THE YOUTH HOSTELS OF SCOTLAND

By B. H. HUMBLE

a TO help all, but especially young people of limited means living and working in industrial and other areas, to know, use and appreciate the Scottish countryside— particularly by providing simple accommodation for them on their travels."

Such, in the beginning, was the declared object of the Scottish Youth Hostels Association. Now it is possible to walk from the Borders via Edinburgh and Perthshire to the Cairngorm Mountains or via Ayrshire and Argyllshire to the remote north-west and be certain of finding, at nightfall, cheap accommodation and good company.

The gallant band of pioneers who started it all with a little hut at Kinlochard in 1929 never dreamed of such a result within ten years : 1929—one hostel with eight beds ; end of 1937-54 hostels with 2,647 beds, 16,500 members and 144,000 bed-nights !

There has been a minor revolution. It could almost be said that the Association have done in ten years what the supporters of the " Access to the Mountains " Bill have failed to do in fifty years. Not so very long ago the Highlands were as a closed book to the youth of the cities because of the many restrictions and prohibitive hotel charges. Now all is changed, and glens, moorlands, hills, the loveliest regions of our country are easily accessible.

I could give a great many instances of this. Here is one. Perhaps the most remote mountain in all brit* Is 'the lonely Mam Sodhail at the head of Glen Affric. It is far distant from all tourists' routes; for many man. y—years iws practically inaccessible to the wayfarer, forbidden ground, centre of a great deer forest, and one could not be certain of finding accommodation in the fifty miles between Beauly and Kintail. One July day two of us reached its summit. Shortly afterwards we were joined by climbers who had come from other two directions—from a youth hostel and on their way to another youth hostel.

For us it was a tough eight-hour journey through the mountains of Kintail to the Youth Hostel by Loch Duich. That night I realised fully the internationalism of the move- ment. The hostel is an old farmhouse by the lochside. No other building is near by and the nearest hotel is ten miles away. Yet, in that lonely spot, were gathered together Scottish, English, Irish and Welsh climbers, trampers and cyclists, a young New Zealand school teacher who had thrown up her job and was cycling round the world, a German couple complete with swastika and all, a fair-haired Dane and a lone Austrian. About forty Men slept in an airy hay loft where the windows were innocent of glass. A notice outside one of the rooms read :

Women's Dormitory.

SEOMAR LEAPAIDH A BEAU. SCHLAFZIMMER FUR DAMEN. CHAMBRE A COUCHER POUR DAMES. SLAAPRAMER VIR DAMES.

Hostel books also show names from America, Canada, France, Czechoslovakia, Australia ; from indeed, most countries of the world. The American Youth Hostels Asso- tion only started a year or two ago. Last summer we had many Yankee visitors and all were most enthusiastic about our hostels.- This year; with the added attraction of the Empire Exhibition they will come in hundreds instead of dozens. Beyond all doubt it is the cheapest way of seeing this country. Nor do they confine themselves to Britain, for there are youth hostels all over Europe and unconditional reciprocity between all the National Associations. - One American youth cycled for seven weeks through fourteen countries in Europe, and his total expenditure was £4.

At all _hostels in Scotland the services are uniform—three blankets and a bed and facilities to cook your own meals. That means free coal, oil and wood, the use of cooking utensils and a big stove all for Is. a night and a yearly subscrip- tion of 25. 6d. if under 21, and 5s. if over that age. All have accommodation for both sexes. Though the services are uniform scarce two hostels are alike. Some are specially designed wooden buildings adapted to their situation, the usual arrangement being a large common room in the centre with men and women's dormitories on either side. Such are the hostels at Inverbeg on Loch Lomondside, in Glen Loin, at Brig o' Turk in the heart of the Trossachs, af Clove near Kirriemuir (Barrie's immoral Thruins), and at Aviemore, gateway to the Cairngorms.

At Ardgartan on Loch Long the hostel is a former mansion house, at Loch Ossian a converted boathouse, at Birnam on the Great North Road a former school, at Dunblane a one- time sanatorium, at Fort Augustus and Auchnashellach converted forestry huts, at Buntait, Sheildaig, Inveralligin and other places the hostels have been adapted from cottages. Dalquharran Castle is an immense place, a former stronghold of the Kennedys, while Hoddam Castle on the Borders is the most magnificent hostel in all the world. A party of Americans who visited it last year were tremendously impressed and wanted to take home parts of it as souvenirs!

Ninety per cent. of the workers in this great movement are voluntary. Each district has complete charge of its own hostels. Thus Glasgow looks after the hostels of the Loch Lomond-Trossachs group, Ayr the hostels of the south-west, Edinburgh the Border group, Aberdeen the hostels around the Cairngorm Mountains, while- a special- committee- from the Edinburgh. headquarters looks after the hostels of the north-west and Skye.

Each district vies with the other as regards membership, bed-nights, and the opening of new hostels, and each has its own Finance, Propaganda, Exploration, Building, Complaints sub-committees. Each district committee, together with other organisations, sends delegates to the Executive Councirwhich directs the policy of the Association.

If a district committee wants any special work done, a flew path made, shelves fitted, or any similar job, it has only to issue an appeal and voluiateers will come forward to man the work parties or skilled workers will offer to do the particular job desired. . .

For thousands now there is no worry at holiday Um:. ; the hostels get the first vote. There is always a new region to explore, new hills to climb. There is no age limit. Grey hairs will often be seen round hostel stoves. Family parties have started, parents, it may be, on the tandem, and a child in the sidecar. I met such a party at Wanlockhead among the Lowther Hills. They were on their way to the south of England and intended to spend each night at a hostel. For the three of them the holiday need cost no more than ten shillings a day.

Another result of the hostel movement is the tremendous increase in rock and snow climbing within the last few years. Mountaineering in Scotland is now much more democratic than of old. Some hostels become climbing huts and piles of ropes and ice axes can be seen. .

Altogether it is the finest movement which has come to Scotland in our time. For long we heard of schemes for National Parks in Scotland, then in 1936 „actual lanchalners (The Forestry Commission of Scotland) threw open to lovirs of the out-of-doors fifty square Miles of their forest lands in Argyllshire. I like to think that-the project -catirItTto being because the Commissioners saw that the facilities they had already granted to S.Y.H.A. members had not been abused, and that they realised that Youth could respect and preserve the amenities of the countryside.. In the, S'econd year there _ were, _10,250. person-nights. at the , camping sites and 16,169 bed:-nights at the ,youth' hostels within the area. . . Many organisations ',co-operated 'in the scheme, and the committee in charge have just expressed the opinion that the obvioris. success of this experiment in Argyll, the first of its kind in Britain, indicated that National Forest Parks might play ari_imPOrt. ant part in the national campaign for • physical fitness, and they advocated that similar schemes be introduced wherever the Forestry Comthission have suitable areas available. .

The Youth Hostels movement in.Scotland has done nothing but good. It is already an accepted part of the scheme of things. There will be more -arid More hostels in the future and to a greater extent than ever the youth of the cities and of other countries will get to know the beauries of the Scottish countryside.