Cornwall – the land of the Celtic myth, Arthurian legends and the Cornish pasty! Destination for thousands each year, the best budget or cheap accommodation is Cornwall's YHA network, offering ten hostels in fantastic locations.
The YHA was much beloved in the 50s and 60s when young men and women would traipse off into the countryside to cook their own meals and sleep in segregated dorms. These days youth hostels have been successfully re-branded , offering good quality cheap accommodation in private rooms or shared dorms, often with on-site cafe-bars as well as self-catering facilities.
South Coast Hostels
The best part about staying at youth hostels is that each hostel retains its own character whilst maintaining assured quality standards, regulated by the VisitBritain star rating scheme, and the YHA accommodation in Cornwall certainly comes up to scratch.
Golant youth hostel is conveniently located for the Eden Project, whose infamous biomes shelter Mediterranean gardens and exotic rainforests. Just down the road is popular Fowey, home to art galleries and Daphne du Maurier references. The hostel is a rambling house set in its own grounds, and offers freshly caught fish suppers, accompanied with chilled wine from the bar.
One of the oldest hostels in Cornwall, Boswinger hostel dates back to the 1930s and is a converted farmhouse in a tiny hamlet. A ferry runs from Fowey to the traditional fishing village of Mevagissey, where fishermen mend their nets on the attractive double harbour. The hostel is a half-day walk away, along the South West coast path, or a short bus ride, located above a sandy cove and centred around a sunny courtyard. The Lost Garden of Heligan is 5 miles away.
A bus and train ride from Boswinger lies England's most southerly location, Lizard Point. Watched over by Lizard hostel, a magnificent white building with pretty gardens, the waves crash onto the rocks below. The hostel, complete with en-suite rooms and disabled access, offers self-catering accommodation only, but Lizard village and a great pub is just one mile away. Coverack hostel is another good accommodation option just along the coast.
West and North Coast Hostels
A popular tourist stop is St Michaels Mount, a tiny island topped with a small but interesting stately home, just across the bay from Penzance. Access to the island is by cobbled causeway at low tide, or a local fisherman's boat at high tide. The recently refurbished hostel lies just behind Penzance town and is wonderfully located for exploring the Penwith peninsula. Another YHA accommodation option here is Lands End hostel, near Sennen Cove.
Many tourists to Cornwall come to try surfing and there are two hostels ideally located on the north coast which arrange lessons. Tiny Perranporth hostel has driftwood furniture and a birds eye view of 3-mile Perran Sands, while Treyarnon Bay offers an all-day cafe and en-suite rooms.
Further up the north coast lie Tintagel hostel and close-by is Boscastle hostel, both are worth a visit and nearly 100 other hostels in England and Wales wait to be explored.
For cheap accommodation in Cornwall the YHA ticks all the boxes – great locations, great standards and great prices; and the best thing is that visiting Cornwall as a youth hosteller offers two great experiences for the price of one.
Victoria Hands - I'm lucky enough to travel for a few months each year, and mainly write about my experiences as a backpacker. I have been writing for ...
