Youth hostels were once the go-to accommodation for the young traveller on a tight budget. In the UK they have reinvented themselves, dispensing with the daily chores and bumpy beds. There are now no youth hostels in the Isle of Man but in the 1950s there were three. Leslie Darbyshire (pictured), then a seasoned hosteller, looks back at his time staying, and working, in them:

There have been a number of youth hostels in the Isle of Man over the years at various locations.

At the time of my first visit in 1955, there were three, at Union Mills, Ramsey and Port Erin.

I was then already a seasoned hosteller, having started in 1951 at the age of 14 with a cycling holiday to Yorkshire from my home in Raynes Park in south west London.

How many parents today would allow their 14-year-old children to go off, unaccompanied, on a 10-day cycle trip? But things were very different then.

Youth hostels provided rather basic accommodation, with dormitories (strictly segregated by sex!) containing bunk beds. Meals were provided, or you could do your own thing in the members’ kitchen.

A downside was that some chores had to be done, such as cleaning rooms or peeling potatoes - and there was usually a 10pm curfew when the doors were locked.

On August 20 1955, my friend and I took our bicycles on the train from Euston to Liverpool.

Having some time to spare before boarding our boat to the island, we took a trip on the Liverpool Overhead Railway, with wonderful views of the docks which then were packed with shipping.

Then back to the landing stage to board Ben-my-Chree, which was a 1927-built ship that rattled and creaked from every seam on its four-hour journey to Douglas.

An expensive journey too, as I recall; the fare on the boat was about the same as the train fare from London to Liverpool!

Our first hostel, at Union Mills, was an imposing three storey house, named ’Ballavagher’, on the north side of the main road to Peel, approached along a very long drive.

We stayed there a couple of nights, exploring the Douglas area and taking the train to Peel, then moved on to Ramsey. There the hostel was on the seafront, on Mooragh Promenade, and was a Victorian guesthouse named ’Slieve Donard’.

It was at the end of a row of similar houses and had a blank wall at the side with fireplaces visible, looking very like the result of bombing such as I had seen in London - but there was no bombing in Ramsey, so presumably the terrace was simply left unfinished.

Several other buildings were (and some still are) in a similar condition. ’Slieve Donard’ had been occupied at some time by an artist who had painted some lovely murals on the walls of the main rooms.

On one occasion a group of us retuned well after the 10pm curfew and found the doors locked. We threw pebbles at the windows of the men’s dormitory until someone came downstairs and let us in.

The next morning the warden told us: ’I knew you were out but I also knew you would use your initiative to find a way in!’

From Ramsey we made our way to the opposite end of the island for our third hostel, in Port Erin.

Here the hostel was in an elevated position on the road to Bradda West, with superb views over the bay towards Cregneash. We stayed three nights there, then all too soon it was time to return home - but we vowed to return!

Return we did, the next year, for a longer visit this time. Four days at Port Erin, six at Ramsey then three days at Union Mills.

After that, my travelling companion had to return home but I had more time so when the warden at Union Mills asked me if I would like to stay on as assistant warden (unpaid but with free board and lodging) I jumped at the chance!

I stayed for another two weeks, helping the warden Mrs Carradice with chores around the house and garden.

I was there for the Manx Grand Prix week, and we watched the races from the end of the drive. In both the Senior and Junior events, all the bikes bar one were British - the odd one out was a Moto Guzzi that did not finish!

After the races Mrs Carradice took me and her daughter Hazel to the prize giving ceremony at the Palace Ballroom.

Alas, there are no youth hostels in the island now.

The one at Union Mills is now a private residence, that at Ramsey is now apartments, and the lovely one at Port Erin has been demolished. A fourth one opened in Laxey in the early 60s and closed in 1985.