The YHA in England and Wales
Before you start……
1 Do you know what the letters YHA stand for?
2 Do you know what the YHA is?
3 Have you any idea where Whitby is?
4 Guess when Whitby Abbey was built?!!
a 545AD b 657AD c 786AD d 867AD e 923AD
5 Who do you imagine lived in Whitby Abbey?
6 Which famous English king had the second monastery destroyed?
7 What happened to the abbey buildings?
Simon Calder begins this travel podcast on a guided tour with Simon Ainley in Whitby Youth Hostel.
1 What two hints do you hear which tell you the hostel building is old?
2 Where is the hostel next to?
3 Who used to live in the hostel?
4 When was the original timber structure of the building discovered?
5 Where did the builders find wattle and daub, an ancient form of building material?
6 What gives you the impression that Simon Ainley was impressed by the discovery?
7 What have the people involved with the renovation been able to discover?
8 When was the YHA set up?
9 What phrase do you hear which means ‘a lot of people needed somewhere to stay’?
10 Who wanted somewhere to stay?
11 Is the YHA still successful?
12 Are facilities very basic?
13 What do youth hostellers not get or expect at youth hostels?
14 Did you catch the three-word phrase which means ‘excessive’?
15 What do youth hostellers get or expect at youth hostels?
16 The Irishman thinks the YHA is ‘fantastic’ – what phrase does he use meaning ‘ it revealed something wonderful to me’?
17 What two aspects has he found valuable?
18 How old was the young woman interviewed when she first stayed in a youth hostel in Kettlewell?
19 How long did she stay there on that occasion?
20 In what sort of accommodation?
21 What outdoor activities does she mention?
22 What two features does the next speaker recommend about YHA hostels?
23 What is it about Butharlyp Howe that makes her mention it?
24 What reservations does she have about some of the accommodation?
Simon Calder then visits Idwal Cottage YH, one of Britain’s first hostels in 1931 in Snowdonia National Park, and talks to Saskia, presumably the warden there.
25 How does he describe Snowdonia National Park?
26 Why and when was the cottage built?
27 How many people have visited the cottage, according to Simon Calder’s estimation?
28 When was the cottage refurbished?
29 Can you give any of the hostel’s ‘eco-friendly features’?
30 Why is Saskia’s invitation to Simon Calder misleading?