School visits

Please see the 360º Education + Adventure section for detailed information about school group visits. 

New for 2015 - 2016: we have a fund for subsidising educational residentials for schools from the Barrow area, thanks to a grant from the Sir John Fisher Foundation. We also have a general fund for schools from all areas, and very affordable fieldwork sessions with the environmental education charity the Field Studies Council. Please get in touch for more information.

A little history of school groups at Barrow House

During the Second World War Barrow House became a boarding house for evacuees from Newcastle Central High School. The only source of water and electricity was Barrow Beck, the stream which runs through the grounds, and the challenges of water management and the maintenance of the hydro-electric plant made for a well-rounded, if sometimes cold and uncomfortable, education! Click here to read an account of this period.

In 1961 the Youth Hostels Association (YHA) bought Barrow House and named it Derwentwater Youth Hostel. The house was soon full of school pupils again. The groups could study a range of topics, including a case study of YHA, but no one had to fix the hydro-electric plant or put up black-out curtains!

Derwentwater Youth Hostel (now Derwentwater Independent Hostel) became independent of YHA in 2011. However, we are delighted to see many of the same school groups returning each year: we like some things to stay the same!

For inspiration and more information about school group visits, please explore the 360º Education + Adventure section of this website.