Surviving in a dusty youth hostel – allergen alert!

Youth hostelling can afford you the freedom to stay somewhere relatively cheaply with the option of self catering facilities. They often have fantastic locations, by a lake, in the middle of nowhere, but be warned, the accommodation can be spartan to say the least. If you like a bit luxury and peace a quiet, this isn’t the option for you. There were quite a few families with kids so be warned.

En route we stopped to stretch our legs and use the public convenience and were amazed to discover, just on the edge of the A5 trunk road in the village of Pentrefoelas between Snowdonia and Hiraethog in North Wales, The Riverside Chocolate House & Tearoom. As well as a small cafe, there was a shop which sold gluten free biscuits, moo free chocolate and other nut and dairy free confectionery! Amazing what you can find in the middle of nowhere when you look hard enough.

Apart from the dust this arrangement worked perfectly for me. We stayed at the Snowdon Ranger youth hostel at Rhyd Ddu, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL54 7YS. No TV, no mobile signal, no internet or 3G and just ONE plug socket in our room! This had a lamp plugged into it, without which the room was dingy at best. Mobiles went flat and we didn’t even mind. It was total bliss to get so completely away from it all.

We made it to the top of Snowdon, an 8 mile round trip with stunning views. We took the route classed as the ‘Quiet Side of Snowdon’ – Up the Rhyd Ddu Path and down the Snowdon Ranger.

You need to be well prepared. Even when it’s lovely and sunny at the bottom it will probably be freezing cold at the top, and if the clouds come in it will be wet and cold.

Waterproofs, hat, scarf, gloves, spare socks, extra layers and a healthy and filling freefrom packed lunch are essentials. Bring a flask for hot drinks and plenty of water to keep hydrated.

We made it back to the hostel which had piping hot water on demand, what more can a girl ask?

There are a few things I would suggest anyone with a dust allergy and other allergies should do, some are just common sense, but here goes:

Ten tips for avoiding allergens in a youth hostel

1. Make sure you have all your inhalers and all are full and within expiry date
2. Epipens should come under the same scrutiny, and bring any other anti-histamine medications
3. Ensure your asthma is well managed. A few days in a dusty room can be enough to trigger a nasty attack, even if your health is good
4. Bring your own bedding; sleeping bag, pillow and pillow case
5. Bring your own freefrom food, sandwich bags, plastic containers etc.
6. Remember packed lunch stuff like gluten free bread, dairy free spread, dates, fruit, cake, a flask with your own coffee/tea or chosen warming beverage and plenty of water. Take your own bottles to avoid cross contamination from sharing bottles
7. If you’re really worried and are travelling by car, bring your own pans, utensils etc. The kitchen was adequate but the equipment was tired and very well used
8. Bring tin foil for lining grill pans etc.
9. Have a meal plan diary so you know what you’re eating and when. You can’t guarantee you’ll be able to buy suitable provisions when you’re away but you will probably be pleasantly surprised what you can find even in local co-ops. Some meal ideas: Roast chicken, a good old fry up, ham with egg and chips or some hearty soup, jacket spuds done in foil, I could go on.
10. Bring gloves and your own tea towel for washing up – there will be washing up!
11. I always aim for ten and find a few extra, if you like toast bring some toast pockets to avoid cross contamination in the toaster, or use a cleaned grill

Most youth hostels have fridges, freezer space and cubby holes for cupboard groceries. Bring a flexible, soft cool bag and label this to keep all your stuff together.

If you are at all worried, bring a plastic storage box or freezer bag and store things in your room that don’t need to be in the fridge.

They provide little stickers so you can put your name and the date you leave on your food. Most people will respect the unspoken rule that you don’t touch anyone elses food on pain of death.

The kitchen was an allergen alert area with the potential for milk and any other food being spilt and not cleaned up on the worktop. Most people do clean up after themselves, but some will go for a sit down before washing up, knowing full well that someone will have to wash and clear away their stuff in order to find space to prepare their own food. If you have allergies this is doubly important, especially as others may be using the kitchen whilst you are and they might not know about your allergies.

On the first day my friends labelled a mug for me, which became the norm each day. Whoever was making the tea would put a label on my mug so they knew it was mine and no normal milk should come anywhere near it. We washed up the mugs before using, even if they were clean, to ensure there were no traces.

We got by, but my friends were getting concerned when I started to use my inhalers a lot and went a bit quiet. The carpets and living areas were quite dusty. It was clean, and the bedding was in good condition, but I was wheezing quite a bit. I’m glad I took my sleeping bag and pillow. Some evenings I found it very hard to breathe, and instantly improved when we left the building.

It was mild asthma though and thankfully mine is fairly well controlled at the moment. We aired the room by leaving the window open in the hope that this might help. Not always possible, but being on the third floor meant we could do this. Don’t make your bed either, leave it open and aired to prevent dust mites breeding.

The soft water on the other hand was wonderful for my skin. It felt so much more naturally hydrated after showering and I didn’t need so much moisturiser. I did learn a valuable lesson. On discovering the largest shower with storage space, more hooks and more space to move around in, keep it quiet. Don’t tell a soul or they’ll all get in there before you…

Have you got allergies and been youth hostelling? Did you enjoy it? or find it too scary? I found it worked brilliantly because I didn’t have to eat out at all or worry about what I was going to eat. I had all my favourite snacks to hand. Perfect! I just need to find a way of getting immunotherapy for my dust allergy and hay fever and I’ll be sorted.