ANybody know anything about youth hostels in central london? I've got a mutual backscratching favour to do and I don't know where to start.

The only one I know of is this, on Harrow Road. http://www.hostel639.co.uk/directions.php
It's just across the road from Kensal Green tube station, and a short hop from Ladbroke Grove, Portobello Road etc. (It looks a bit of a dump, though, tbh!!)

Alternatively, you could try this: http://www.hostelsclub.com/youth-hostel ... ondon.html

Used to be a hotel near tottenham court road which was called the Y hotel, that was supposed to be the Youth hostel london hotel, don't know if it's still there though Russ. I'll have a google and post back.

Yep still there heres a link

http://uk.local.yahoo.com/entity.html?p ... 2027478279

couch surfer?

is supposed to be really good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAxGYstu ... re=related
This makes me excited to have my car down in plymouth this term!
Also, Plymouth/ Cornwall Yokels, where is a good place to get some new tyres and to have them fitted? just some toyos or nankangs or something like that?

TBH, i get my tyres from either www.camskill.co.uk or www.mytyres.co.uk & fit them myself - there is an option on the mytyres site whereby you pay a few quid extra & the tyres get delivered to a local tyre fitter - you take y0 whip along & they fit the fresh ones & dispose of the old ones - never used it myself though.

BITD when i did buy locally i used Gupa P - now called 'protyre', IIRC... - it's a bit further down the road from prime skate park...

Ahhh i got told pro-tyre is fairly good at what they do. i might have to look into that. maybe i can have a pedal down prime while i wait too!

I'm off down to Chaz & Daveville on Saturday, can somebody tell me how easy it is to find free, unrestricted on-street parking. I've Googled "Weekend parking in London" and a forum topic reply suggests Gladstone Street, Southwark. I've Google Earth'ed it and it's nice and close to the South Bank, would I have any problems by parking there?