about 2.3 km from the start, in a straight line
The only independent inside the radius, 2.34 km from the start, and the only one whose owner you can talk to on a local number. What makes it worth the extra 1.2 km over the hostel is what sits at reception: a farm shop with essentials, Wasdale-reared meat, a camping range and takeaway coffee and Mawson's ice cream, free wifi, and a paid phone-charging service. For the non-walking half of the party there is a play area with swings and climbing frames, and Nether Wasdale's two inns are a two-minute walk for the evening meal the site itself does not serve. Two hard limits: the pods take 2 adults + 2 children and no more, and the park is shut from 14 October to 26 March - book anything here for a November weekend and there is nothing to book. Nothing on the page states a drying room or a dog policy either way, so ring before you arrive wet or with a dog.
Reception is also the farm shop. It stocks bread, butter, baked beans, local milk and eggs, meat reared in Wasdale, and a small camping range - walking poles, maps, compass, camping gas, chairs, socks - so a forgotten map or an empty gas canister is a two-mile fix rather than a drive to the coast.
- Family rooms “We offer a diverse range of family friendly options for your stay including camping pitches, electric hook-ups, hardstanding pitches for motorhomes and campervans, static caravans to rent, static caravans to buy”
- Children “Our 3 Pods are recent additions. Sleeping up to 4 (2 adults + 2 children) they offer a warm and dry base from which to explore this wonderful part of England.”
about 1.1 km from the start, in a straight line
The one place in this radius that solves the whole 6pm-to-8am problem for a family: shared drying room, breakfast from 07:30, meals from 17:00, a cot and a highchair, a self-catering kitchen and free parking, 1.12 km from the Greendale start. Three things a family must know before booking, all of which cost money or a wasted afternoon if missed. Under-12s are barred from the dorm beds, so the cheap option is not available to a nine-year-old and you are booking a private room. Reception is open 07:30-10:00 and 17:00-22:00 only and check-in does not start until 17:00, so arriving off the fell at 3pm in the rain there is nobody there. And towels cost extra - they are rented, not supplied. Against that, under-10s eat for 1 pound off the breakfast and main menus, which takes a real bite out of a family's food bill. Dogs cannot come unless you take all 42 beds, and you cannot bring your own alcohol to the bar.
Worth knowing: “Pets - including dogs - are not permitted in our hostels when staying in a dorm or a private room.”
The lounge fire surround was salvaged from York Minster. The hall itself went up in 1829 for a Yorkshire banker, Stansfield Rawson, only became a youth hostel in 1969, and was still called YHA Wastwater until 2015.
- Drying room “Self-catering kitchen Shared drying room Shared lounge Sole use available Unlimited breakfast Water refill station WiFi”
- Family rooms “One room that sleeps up to 8 people. It includes 4 sets of bunk beds. A cot is available.”
- 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 (see sample menu ).”
- Parking “Parking is available at the hostel.”
- Children “People of all ages are welcome at YHA. Guests aged under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or older. Guests aged 16 and 17 years old who are unaccompanied by an adult can only stay in private rooms in 24/7 staffed hostels, with parental consent. See our under 18s admissions policy for more information and the list of hostels. Under 12s are not permitted in dorm rooms. Children under 3 can stay with us for free.”