If you haven’t stayed at Elterwater yet or visited whilst I’ve been working, my name is Pete and I provide the holiday cover for the hard-working staff. It may seem odd to want to leave such a beautiful place as others arrive to enjoy all the lake District has to offer, but we here at the hostel are a curious and adventurous bunch so sometimes we want to go off and explore too. Which is why I guess we do the job at the heart of the National Park but expanding life’s experience takes the staff off to new parts when work allows. That’s where I come in…
Going back 9 years, Nick the manager asked me to cover some staff holidays as the sale of the hostel went through from the YHA and into the freedom of the independent world. Well, 9 years later I’m still a regular sight around the hostel in the summer months. The place gets under your skin and keeps me coming back. The scenery is definitely a factor although I’ve lived in and around the lakes for 35 years, and the small and committed team is also a big pull.
For me, the best part is meeting the guests and hearing their experiences and on the quieter evenings getting a life story or two. I’ve heard people tell me about witnessing nuclear testing in the pacific, and even attending a dinner party with Agatha Christie. This week we had a wonderful lady staying who told the story of listening to rock legend Peter Gabriel mixing music in his studio and another guest was a descendant of a historical figure at the centre of the court of Henry VIII. So who knows who will walk through the front door next. The hostel is a sociable place and swapping stories and experiences is all part of what makes hostel life so much different to other places to stay.
Looking forward to meeting you, future guest, and perhaps we’ll get to share a story or two as my colleagues take a well-earned break and I turn up once again to be the holiday guy.
