Youth Hostel Darts

[eck]

As a new DIY perm organiser, I've just been asked for some advice about YH darts. 

I've referred him to Jackie Popland as the organiser of these rides but a quick look at the results section shows that, apart from Jackie, only two other riders did any this year. Both Audax Ecosse riders as it happens  .

I've never done one myself in about 15 years of audaxing, and have only ever been vaguely aware of them. I'm just wondering why and how they came about, and if they are still relevant in these days of DIY perms. OK, I see that profits go to the YHA (and I hope the SYHA seeing as how 11 of the 14 rides this year were Scottish), but neither association is going to get rich from that. 

Only asking. 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I've only done one YH dart, mostly to see what the badge looked like (sad, I know).  DIYs have superseded the need for darts now.  The concept of Darts was taken from that of Fleches (Arrows in Britain) but a little smaller.

[Weirdy Biker]

I always thought these arose to encourage randonneurs to visit Youth Hostels, no doubt in part reflecting the historic touring ethos of the club in the past(?)

I suspect a combination of travel lodge, changes in the YHA and (most importantly) DIY rides have made them increasingly redundant.  I have planned to do one for the past 4 seasons, even have the card, but never got round to it because other options presented themselves.

[Weirdy Biker]

PS: How many people on this board are YHA members?  I am, for one.

[salar55]

Thank you lucky stars.   If you had this job in the eighties it may have been full time , when we had youth hostels in places worth cycling to  . Winter w/ends were as busy as summer as the racers started to go after the season ended only problem cycling with them was that set points on the route turned into sprints or attacks on hills  .  So when did this form of audax start up, like the notion of a one way run . If the weather was bad next day you just had to cycle no choice.   

[MSeries]

PS: How many people on this board are YHA members?  I am, for one.

I am not a member of the YHA, I used to be but got more and more unhappy with the way they were going. The final straw was when I enquired about a stay at Jordans so i could do the Severn Across and was told they don't accept bookings from individuals on Fridays and Saturdays. I didn't renew my membership but did join SYHA because it was much cheaper. I am not a member of that organisation now either as I use YHs so infrequently these days, last time was July 2007 when rode to Lee Valley YH and stayed before the Tour de France start.  I didn't do a YH Dart but a DIY 300 because I was more familiar with the procedure of DIYs.

Coincidentally, before I joined AUK and ever took up this Audaxing lark I did a YH Dart. In order to see if I was fast enough for 200km at 15kph or faster I took a train to Carlisle, stayed at the YH there then the next day rode home. I was fast enough. Took me about 11.5 hours through some epic Dales landscapes and is still the basis of my famous Leeds-Carlisle-Leeds ride though I have deviated from the original route.

[jogler]

PS: How many people on this board are YHA members?  I am, for one.

me for two

[MikeFromLFE]

PS: How many people on this board are YHA members?  I am, for one.

me for two

me for three - although evey year I wonder why I still am, it's probably nostalgia for the good old days, whenever they were.

Travelodge Darts anyone?

[Greenbank]

Travelodge Darts anyone?

I can strongly recommend 3 day one-way Audaxing "darts". I did London to Thorne (Travelodge), Alston (B&B), Edinburgh (Travelodge), and then the train home on the 4th day.

Even better when the Travelodge does a proper "all-you-can-eat" buffet breakfast. I think that Scottlington and I ate more money's worth of breakfast than we'd paid for the night's accommodation. I went back for at least fourths.

[recumbentim]

As a new DIY perm organiser, I've just been asked for some advice about YH darts.  

I've referred him . Thanks Eck
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am the member in question and the main reason for this question is to possibly use darts or DIY,s on my annual pilgramage to the Western Isles.
Doing them as an audax is impossible due to ferry times but 2 or 3 darts may work?
The hotels and B and B,s are very busy in May ,June and not a Travel lodge in sight !

[MSeries]

As a new DIY perm organiser, I've just been asked for some advice about YH darts.  

I've referred him . Thanks Eck

I am the member in question and the main reason for this question is to possibly use darts or DIY,s on my annual pilgramage to the Western Isles.
Doing them as an audax is impossible due to ferry times but 2 or 3 darts may work?
The hotels and B and B,s are very busy in May ,June and not a Travel lodge in sight !

What's the question ? What do you mean ? Darts and DIYs are Audaxes. There is no real difference betwixt a DIY perm and a YH Dart. If you think you can do home-YH, YH-Ferry, Ferry-Destination YH, then yes, three YH Darts. But equally three DIY perms would work as well or as badly. Don't know if YH Darts have to be 200km or more actually, you'll have to check.

[recumbentim]

Ta

[klem]

I've been riding the 24hr YHArrows for several years and before DIYs were invented.

When I carry a card these YHArrows are usually London to LandsEnd or back. This is 500km as a main road bash or longer and hillier avoiding the A30. Wind assisted  I can just complete as a 24hr Arrow, though in the past I've been awarded points per 100k over 360k completed in 24hrs.  In September I rode this YHArrow to LE then on up to JoG, (though It took a committee meeting in York to validate the E2E card). Neither ride yet appear in the Permanents List.

But you have to ride a minimum 200k in 12hrs or 360k in 24 and start or finish at a Youth Hostel during opening hours. So DIYs would appear more relaxed and allow you more time, but I've never ridden one.

[nuttycyclist]

PS: How many people on this board are YHA members?  I am, for one.

I used them a lot in my late teens, so bought a life membership card - and promptly lost my free time and stopped using them 

I do now use them again sometimes.  We used a lot in New Zealand when touring, and I've stayed a few odd nights when there's a YHA available; unfortunately that's getting harder and harder to find unless you book months in advance.

[tonyh]

Another life-member here, since about 1958 when the bike sheds were overflowing (now another bike is rare, but there's always a bike shed). I've done quite a lot of voluntary wardening in the southwest too. YHA still has lots of superb locations, and I reckon there are still a lot of people who would love using them but are unaware. Although I do share some unease:

I got more and more unhappy with the way they were going

Most recently I stayed at Burley after John Ward's superb Forest/Isle of Wight 200. Late arrival, vast breakfast*, excellent. (Late price-drop on the website was an incentive to make the booking!)

*or you can always use the kitchen.

 YHA Darts - I did a pair of them to/from a Cardiff event. They provided a slightly different form of motivation and excitement....  much valued.

[Ivo]

I use YH a lot, especially if a brevet starts nearby. And often use them for accomodation when touring or reccing my brevets. So a few Youth Hostel Darts are planned for me. I have quite a few YH's in the 150-200km range, some only reachable via scenic routes.

[Weirdy Biker]

This thread has motivated me to do a YH Dart  in 2010.  I quite like the idea of simply cycling somewhere, staying overnight and then cycling back.  Very civilised

[Salvatore]

I quite like the idea of simply cycling somewhere, staying overnight and then cycling back.  Very civilised

I often do this, especially during the winter, but not bothering with any AUK involvement. Earlier this year I had nights at Bath and Street YHA. I've also used Winchester and Salisbury [edit: and Alfriston] for nights away. I'm a YHA life member.

[Weirdy Biker]

I quite like the idea of simply cycling somewhere, staying overnight and then cycling back.  Very civilised

I often do this, especially during the winter, but not bothering with any AUK involvement. Earlier this year I had nights at Bath and Street YHA. I've also used Winchester and Salisbury for nights away. I'm a YHA life member.

I'll probably do one AUK dart (in order to get the badge that is available) but thereafter will do it for fun or incorporate it into DIY permanents.  Street YHA is the one I was thinking of riding to as it is around 200km from home.  Pity it is closed for the winter, as seems to be the norm for non-urban hostels these days.

[tonyh]

Pity it is closed for the winter, as seems to be the norm for non-urban hostels these days.

A lot of them are available for hiring as the whole building.

(This is now called the "Escape To..." scheme. The previous name, "Rent a Hostel", must have had drawbacks. Clarity? That word "Hostel"?)

So if we could all ride to the same one...

[Salvatore]

Pity it is closed for the winter, as seems to be the norm for non-urban hostels these days.

A lot of them are available for hiring as the whole building.

When I stayed at Street in March I was the only person there. The lad behind at the reception desk went home as soon as he had checked me in, so I had the whole building to myself.

[Graeme Wyllie]

I got 10 YH dart cards about 5 years ago and have used 2 or 3.  Great for "point to point" rides like a megadistance event but for 200's theyve been overtaken by the increase in popularity of DIYs (although I may use them again sometime given one of Auld Reekies YHs is not far from chez Y Lee G).  However I recall on both occasions when asking for a stamp at the finish being viewed with a degree of suspicion from a young antipodean chap behind the desk (you cycled 200k here mate and you only live 2 miles away?   

I was a member of SYHA for many years until I gave it up a few years ago through non use (much like CTC).  Ah, fond memories of an epic overnight ride from Falkirk to Loch Ossian in the sweltering summer of 1984 come flooding back.  Left home at 8pm, got to LO mid afternoon after the last 15 miles or so on a rough track.  The legendary warden (Tom Rigg?) let us in having heard our tale of overnight cycling, then pretty much frogmarched us off to do the "round the loch in less than an hour" 8.2 mile run before dinner (I did it!).

I also recall a more relaxed attitude towards the devils buttermilk at that particular YH too

[Billy Weir]

Did my first ever YH dart last weekend.  One of the best rides I've done for a while, if I can say so myself.  A real spirit of adventure, reflecting a sense of travelling to a destination (something the best rides have in my opinion: Bryan Chapman, Denmead 400 etc).

I couldn't have picked better roads.  Trace the obvious tracks on Dundee - Alyth - Pitlochry -Kinloch Rannoch via Foss - Aberfeldy - Bridge of Balgie - Crianlarich YH and you'll get the picture.  Significant overlap with the Northern part of the Tayside Transgression, but with the lovely climb round Schiehallion and over the Lawers Road (the latter instead of the Glen Lyon dirt track).

I enjoyed it so much, I suspect I'll be doing more YH darts in the future.  Street is around 200km from Redhill...

[bodach]

i was a member of the SYHA in the 60s and still have my card. Used it for a tour of Scotland while still at school and for my first European tour of 6 weeks school hodilays in the days when we were restricted as to the amount of dosh we could take abroad so it cost us the vast amount of £30 for the 6 weeks apart from the hostels which we booked beforehand. Liz now insists I chaperone her to a minimum of 4star and who am I to refuse. No longer a member and not likely to rejoin.

[Billy Weir]

You make a decent point.  YH facilitate adventure and expedition, suitable for the independent cyclist.  4* hotels and B&Bs a holiday for couples and families.