YHA Hawkshead

YHA Hawkshead – A Peaceful Retreat in the Heart of Nature! YHA Hawkshead is a perfect countryside escape for anyone exploring the Lake District. Nestled among lush greenery and surrounded by scenic hills, this charming hostel offers a peaceful and relaxing stay close to the beautiful Esthwaite Water. The location feels remote yet well-connected, making it ideal for both adventure seekers and those who simply want to unwind in nature’s lap. The property is beautifully maintained, with a blend of rustic charm and modern comfort. The rooms and dorms are clean, cosy, and well-equipped, offering great value for money. The staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming — always ready with a smile, local advice, and great recommendations for nearby walks, viewpoints, and attractions. One of the best parts is the peaceful outdoor area where you can sit back, enjoy your coffee, and take in the tranquil views of the countryside. There are short walking trails and cycle routes around, including easy access to Grizedale Forest and Hill Top – Beatrix Potter’s home. The on-site café and bar serve tasty food, and the common areas are perfect for relaxing after a day of exploring. Whether you’re travelling solo, with friends, or as a family, YHA Hawkshead offers a warm, comfortable, and nature-filled experience. It’s not just a place to stay — it’s a refreshing break from the busy world, surrounded by the beauty and calm of the Lake District. 🌿🏡✨

Stunning location shame about the staff who made sure every interaction be met with indolant nonchalance at best, and outwardly obnoxious in general. No sense of any interest or adventure their clients are sensing. Apart from the 1 or 2 staff who said it was their first week bless them, no induction into where they were or the runnings of the place. Very odd, we felt quite sorry for them. Apart from the obvious discomfort the above caused, we also noticed along the garden hedgerows in places lots of used toilet papers, wine glasses, and other litter. Walking the perimeter even once a week is standard on any site in any line of work in any country we feel. The building itself is graciously delapadated, "Free Palestine" was scrawled across a chalk board along with other political slogans in the activity room, bottles of Smirnoff and telling jokes seemed to be the activity. We were told apparently money is being invested in the more profitable and chic YHA, at Ambleside and Scrag. Either way the endless litter found all round site, pathways, overflowing bins and surrounding area, used sweet wrappers on the staircase and general sense of carelessness sadly just adds to the over all feeling of a building in disrepair. Theres a strong smell of sewage depending on prevailing winds. And a wailing barking or howling of what seemd like a dog in distress which weared on ones nerves. We had a great time none the less, the surrounding countryside absolutely breathtaking. If youve got that extra few pounds and dont want to be an emotional punchbag for uptight rude teenagers serving you, maybe head to a YHA with more dignified well trained adult staff, and better maintained surroundings.

A great YHA. A superbly maintained property in a well looked after ground. Facilities are great. The self catering kitchen is the most spacious I've ever encountered. I also love that this place is very dog friendly with dogs allowed in the dining area. The only thing I find isn't so great is the proximity of this YHA to the mountains. Compared to other YHA, I think there aren't many (or any?) mountains / wainwright fells that are within reasonable hiking distance. The YHA however isn't far from the lovely village centre.

The positives are the areas is stunning. The village is lovely. The people staying we’re all super friendly. We went fishing just a couple minutes down the road which was a great day out. Kids loved it. Loads of things to do for the kids there. Really enjoyed breakfast aswell. The downside was the bathroom facilities. We paid £50 so we didn’t expect much and we didn’t want much either but the room we stayed in had a en suite which was great to our suprise as we had 3 small children. But the toilet was leaking water all over the floor which smelt heavily of sewage. I had to cover the floor in paper towels to try soak it up but I didn’t notice this until my children had gone to bed otherwise I would of made staff aware in the evening. I decided to make them aware on departure to which they already knew about it but still decided to put us in that room knowing farewell we had 3 small children. That room essentially should of been closed until problem was fixed. I hope they shut that room until fixed. The room was CY8.

I came here with a friend to stay in the premium bell tent. The tent could easily fit 6 people and was spacious. It has a fire inside and was well insulated so we didn’t get cold. The toilets/showers are outdoors and dotted around. There are plenty of other facilities such as kitchen, common room etc. It is a 15 minute walk to Hawkshead so is in an ideal location. There is free parking too, and we easily got a space. I think that this was good value for money and would come and stay here again. I’d recommend to anyone who is going on a walking trip in the lakes!

Great value for money with lovely views! We had a great stay at the YHA – definitely value for money. The view from the property is beautiful and made the stay even more enjoyable. The play area was quite busy, but there was a good variety of games available. We especially loved playing table tennis! The kitchen area was clean, well-maintained, and had everything we needed. Would happily stay again.

We had a great treat trip to YHA Hawkshead to enjoy the Summer rainstorm that was passing by. Check in was quick and easy, Alfie on the front desk got us checked in and was friendly and helpful. We booked a private room with 2 sets of bunk beds and were given a lovely cabin style room in the courtyard building which had an en-suite which was a nice surprise. Beds were very comfy and clean, even for my partner who is a very tall and big guy (6’1” 150kg) the memory foam mattresses held up great. Our room was 1 minute from the self catering kitchen and dining room as well as the activity room and main building. Everything is in separate buildings but very close together so it feels like a little mini village and is surrounded by trees and paths and little streams with a garden and lawn to the front that houses some of the bell tents and camping area. The self catering kitchen was well equipped and shockingly tidy considering we didn’t check it out until late Sunday nice during a busy weekend. There are plenty of fridges and freezers for you to store your food and labels provided to add your name and date of stay. Breakfast was good for the price, just the same as a Wetherspoons breakfast (egg, bacon, sausage, tomato, hash brown & baked beans) except it was all you can eat and included continental breakfast of toast, jam, marmalade, honey, a range of cereals, yoghurt and fresh strawberry compote, fresh juices and cordial and tea and coffee for £9.95. This was served between 7am and 9am which was early for us but worth getting up for. We had breakfast and then took tea and some yogurt to the covered veranda to watch the rain over the grounds and lake. We didn’t arrive until 7.30pm on Sunday evening and there was still parking available. The whole place if very family friendly and also allows dogs. We walked into the village of Hawkshead along the main road which was a straight run about 15 mins walk which had pubs open until midnight. Hotel has starlink wifi. Although phone reception is spotty inside the main building wifi was fine and I got full 5g in the courtyard and outside areas. Exceeded our expectations of a hostel and we look forward to staying again and trying out the bell tents and pods you can stay in.

Yha Hawkstead is a great location for a camping trip. There is a massive lawn area to camp, with several small wooded areas around the site for privacy and to let the children explore. Well equipped site, with heated outdoor toilet/shower blocks.||Inside the hostel maintains much of the gradure of the past, several big rooms for children and families to use. 2x games rooms, a big self cook kitchen, two big dining areas. ||Parking is good and only a mile away is Hawkshead village with various shops, pubs & children's park.||The hostel offers a range of indoor/ outdoor accommodation as well as pitch up camping.|We will be returning.