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16

Sept 2023

Last Updated: 15/09/2023
Community
Community

Harrogate men spend night in car after youth hostel refuses entry for lack of ID

by John Grainger

| 16 Sept, 2023
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yhapatterdale
YHA Patterdale is one of only two providers of accommodation in the area. PHOTO: Creative Comms.

Two Harrogate men were forced to sleep outdoors on Wednesday night when they were refused a bed for the night at a youth hostel in the Lake District. 

John France and Mick Murphy had just completed a 15-mile walk up three mountains when they turned up at dusk at YHA Patterdale, where they planned to stay the night. 

But staff at the hostel said Youth Hostels Association (YHA) policy required visitors provide some official form of identification, such as a passport or driving licence. John had a driving licence, but Mick did not, so staff members said John was welcome but Mick was not. 

Not wanting to leave Mick out in the cold, John refused his offer of a bed and both men slept in their car. 

John said: 

“Patterdale has one B&B and it was full, so we had to sleep outside. It was cold and raining and we were drenched, so it was a very uncomfortable night. 
“We thought it was just the staff at Patterdale being inflexible, so when I finally got home on Thursday I called the YHA head office, but they confirmed that the policy had been correctly enforced. 
“But what if we’d been teenagers and it had been winter? There’s a big difference between a hotel in a town and a youth hostel in an isolated area. If they carry on like this, someone is going to perish out there – within sight of a youth hostel.” 


When visitors book places in YHA hostels online, they are told that “all guests aged 18 or over will be required to show a valid form of photographic ID upon arrival”.

It also warns: “We reserve the right to refuse accommodation at our discretion.” 

Forms of identification accepted by the YHA include a passport or driving licence, a student ID card, a Travelcard, UK CitizenCard, an EU resident’s ID card, YOTI digital identification, or government-issued identification for members of local authorities, the police and fire services, the NHS or the armed forces. 

But some walkers arrive at youth hostels without booking, so may not be aware of the requirement to show ID. 

Asked about the policy, a YHA spokesperson told the Stray Ferret: 

“YHA’s number-one priority is safeguarding the thousands of young people that stay with us each year. As such, and as per the industry norm for accommodation providers, all guests are required to have proof of ID when arriving at the hostels. This has been the case for a number of years. 
“The ID requirement is clearly stated in the pre-stay communication guests receive and also in our booking terms and conditions on our website.” 


They added: 

“Under no circumstance would YHA turn anyone away from its site if there was a risk to life.” 


But John said he did not accept the YHA’s explanation of its ID policy. He said: 

“This is not about safeguarding. Turning 18-year-olds away, most of whom won’t have photo ID, is not safeguarding them.
“The YHA have lost sight of the ethos they were founded upon. It’s a charity that is supposed to ‘help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside’.
"But the prices have rocketed beyond the means of most young people and they’re acting like any other branch of the hospitality industry. It’s crazy – the YHA have lost the plot.”