History

Originally built as a barn, towards the end of the 17th Century, and first opened by the YHA in 1939, Elterwater Hostel has a long history of welcoming guests and providing a comfortable bed in the heart of the Lake District.  An adjoining cottage was once used by writer and social reformer John Ruskin as a small lace-making factory.

During the Second World War the Hostel was used as accommodation for workers of Shorts Brothers who were involved in building the Sunderland flying boats at White Cross Bay on Lake Windermere.

Bernard King, son of the first wardens of the hostel, remembers the times:

“things were a bit primitive there then, and when the water froze in the winter, or ran out in the summer, the men living with us had to go down to the river to wash and shave … There was no electricity in the Hostel and we used candles to go to bed with and paraffin lamps in the main rooms”

Fortunately, things have progressed a little since then!

In 2013, when the YHA announced their decision to sell the property and close down the hostel there was widespread disappointment amongst hostellers and the local community alike. At the time the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, Tim Farron, was quoted as saying  “if you can’t make a decent go of a Youth Hostel there, by God you’re not trying very hard”.

The Thomas family, long time lovers of the Langdales, and Elterwater in particular, were able to successfully bid for the property, and decided to maintain a hostel on the site. The new company, Elterwater Independent Hostel Ltd, began trading in late 2013. Taking on the existing staff from the YHA facilitated the transition; not many companies have had  the benefit of a 20+ year experienced manager right from day one!

The new business initially invested in some essential structural repairs, necessary to ensure the long-term health of the building, including strengthening the roof and replacement of the unisex showers, as well as a sprucing up of the interior décor, facilities and gardens and adding WIFI in the public areas.  In the years that followed, further investment  has included complete refurbishment of both the mens and the ladies bathrooms and the addition of an ensuite family room, individual bed lights with charging points, high speed internet and a newly revamped reception area. 

Since the change of ownership, the business has tried to stay true to the spirit of hostelling, while aiming to continually improve for our thousands of customers, many of whom come back year after year. 

We’ve received numerous awards and nominations, including being recognised by Cumbria Tourism in the customer service and employee of the year categories, and by The Great Outdoors magazine in their annual awards, notably awarded Bronze in the Best Hostel category in 2021, and again Commended in the 2026 Awards. Importantly for us, we have also progressed through the Green Tourism Award levels, first achieving Silver in 2014, and then Gold in 2017. We continue to strive for sustainability with the help and advice from Eco I and funding grants from the Lake District Foundation.

2023 saw us celebrate 10 years as Elterwater Independent Hostel, with a small party attended by local friends and supporters, former staff members and even local MP Tim Farron, who spoke eloquently on the importance of Hostels and small businesses in the Lake District. The next evening we planned to have an evening with many of our regular guests from the past decade, but very heavy snowfall meant all but the most hardy stayed away!

More recently, significant investments have been made in rebuilding the dilapidated staff accommodation in 2024/25 adding space for additional staff members, as well as somewhere for the owners to stay now that the Hostel itself is regularly too full! 

We remain a family owned business, and are committed to investing in the business and ensuring Elterwater Hostel continues providing quality, affordable accommodation in the heart of the Lake District for many years to come.