Family Adventures: Britain's Most Remote Youth Hostel
Without saying anything to each other, I could just tell that there was something about this trip that made Harvey and I feel both exceptionally proud and lucky to still be able to do an adventure like this with a toddler in tow. Not only that, but I felt overwhelmingly certain that the impact this was having on our 18 month old daughter was going to set the bar for her future. Here, we were all thriving — relaxed and happy outside in nature on what felt like a real adventure, despite being within a couple of hours from home. If we could spend a lifetime doing this, I thought, how lucky would we be. And so, we will strive to make that possible, and share these little trips with you to inspire your next family adventure…
Our journey begins in Buttermere, at Gatesgarth Farm car park on the northern edge of the lake. It was around 5pm when we loaded on our backpacks and set off on our micro-adventure. Aífe decided she wanted to walk the first part, which was fine as it’s a flat section following the lake and some farm fields laden with Herdwick sheep. However as soon as we got to the foot of the climb, we put her into the backpack and got moving as we were conscious of getting to our destination both before dark and dinner — which would be waiting for us upon our arrival. The climb over Gatesgarth Pass is gradual and not too long. Eventually, we made it to the saddle at the foot of Haystacks and carried on ahead to descend into Ennerdale. It was a lovely evening; a little overcast but there was no rain and occasionally a burst of sunlight would appear between the clouds. The view of Ennerdale as we descended was magnificent; with it’s abundance of trees, the lovely river winding through the valley and the impressive hills that tower over it — the most iconic of which are probably Great Gable, a giant, dome-like mass, and Pillar Rock which is sharp and craggy. Eventually, the Black Sail Hut came into sight, nestled in the wild and isolated valley, and our excitement for the next couple of days spent exploring this valley rapidly increased. With a spring in our step, we descended to the valley floor…
YHA Black Sail is Britain’s most remote Youth Hostel. Getting there requires a 9km cycle along a gravel track from Bowness Knott car park in Ennerdale or a hike over various hill passes. We chose the shortest route over Gatesgarth Pass, which was around 4km and took a couple of hours. The final section of the journey is along a rough track that weaves down to the hostel, a former shepherd’s bothy that sleeps up to 16 guests. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Bob who showed us to our room, and not long later served us a tasty and hearty dinner of pie, mash and vegetables with chocolate brownie for dessert. It was a fantastic welcome to the bothy, and we were already excited to wake up the next morning to what had promised to be a glorious weather day.
The weather gods were, indeed, good to us and we awoke to clear blue skies and sunshine. Opening the wooden shutters of Black Sail to reveal the trees and mountains just outside is a truly special experience, then heading straight outside to enjoy a morning cuppa in nature has to be my favourite way to start a morning. We had a full English breakfast at the hostel, cooked up by Bob and complete with mini croissants and orange juice before making a plan to enjoy the hills for the day. We decided to hike Pillar because it was a peak Harvey had been wanting to do for a long time, mostly to check out the climbing beneath it at Pillar Rock. The weather was perfect, and it was one of those days when we just wanted to be outside in the hills all day, and so we were… With plenty of stops to allow Aífe to ramble about, clamber over rocks and throw stones in the river. We eventually made it back to the hostel at around 6pm and cooked our own dinner in the kitchen that evening, before resting our heads on our pillows for our final night at the hut.
On our final morning at Black Sail, the weather out our window was quite different to the day before. Wind, rain and low clouds obscured the mighty peaks, yet somehow the scenery was just as breathtaking at the day before, just in a different kind of way. We packed up our bags and made ourselves porridge in the kitchen for breakfast, before adorning the waterproofs and braving the wild weather for our hike back over the pass to Gatesgarth car park. Aífe fell asleep pretty quickly and so missed the worst of the howling wind and rain, but we moved fairly quickly and so weren’t out in it for long. As we dropped down to Buttermere, the weather eased off a bit before a torrential downpour descended on us and we became completely sodden by the time we made it back to our tiny car. Then we had the ordeal of taking all our wet clothes off before getting into the car and making everything else wet… which we were only semi-successful at doing! To be honest, I think this all added to the adventurous element of the trip and I didn’t mind the rain knowing we’d be heading home to a hot shower anyway. But first, a trip to Lingholm Kitchen for a proper feed before the drive back — how all great adventures end!
Though we weren’t particularly far from home and not doing anything overly epic, the couple of days we spent at YHA Black Sail was one of my favourite family adventures in the U.K. There was something about the hike in and being in that isolated valley; climbing hills, eating good food and enjoying the comfort of a warm bed that offered the perfect amount of adventure without becoming stressful. Aífe was completely in her element for the whole trip, soaking in every ounce of her surroundings. For Harvey and I it just showed what else is possible for us to do with kids. It was the kind of adventure that reignited our adventurous spirit and left us yearning for more.
Here’s to a summer of adventures!
USEFUL INFORMATION
Booking: You should book YHA Black Sail well in advance as it gets full quickly! Or try a trip in off-season when it’s likely to be quieter. You can hire the whole hostel which sleeps 16 guests and allows 2 dogs. Unfortunately dogs aren’t usually allowed, but they let us bring our dog Oslo as a one-off as we didn’t have anywhere to leave him.
Getting there: The quickest and easiest way to reach YHA Black Sail is by parking at Bowness Knott car park and journeying 9 kilometres (5.5 miles) along a gravel track past Ennerdale Water and the River Liza. Alternatively, park at Wasdale Head, Gatesgarth Farm car park near the southern end of Buttermere, or at the National Trust Honister Pass car park – all of which require walking over mountainous terrain to reach the hut.
Food & drink: You can order a cooked dinner and breakfast at the Youth Hostel or cook your own meal in the kitchen. We did a bit of both, but I highly recommend getting at least one dinner and breakfast as the food is great and very reasonably priced.
Walks: We walked to Pillar from Black Sail, but there is an abundance of walking in the area such as to Haystacks, down through the valley to Ennerdale, or even to Great Gable.
