
Swanage
A friendly, colourful seaside town with an award winning beach, amazing chalk pillars of Old Harry's Rocks and a very English Victorian pier.
In Partnership with The National Tourist Organisation of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
In recognition that this business has confirmed that they have followed government and industry Covid-19 guidelines, ensuring processes are in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social/physical distancing.
A large, sea-facing Victorian villa, YHA Swanage is situated five minutes' walk from the award-winning beach of Swanage – the only Blue Flag beach along the entire Dorset Jurassic Coast. The hostel has been recently refurbished for 2018 and is now better than ever. Spend a restful holiday building sandcastles, paddling in the sea and sampling local ice cream or alternatively, give coasteering or diving a go on this rugged coastline.
Our hilltop location gives rooms spectacular panoramic views of Swanage town and bay. The town is a classic British seaside resort and the perfect gateway to the Jurassic coast, a world heritage site.
YHA Swanage has recently undergone a £1.5m refurbishment to improve the facilities and accommodation at the hostel. The hostel now benefits from 93 beds with 11 of the rooms en-suite, including one fully accessible room. The rooms have two to six beds and some of the rooms contain a double bed.
The hostel also has a brand new self-catering kitchen as well as open plan social areas with an oak panelled lounge and dining room with soft chairs. Free Wi-Fi is available in the communal areas.
This hostel is occasionally made available for hire on an exclusive basis. This means that you can have the place to yourself and choose how many of your friends, family, club mates, etc., join you. We allocate availability for exclusive use in blocks, typically up to 90 days in the future.
If you are looking for space to stay with us on a normal shared basis, and can’t see any availability three months or more into the future, then this hostel may be being held for Exclusive Hire. Check availability for Exclusive Hire.
Check in: 3.00pm to 11.00pm
Check out: Before 10.00am
Parking: There is ample parking for coaches and cars.
Open every day?: No. From 1st March to 31st October, YHA Swanage is open at weekends and during school holidays. Monday to Thursday the hostel is available for group bookings. Beds and rooms may become available three months before travelling dates, so please check the website. At certain times, the hostel may only be available for Groups and Exclusive Hire.
Towels and toiletries: Towels and toiletries are not provided but are available to hire or purchase from reception. Bedding is supplied.
Breakfast: Breakfast is served from 7.30am to 9.00am.
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Invite all your family and friends along to YHA Swanage and hire the whole property for yourself. To do so, please visit our YHA Exclusive Hire website. Open for bookings from the autumn half term to the Easter holidays.
Volunteering with YHA is a fantastic way to have fun, learn new skills, boost your CV and travel to different places. We have a variety of different opportunities to choose from and volunteering roles to suit everyone.
The tasks are varied and in return you will meet some great people, who both work and stay in our hostels, as well as enjoying your time off discovering the local area and attractions.
You can find out more and apply to volunteer at this hostel on the volunteering website.
This fine seaside villa was built by the Captain of the Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s colossal ship ‘The Great Eastern’; Sir James Anderson. He built the house with the proceeds of laying the first ever transatlantic cable from Ireland to the Americas, thus connecting the old world with the new worlds. During WWI the house became a Red Cross hospital for soldiers returning from Europe. YHA has owned this fine building since 1949. The wood panelling in the building is believed to have come from the old English courts of law.
Garry Hayman is the manager at YHA Swanage: "I have always worked in the hotel and catering industry and started working with YHA in 1999 as a team member at YHA Golant. In 2000 I was appointed as hostel manager of YHA Dartmoor, then as manager of YHA Swanage in 2013. I like travelling, hiking and following the trials and tribulations of Plymouth Argyle Football Club. Whilst at YHA Dartmoor I met my wife, it was pretty much love at first sight and we married in 2005.