I joined the Youth Hostel Association in 1985 when......

Essex had four Youth Hostels, they were Colchester, Castle Hedingham, Epping and Saffron Walden, today they have all gone! But it wasn`t just Essex that lost their Hostels it was all over the country that Hostels were disappearing! And because of that I never renewed my membership in 2010.

Colchester seen above was the first to go in 1996, while Castle Hedingham was the last to go in 2008.
I used all of Essex Hostels mostly as a starting point for the start of my tours or coming back from them. Plus long weekend breaks were enjoyed either on my own or with club mates.

The Hostel above looks a bit remote but its only 1 mile along a rough track to Coniston in the Lake District. Coniston Coppermines is a lovely Hostel and I really enjoyed my 3 nights I stayed there, after an 8 day ride to reach it!
But my all time favourite Hostel is or was in Suffolk and called Alpheton and run by a guy called Vic. It was just right for me to have a steady day ride from home to this Hostel and I spent many long weekends here. It was a very simple Hostel, no hot water so you had to boil the kettle up for everything. It alway felt damp inside there even in the middle of a heatwave! But loved going there and was shocked when Vic who wasn`t that old died suddenly and his family sold up and moved away in 2000.

Alpheton Youth Hostel gone but never forgotten by me.

Another change of handlebars but this time on my......

Raleigh XC which I normally used as a winter bike, which I bought in 1990 from Bikechain (another cycle shop which is no longer) in Ardleigh Green, Hornchurch. I say bought, I part exchange it for my Ridgeback which I got for cycling to work in 1989 from Rory O`Brien. Paid £368 plus extra`s like for rear rack and mudguards.

I can`t remember how much extra I paid for the Raleigh, but again I had to have a rear rack put on. Do you like those pink toe-straps?

Of course over the years I`ve made some changes, like replacing the Shimano Biopace (non-round) chainrings, with a normal one. Tell you the truth I never really found it any different!

And so here`s the Raleigh today with its new straight handlebars, which I hope will keep me cycling a bit longer!