YHA Wasdale Hall (opens in new tab) hostel
about 4.8 km from the start, in a straight line
The only roofed, catered bed in the cluster we can evidence, and it answers the wet-walker columns the campsite cannot: a shared drying room, breakfast from 07:30 (which gets you to Wasdale Head for a Scafell Pike start), meals from 17:00 when you come back off Gable, a licensed bar, a self-catering kitchen, and free parking on the premises. For the family who are not walking, it has a cot, a highchair, an outdoor play area, a games room and rooms sleeping 5, 6 and 8 - and it sits on the shore of Wastwater with the lake in front of it. Ranked 2 only because it is 4.79 km from the trailhead, at the far end of the lake: you drive to the start, and the road in is the narrow one. Two caveats that must render with it, not be tucked away: no dogs unless you take the whole building, and under-12s cannot go in dorm rooms, so a family with young children needs a private room.
Worth knowing: “Pets - including dogs - are not permitted in our hostels when staying in a dorm or a private room.”
Built in 1829 for a Yorkshire banker, Stansfield Rawson, who chose a late-medieval style; the lounge fireplace surround came out of York Minster; it has been a youth hostel since 1969 and was renamed from YHA Wastwater in 2015.
- Drying room “Shared drying room”
- Family rooms “Two rooms that sleep up to 5 people each. They include a single high-sleeper bunk with a double bed underneath and a set of bunk beds.”
- Evening meal “Meals are also available from 17:00”
- Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Wasdale Hall”
- Parking “Free parking on premises”
- Children “Under 12s are not permitted in dorm rooms. Children under 3 can stay with us for free.”