KIRK YETHOLM youth hostel celebrated 70 years of offering hikers and others a bed for the night, on Sunday, writes Sally Gillespie.
Around 60 people attended the open day marking the anniversary and looking forward to the hostel’s future.
Hostel manager Simon Neal said: “The day went well with some 60 guests passing through during the afternoon, some from as far afield as Edinburgh. Sadly Michael Moore got called away to business in Edinburgh and had to send apologies via Scottish Borders Councillor Vicky Davidson who was involved in the negotiation attempts to save the three Borders hostels of Kirk Yetholm, Broadmeadows and Melrose.”
Local MP and Secretary of State Michael Moore was to have launched the day and the village’s community council chairman David Hutchinson opened the event instead.
He said: “As a village community we cannot express sufficiently our thanks to Simon for his immense belief in the youth hostel movement and the untiring effort that he has made to bring this hostel back to life.
“These days Yetholm has to look to its assets to survive and our best asset is our location amidst some of the finest hill scenery in Britain – not great mountains, but hills that are eminently walkable yet still challenging and with a solitude and beauty all of their own.
“Add to that, the fact that we are the terminus of that great national walk – the Pennine Way – we are the halfway point of the St Cuthbert’s Way, and from October 30 the starting point of a new national walk – the Gore-Tex National Trail – which ends at Cape Wrath. What a place this is to be! I am sure that all these walkers need us – and we, of course, need them: they are to a large extent our future.
“This is an inspirational day and on behalf of Yetholm Community Council and all the people of Yetholm we wish this hostel every success. We bestow on Simon our heartfelt gratitude for his energy, enthusiasm and foresight, and we look to the future with optimism, and indeed excitement, for what we can achieve together.”
The village was rocked by the Scottish Youth Hostel Association’s (SYHA) decision to close and sell the 22-bed hostel at the end of last year.
But the European non-governmental environmental organisation, Friends of Nature bought it, refurbishing and opening it as a Friends of Nature House in August, pictured right.
The hostel will maintain its links with the SYHA as it becomes an associate hostel which can be booked through the SYHA. And there are plans to install heating so it can remain open during winter months in the future.