BBC Four
Few organisations have had as much impact on Britain’s appreciation of the countryside as the Youth Hostel Association. Established to encourage the poor of industrialised cities to enjoy a healthy outdoor lifestyle, its network of affordable, egalitarian hostels enabled people on slender means to explore their own surroundings on a shoestring, in a way never previously possible.
Through a treasure trove of archive films, this Nation on Film special tells the story of hostelling over the past 100 years and explores changing attitudes towards young people and the countryside. Based on a newly discovered horde of films, unseen for decades, this is the story of how the Youth Hostel Association made it possible for everyone to fall in love with the countryside.
At the film’s heart are a series of archive films discovered in a storeroom at the YHA’s headquarters in Derbyshire. These beautiful films chart the progress of the movement, and show young people enjoying a new sense of freedom - hiking, rock climbing, folk singing and even the odd bit of skinny-dipping. It also features the filmmakers charged with promoting the Association and the hostellers who escaped to the country thanks to it.
The collection includes a wide range of previously un-broadcast productions - from silent movies through to video. They all promote the YHA's central mission - to encourage young people to enjoy the benefits of the countryside.