Independent Hostels are often referred to as 'alternative accommodation'. This is because they attract a different sort of person, a person who does not require the ‘norm’ and is often delighted by a bit of something different.
Because of these alternative guests independent Hostels thieve in locations which would not be viable for holiday cottages or hotels. These remote hostels occupy historic buildings often with very few services, preserving shepherd's cottages, lighthouses and farmsteads which would otherwise be left to decay. So if you have the spirit of adventure and would like to stay in some really remote places read on and find out about the remote Independent Hostels of Britain.
Skiddaw House
 
When you stay at Skiddaw House you will see no sign of the 21st century in sight right to the horizon. It is a former shooting lodge and shepherds bothy in the Lake District. Situated at 1550 feet it is also one of the highest buildings in England. There is no mobile phone signal, which means bliss for some people, and is a reason to faint for others !!! The nearest road is 3.5 miles away, a good hours walk by path, and that means no traffic noise. I think the worst noise you can come across at Skiddaw House is the sound of snores.
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Rua Reidh Lighthouse
Perched on the cliff tops 12 miles north of Gairloch, Rua Reidh Lighthouse has a dramatic setting. To reach the lighthouse you must travel for three miles along a cliff top single track road, which feels for all-the-world more like a coast path than a road. The lighthouse still beams out its light over to the Outer Isles, but since automation the keepers accommodation has been converted into a comfortable independent hostel. The hostel also has a cafe but I often wonder who could possibly be passing by. I do know that a fog bound RAF helicopter pilot once stayed the night and one Christmas Eve, 13 Malaysian students carried their hire cars along the road through the snow drifts to the surprise the snowed-in hostel owners.
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Elenydd Wilderness Hostels
    
These two hostels are situated in the wild mountain moorlands of the Elenydd Valley. Dolgoch Hostels is a 17th Century Farmhouse with gas for lighting and a large open fire for heat. You can walk over the hills from Tregaron or take the winding Abergwesyn mountain road and then an un-surfaced track. Five miles away by path over the heathy Cambrian Mountains is Ty'n Cornel Hostel, also only accessible along un-surfaced tracks. Both these hostels were once part of the lively drovers routes used to drive the Welsh cattle over the mountain to be fattened up on the lush grassland of the borders. To follow in the drovers footsteps.
To find out more:- Click here for details about Dolgoch Hostel - Click here for details about Ty'n Cornel Hostel
Barrowburn Camping Barn and Deer Hut
 
Barrowburn is a world away from the pressure and stresses of modern life. In one of the most tranquil parts of England, high in the remote Cheviot hills, you are more likely to see a Buzzard circling or sheep grazing than another human being on the rolling hills which stretch to the far horizon. Reached by a single track road, there is no electricity or mobile phone signal to disturb those who seek the real peace only found in such locations. On a clear night, the stars are magnificent, millions can be seen and there is no light pollution. We would recommend you go for walk around Barrowburn after dark.
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The Hoy Centre
   
The Hoy centre is an old school on one of the smaller Orkney isles. Here the pace of life slows down, and that is compared to the mainland of Orkney. There is no shop for 10 miles and the centre has panoramic views of Scapa Flow, the green isle of Graemsay and mainland Orkney. Arrive on Hoy by the Moaness foot passenger ferry and walk for 15 minutes up a peaceful single-track, with verges brimming full of wild flowers. Once at the Hoy Centre you can wonder up the towering hills of Hoy behind the centre. Walk all day and never met another soul.
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Maesnant Centre
 
Maesnant is located on the slops of the Plynlimon about five miles from the nearest Village of Ponterwyd. The nearest neighbour is a small farm about two miles away. To add to the sense of remoteness, there is no electricity at Maesnant, so even the lighting is by gas. Frequently the only sounds to be heard are the wind, the odd bleat from sheep in the distance or the cry of a red kite overhead. The centre consists of a bungalow, two barns and some shepherding facilities which are still in use.
To find out more:- Click here for details
Galson Farm Hostel
Stay at this small hostel on the Isle of Lewis and fall to sleep to the sound of waves crashing on the shore. For the farms shoreline you can gaze along the coast and moors to the Butt of Lewis lighthouse and hear the call of a multitude of birds. The many quiet beaches are brushed clean by an ocean that has not seen land since America. Around the farm you will hear galic spoken and you will tread in the steps of peoples who have made their lives on this island for over five thousand years creating monuments like the Callanish Standing Stones.
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Rattray Head Eco-Hostel
   
This ex-light-keepers accommodation now provides the most easterly hostel on mainland Scotland. To get here you take a mile long sandy, pot-holed single track onto the secluded 11 mile sandy beach and 100ft high dunes. The nearest neighbours are a mile away and you are most likely to be alone even in the height of summer, although you may have to share the place with seals and thousands of rabbits and birds. It is possible to arrive here by car but many come by bus, foot, bicycle, and even canoe.
Body and soul nourishment!
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Yr Helfa
Yr Helfa nestles directly at the foot of Moel Gynghorion with panoramic views from the Llanberis path around to Bwlch Masgwn (Telegraph Pass). It is in a mountain environment close to a number of routes up Snowdon. You could be there all day and not see anyone.
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Low Gillerthwaite Field Centre
Set in the heart of beautiful Ennerdale, England's remotest, quietest and least inhabited valley, Low Gillerthwaite is a traditional Lakeland 17th century farm with outbuildings. Access is by a forestry track which flanks Ennerdale Water, leaving the nearest public road about 2 miles away. It is an ideal place to explore the 'Wild Ennerdale' project, which is allowing natural forces to shape the landscape and ecology. From the hostel you can walk through the forest, by the lake and climb Pillar mountain. There's a convivial communal kitchen, and you can spend the evening chatting round a log wood fire.
To find out more:- Click here for details
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