Really great and secluded spot, self sustaining, has a restaurant, bar, and everything you’d need. Very comfortable and clean and really peaceful, and staff were lovely

Some things worth knowing: if you don’t have a car and you’re travelling by bus, getting there is a struggle, especially the first time. Catching the bus from Windermere means being aware of the schedule as far in advance as you can because there aren’t many buses and they can break down or be cancelled and you need a backup plan. From the Hawkeshead bus stop it’s a 15-20 minute walk on a road with not much space on either side and blind corners. Luckily it’s a quiet road but worth knowing. The hostel is also in a spot where there isn’t a strong signal or any data within the hostel, however it works in the road. Fine if you connect to the free wifi but if it doesn’t work as mine didn’t, can be an issue

Everything was great. Clean and tidy. There was the most charming lady called Rebecca. So amazing and friendly and outstanding customer care. Alfie is also such a warm welcoming Scouser with a great character. There was another lady who had brown hair who worked on reception and breakfast, I think from Cheshire or somewhere. Unfortunately this lady was quite rude and abrupt. Made me not want to go up to reception when she was there. Not sure if she was having a bad day or a bad few days, but I reccomend she spend a day or two with the others and learn great customer care.

Nothing. Just was a bit taken aback by the brown haired lady as her attitude was a bit rude and arrogant

We initially booked the pod but because there was a school trip of primary students using all the other pods, they kindly moved us to the larger tents to make our experience more enjoyable and not surrounded by overly excited kids. And honestly, from the location, the view, and the facilities, it's enough to say this made our stay in Lake District very memorable.

Tents can get really hot, but that's what the outdoor activities are for. It would be a shame to just stay in the tent and not go for a swim in the lakes.

I had to rent a deluxe tent due to the main rooms getting booked out to a school group. The tent itself was pleasant enough and spacious. I didn't need to use the fire as the weather was nice during the day. The common rooms were comfortable and kitchen facilities were great. The scenic landscape was the perfect back drop.

I think that if they are going to rent to primary school groups, then there should be better separation between them and other customers. Hearing them play and scream outside the tents until late at night wasn't enjoyable to listen to when trying to unwind. Similarly when they discovered the Common rooms. The location is a little out of Hawkshead so you need to walk 20mins to get there

The breakfast was excellent, I went for cooked breakfast which was great value at £11, with additional continental self serve options. Location was beautiful, over looking Esthwaite Water! Staff were so friendly and helpful too, it was a pleasure to stay there.

As I used public transport to get to Hawkshead would have liked some recommended walking directions to be provided. I used the roads to walk there, it was daylight and was wearing a bright coloured jacket. Luckily roads were fairly quiet and got there with no issues. On the way back I'd located a public footpath on All Trails app which took me most of the way, with only a little road walking at the start.

I had ample parking and the pod was clean and enough for my two nights stay. If I wanted to stay longer I might choose a different option that the YHA offer.

It's hard to fault the site or the Staff, only complaint is nothing to do with the YHA site. I was spending my day in Hawkshead and had to pay for parking in the main carpark. It was to far to walk at night back to the YHA on narrow roads. So even though I had free parking at YHA it still cost me £25.50 to park for the three days...

USB plugs by bed, friendly reception staff. Microwave Good amount of parking spaces The cloud, WiFi access was great Showers temp was just right 8pm Saturday ,only had one shower over the weekend trip and it was easy, not busy, not cold

Squeaky dorm room door 3 Somewhere downstairs a door slammed sometimes and I was upstairs in doorm rooms the whole time but was lucky I wasnt down there near it 🙂 Could have a flat screen downstairs somewhere with today's weather forecast for somewhere local for people that don't have Internet access. I did tho so it was nice on my phone. Only a sidethought for holiday vibe really. I didn't go to breakfast because I had read reciews of it being expensive. I never saw a menu so can't comment on the food.

We booked the premium Sahara tent for 2 nights, and although it rained during our stay, it remained dry and comfortable. There even is a wood stove foreseen.

We had to pay way more for the second night than the first (due to the high occupancy, a school trip arrived on day 2). We were kindly asked to use the facilities outside the building because the children were entitled to the shower facilities inside and the children played and screamed around the tent from early in the morning. The showers outside were way less clean. Dinner and breakfast were possible however the work pressure on the staff was already high and it was not very 'zen' with all new guests. We had a nice stay, just be aware, that the higher the price, it could mean less comfort overall.

The grounds are stunning, the self catering kitchen is the best I’ve ever been to and we travel a lot with 3 children, we stayed in a bell tent and we especially loved the fire pit to toast marshmallows. We arrived at 5.30pm and checked in no problem then we had tea in the restaurant and the food is delicious.

A play area would make a big difference even just a small slide and swing, maybe there is one but we didn’t see it, and the WiFi is not great which didn’t bother me but my teenager was not happy, the children’s food portions are quite small, apart from that it was a great weekend.

The camping pod area is lovely, and the courtyard facilities were mostly good. It's a very large busy site, more of a holiday park than a traditional hostel. Enjoyed a hearty buffet breakfast. It's a beautiful setting with gardens and woodland, plenty of outdoor space and picnic benches.

All three showers in the courtyard building were out of order which meant we couldn't wash as there weren't enough showers for the large number of guests. Walking out from the hostel was along a narrow busy country lane which wasn't ideal on foot.