Introduction
Hello... and welcome to your new–look copy of The Journey.
This spring/summer edition is longer than our previous issues, and we’ve aimed to fill it with more inspiration, ideas and advice than ever before. Whether you’re hostelling alone, with a partner, with friends or with family — and whether you’re 17 or 70 — we hope you’ll find plenty to spark adventure.
We know that you, our members and guests, are every bit as varied as our hostel locations, so over the following pages you’ll find tips on city breaks, coastal walks, wild swimming, outdoor sketching, pilgrimage trails, fundraising challenges and far more. We highlight some of the best budget activities in York, interview YHA Trustee Nisbah Hussain of the Muslim Youth Alliance, describe a momentous hiking route in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and suggest nine hostel breaks for the summer ahead.
Hostelling with YHA is about bringing you closer to those moments that remain with you, whether that’s reaching a mountaintop, plunging into the sea, having an unforgettable night out or just finding a time of stillness and reflection in the great outdoors.
Wherever you are, and whoever you are, we welcome you warmly to these pages. Happy reading, and happy travels.
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Highlights from this issue of The Journey
Four hostels located near outdoor swimming spots
Few things refresh the mind and soul quite like a swim in the great outdoors. We've chosen four hostels close to some of the top outside swimming spots in England and Wales.
A guide to exploring York: attractions, history and hidden gems
Visiting this northern city holds rich rewards — and many of them are free.
It's not every day that you find a bar with a 2,000-year-old bathhouse in its cellar.
Discover this mountainous eight mile walk in the Brecon Beacons
Bannau Brycheiniog doesn't look like any other mountain range in Britain. The central Beacons rise steeply above the South Wales landscape.
Nine feel‑good activities for summer adventures
Our fantastic network of hostels in England and Wales serves up adventure potential right across the map. Here are nine breaks for you to consider this summer.
A discussion with Muslim Youth Alliance founder: Nisbah Hussain
Across the UK, thousands of young people grow up without access to the outdoors. Nisbah Hussain, a YHA Trustee and founder of the Muslim Youth Alliance.