UKC

Location Location Location, must be a key to this, but also memories and happy times will have a huge bearing on this, here are my top 5,

1. Straight in at No1, is not a climbing hut, but close enough. Black Sail Youth Hostel, if booked exclusively for a group. Ideal for climbing on Pillar Rock, my favourite crag, isolated and watching Gable Crag being caressed by the sun surrounded by chums, with a beer in hand, Sublime.
2. Roberston Lamb Hut, Langdale. This hut has it all, nearly*, super access, on a Friday night you can turn up and within 30 min of parking, you can have bunk sorted, fire lit, tea on table. Views in the morning lift the heart and your in a magnificent place for all outdoor activities. And the history associated with the place is pretty special.
3. Cwm Glas Mar, what a joy, a barely a 10 min walk, a super Welsh Cottage, with the best TV channel in the world, Grochan TV, you can sit with a brew and watch the climbers on the The Grochan (binoculars are good here). Its cosy and intimate and you can get a double bunk to yourself, and its got a coal fire.
4. Tranearth near Coniston. TBH there is much not to like about Tranearth, its a drag to walk to, its not cosy, not well located for climbing and its a bit institutional, but! When you do get there, you have left the world behind, and at the change of the seasons, and the Swallows are zooming around, you feel at one with nature and you did not used to be able to get mobile phone signal, which for me is a great thing. Also sat there with a mate having a morning brew before going to Dow, or as a party hut, its superb.
5. Tough choice here between Lowenstern or The Count House, but it has to be The Count House, what a location, you can make a brew and zip down and do Commando ridge pretty much before its gone cold, the lounge is super comfy, the facilities are excellent and a BBQ after a days climbing looking out to sea, fantastic.

* Sadly you can get mobile access at RLH, which knocked it from No1.

Which are your favourites and why.

I had a pretty bad case of sleep paralysis in Cwm Glas, all the more strange in that it was "predicted".

Was about to write something about the CIC & the Smiddy then reread the title...

I'm guessing Ynys Ettws must be up there, purely for the location, although not being a CC member I've never stayed there.

I bet it is for many, but for me it lacks soul, it's just a brilliant parking and camping spot, but for a hut to be in my top 5 it needs something else, it's about 9 on my list, maybe 11.

And it's a long walk from the Vaynol on a dark and rainy night 😭

I get the bit about something special way above the predictable Trip Advisor standard criteria - I've stayed at Tranearth and it required a bit of a slog on foot to bring enough beer and food for a few days, and that's character-forming and adds to the isolation experience. The Bowderstone Hut, which used to be  leased by the NMC, was similar - no convenient parking, but a great location and a charismatic place to stay.

For huts with easier parking for the idle or time-pressed, Cefn Goch, the Gloucestershire MC hut in Deiniolen was a well-run club hut, as was Carslwark Cottage belonging to the Derbyshire Pennine Club in Stoney Middleton - both really well looked after, thoughtfully equipped and in excellent locations. 

In all the huts I've snored in over the years, its mostly been the company rather than the accommodation that's made it memorable.

Dave

On a dark and rainy night, I would have thought Ynys was a better walk back from the Vaynol than Cwm Glas.

I would not leave the fire at Cwm Glas to go to the Vaynol, once you up there you are sorted.

I consider the lack of phone reception at the RLH to be a bonus! 

I wouldn't leave Tyn Lon to go to the Vaynol. 

The Glosters hut is nice 

You say thoughtfully equipped, at RLH, on entry as you rotate your head towards the kitchen, you note directly above the waste bin, a beer bottle opener on a chain, that's a 100 years of fine tuning a hut.

Sorry to bear bad news, but there is reception, the first time I heard a phone ring there, something inside me died 😥

I agree with you, best of luck to the Vaynol owners but the place isn't for me

Top huts for me would need to be split by season, turning up at some of them in the middle of winter on your own is a bit grim:

Summer (dry weather):

Ynnys Ettws (CC)

Heathy Lea (Oread)

Fronwydr (London MC)

High House (K Fellfarers)

Robertson Lamb (Wayfarers) - I will never forget the smell of custard after a trifle tried to escape the bowl due to overexuberant cornering on the way here!

Winter:

Tan Yr Wyddfa (Oread MC)

Stair (Fylde MC)

George Starkey (AC)

Heathy Lea (Oread MC)

Ynnys (CC) - Only if staying in the members' only room.

Is the Bowder stone hut not loaned out anymore then?

I thought that it was a great place, but it was a pain when we were there, having to climb up to the entrance to the mine to get the siphon working for the water supply. Solitude was pretty good there, at least outside of tourist hours.

Is the hut in Cwm Eigiau still open? Not been there for many years but remember some good winter weekends there.

Glan Dena, clearly.
Since it's in a different league, here's 2-6:

2. Star Cottage - MAM do huts right. Moved 10 miles further north this would be in the running for #1
3. Ynys Ettws - The hut's not outstanding, but the atmosphere and infectious motivation to get out and do things make this one great.
4. Count House - The location, the views, the facilities.
5. May Cottage - It's exactly what you need for a knackering Pembroke trip. No logistics worries, just sleep, go climbing and pop to the coop if you need anything.
6. Is a tie:
I would say Brackenclose (pre-fire. sadface), if not for the 8am procession of theatrical geriatric post-shower towel-ball-flossing at the eye level of someone waking up in a lower bunk that I just can't unsee. Not sure what happens at that age that makes you want to make a display of drying your pendulous clackerbag but being unable to erase that sight took the edge off the weekend.

Cwm Glas? Yes it's romantic and remote and all those things but no, too worried Uncle Monty was going to show up in the night.

Maybe RLH, but it's not the best appointed hut and we were freezing the whole time. And we were unnecessarily reminded, quite a few too many times, how women aren't allowed upstairs. We know. Got it. Ok. She won't go upstairs. Understood. You can stop mentioning it now. Nice spot though.

Low House? Again maybe slightly further from the action but luxurious.

Star cottage, as a self catering cottage its superb, but as a Climbing Hut I am not so sure, I prefer the MAM hut at Coniston, I think the Kitchen arrangement one of the best I have seen for functionality, and the proximity to a Chippy is par excellence.

Its odd really that you mention no women in the upstairs Dorm at RLH, yet you like Brackenclose* which has segregated Dorms IIRC. I am guessing that you have not seen the spanking new annex at RLH, kitted out after a trip to Star Cottage and you can tell.

*Brackenclose would be in the  No1 spot for best hut to camp at, that view down Wast Water when you open the front of your tent.

Didn't really "like Brackenclose". The location and views are hard to beat. The hut not so much.

It wasn't the segregation at RLH that was noteworthy, but the endless repetition and reminding of it. By everyone. All the time.
The second thing everyone said to us was "you know she's not allowed upstairs, don't you". Got a bit weary of that.

Cum Eigiau cottage has got to high on any list.

The hut is owned by the National Trust, the NMC had it on a long lease until a few years ago, but it is now run by the Calvert Trust - https://www.calvertlakes.org.uk/what-we-do/bowderstone-bunkhouse/

Dave

We stayed there several times to climb on Eigiau, Amphitheatre Buttress was great. We got the pot bellied stove red hot! I also recall a hut run by Sheffield Uni on the way up to Helvellyn that was rather basic but in a great position. I also stayed at a hut on Dale Head above Borrowdale - is that still there?

I stayed at RLH a couple of years ago, we went to the New Dungeon Ghyll for a meal only to discover that it was a folk night and Martin Simpson was playing. What an evening that was, I really like the hut.