YOUTH HOSTELLING IN THE RAIN

"Ewhurst Green hostel is very nice, the common-room has a roaring fire."

S A T U R D A Y,  2 1  O C T O B E R

By the time I’d filled my rucksack with everything, it was rather heavy.

Ma and Chump took me to Epsom, where I met Tig, Ann and Martha outside the Arcade. Then Martha’s father drove us to Dorking. It was hilarious getting out of the car and saying goodbye to civilisation.

Our rucksacks hurt at the beginning and by the time we stopped for lunch, after several muddy fields, we were whacked. Felt so hot we had to take our shoes off! Then walked to Coldharbour. On the way we sang songs which was super, we did 'Frere Jacques' in rounds and it came out beautifully. Then it began to rain, and got worse, and worse. We started to get soaked so Martha lent me her plastic mack as she had an umbrella. We looked MAD with our plastic macs covering our rucksacks; we looked like horses with hunchbacks and we nearly died laughing. As the hostel didn't open till five, we sheltered in Ewhurst Church where Martha and Tig had a long discussion on religion. They get so involved, it kills me! I felt like saying all religion is ridiculous. (If you’re not confirmed you can’t have communion in an East Anglican church which is just one example of its pettiness.) 

The hostel is very nice, the common-room has a roaring fire. There are double berths in the sleeping area, and Tig and me are having the top ones.

“Then 25 boys from Wales arrived, with strong accents! ”

No marvellous ones as far as I could see. Tig and me had a packet rice and prawn thing for supper, which turned out quite well. The four of us sang ‘Ta Ta Ta Ta’ while washing up. Then all the boys went out - to a pub I suppose - while we stayed by the fire, chatted, wrote postcards and played whist.

Went to bed about 9.30 and chatted a long time in the dark. We pretended we were on a ship: Tig was the sea, I was the fog horn, Martha was a seagull! About 10.30 the boys started coming back – talk about a racket. We could hear every word they said - “Roberts, you’ll smell if you don’t wash” - “he smell all times anyway,” for example. We burst into cackles of laughter and they knocked several times on the door and said, “let’s have a bit of shush in there then, girls”!!!

Martha is very pleased. She’s just realised she’s sleeping next to a male (even though there’s a wall in between).

Ewhurst church and post office. Photo: Colin Smith