and I have a fairly good idea of
where locations are in this country. That leads me to think this new book is
designed more for overseas visitors.
The pictures are good for confirming you have arrived at the right place!
(Unless the pic is of the back garden/door....).

I think the North-West Cities and Lakeland chapter needs rethinking to
separate the Lake District from the Northwest and Cities hostels.

Nick



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

jonathan.gurney@wlc.ac.uk

Chris Hunt wrote:
> > However Arundel has 4 and Telscombe 3 despite both being 2 or 3 miles
> > from their nearest bus stops or stations
>
> Arundel is barely a mile from Arundel railway station, I don't know
> where the nearest bus stop is,
Yes, 1.2 miles. The bus calls at the station.

> Telscombe is a touch over two miles from Southease station (the new
> hostel at Itford Farm will be right on its doorstep!), there appear to
> be regular buses along Telscombe Road - about 3 quarters of a mile from
> the village.

Yes, and there is a bus route through Southease.

Thanks for corrections - I'd typed from memory not looked at the map!
I think my point stands: as far as public transport access is
concerned, Tanners Hatch and Epping Forest have more in common with
Arundel & Telscombe than with Black Sail.

Jon

Chris Hunt

I've written a more in-depth review at http://www.yhagroup.org.uk/archives/...modation-guide