2019. What a year it’s been. The culmination of a decade in which I’ve rediscovered a non-negotiable need for regular outdoors time. The missing piece of the puzzle after battling with anxieties pursuing a career I didn’t enjoy. Getting back outside was like finding that piece down the back of the sofa and slotting it into place. The jigsaw is now complete and it’s given me a clarity I’ve not felt for a long time. It’s as if the mist…
Rounding off the year’s challenge with this walk around Crummock Water. Include Buttermere for an exciting figure of eight loop! ROUTE STATS (including map) Crummock Water I’ve spent the past year getting mighty familiar with lakes. Small ones, big ones, busy ones, quiet ones, peaceful ones, remote ones, natural ones, man-made ones. And lots of other ones as well. It’s been a wonderful way to experience all four corners of the Lake District. But before I start getting sentimental about…
ROUTE STATS (including map) Buttermere I’ll get straight to the point and say that a walk around Buttermere is perhaps the best short walk in the Lake District. It has everything. Really it does. I even started making a list of what’s good about it and it ran to several pages. Something like this: Stunning scenery Good paths Reflections Cracking fells You can swim in it There are some fine pubs and cafés You can sleep on a campsite, in…
ROUTE STATS (including map) Loweswater If I lived in the Lake District, and maybe had a dog, I reckon a walk around Loweswater would be my daily go-to. Not too long. Decent paths. And with a good dose of mountains surrounding it. It’d be easy to plonk Loweswater in the same group as Grasmere and Rydal Water. A small lake perfect for a Sunday afternoon stroll. But, like Brothers Water, it has a certain charm which elevates it to a…
Check out this walk around Ennerdale Water if you are after a glimpse of the wilder side of the Lake District. ROUTE STATS (including map) Wild Ennerdale I think of myself as a mountain man, yet I haven’t been to Scotland. OK, that’s not quite true. I’ve been to Edinburgh. And the Scottish Borders. But I haven’t experienced ‘proper’ Scotland. The Highlands. The lochs. The Munros. The remoteness that’s unique to that landscape. It’s a gap on my outdoors CV…
ROUTE STATS (including map) Thirlmere A walk around Thirlmere has been off the agenda until recently. The lake has had its fair share of misfortune these past few years and it’s needed some intensive surgery, putting it out of action for a while. Storm Desmond hit in December 2015, which caused extensive damage to the A591, the main road running along its eastern side. Repairs took place in 2016 but there was more to come. In 2018, the Beast of…
If it’s scenery you are after, it doesn’t get much better than this walk around Wastwater. ROUTE STATS (including map) Wastwater Back in 2009, you weren’t alone if you suffered from the ‘Avatar Blues’ – feelings of sadness after seeing James Cameron’s blockbuster film. The comparative mundanity of our immediate surroundings on Earth and the belief we can never experience the utopian alien planet of Pandora left its mark on some. Avatar is set in the future at a time…
ROUTE STATS (including map) Esthwaite Water Ask people to name a lake in the Lake District. Odds are they’ll come up with Windermere. Some of the more creative ones might mention Coniston Water or Derwent Water. Those with more knowledge of the area might say Ullswater or Wastwater. The smarty pants will say Bassenthwaite (being the only body of water with ‘lake’ in its title). Unless your name is Beatrix Potter, I’d guess no-one will come up with Esthwaite Water….
ROUTE STATS (including map) Windermere (Part 2) As I write this, I’m looking at hundreds of pictures online of smug wild campers basking in the bank holiday sunshine. The Lake District looks glorious and I’m only jealous I chose to visit last week on a particularly rainy day! Walking in the rain does have its benefits. Particularly in August. Despite the deluge, it was warm with only a gentle breeze. And I didn’t see another walker all day; almost unheard…
‘Those few hours on Orrest Head cast a spell that changed my life.’ A. Wainwright ROUTE STATS (including map) Windermere (Part 1) I reckon there are two types of people. Those who love the Lake District and those who really love the Lake District. There are those who appreciate the views, the tranquility and the opportunity to get away from it all. They have a good time but are quick to return to normality and soon forget the experience. Then…