Walking and studying in the Lake District . . .

I had been hankering to visit the Lake District as part of our trip. I was first there around 49 years ago – in Ullswater with my family, although at the age of 5 you don’t remember much.  Roll on 20 years to 1990, when Jo had I had only just started going out  – we were there with a bunch of our London friends at Christmas. Sharing our joint situation of being without family at a time when other people in the UK were partying with loved ones. And then again in late 1994 – with a very pregnant Jo, celebrating our last couple of months being childless.

And so with Jo and Danielle booked on a three-week yoga and volunteering retreat in Portugal I found myself alone, touching down at Manchester airport and driving up the M6 to my first destination – the tiny village of Bouth in the southern Lake District. Places in the UK can be small, and depending on how small they are, there will be reduced numbers of services and shops, until you get to the very smallest, like Bouth. And that will be a place with just a pub. Aaah I like this country . . .

Bouth is situated at the foot of Lake Windemere, in the midst of rolling green farmland and walking tracks. Cragg cottage is just your quintessential old country cottage with 200-year exposed beams, an open fire (yes in late May it’s still cold) and a tiny country garden. Oh and wifi which, while welcome, seems sort of out of place in this quiet and natural spot.

​My first week’s highlights included an awesome walk at Coniston Water. And by the way you don’t refer to “Lakes” here – everything is either a “Water”, “Mere” or “Tarn”. Excepting Bassenthwaite Lake just so we all clear on that point. Anyway, Coniston Water was on my list of must-dos supplied by Bob, my unofficial tour guide back in New Zealand. 

I walked up the Coppermine valley where quarrying is thought to have started back in Roman times. The weather was clear, cloudy and with the slightest hint of drizzle, which by the way summed up things for just about the majority of my stay. After reaching a lone youth hostel at the head of the valley I returned via the saddle of Coniston which provided stunning views back over the waters and with a glimpse of Windemere in the distance. Magic.

During my time travelling on my own I was determined to see and do as much as possible. And so I developed a daily regiment of yoga, writing, studying and walking. The studying part refers to life coaching, something I have thought about for some time. My professional career to date has included a number of start-ups and change programmes. And it’s always been the people side of this work that I have gravitated to. Undertaking formal coaching training therefore might be a way I can do more of this – both potentially in paid and volunteer work . . .

Other highlights of my first week included a visit to Blackwell – an Arts and Crafts House close to Windemere. I know that term conjures up images of teapot snugs and dolls clothes however nothing could be further from the truth. The Arts and Crafts movement, beginning in Britain in the early 1900s, was essentially a bridge between more traditional furnishings considered overly ornate and those that were beginning to be mass produced in factories. The outcome was a new style which was more modernist, simple and functional – but not at the expense of quality. And above all, everything had to synch – with the rest of the house and the environment within which the house sat.

The outcome was just superb. I stayed far longer than I had intended – seduced by the cosiness and simplicity of the place. I could have lived there . . .

After a week in the Lake District I decided I wasn’t yet ready to leave, and so moved to the village of Ings – close to Windemere and  Ambleside but still with that country feel. I stayed at another cottage – they do cottages well over here . . .

I had been warned by Bob to avoid Bowness on Windemere, and so purely being curious, and a bit obstinate, I decided to pop over to take a look. The Lake District’s most popular tourist destination is quite a shock to the system when you first arrive. Coming from walking deserted fells to experiencing clogged pavements with trains of overseas tourists following flag-bearing guides takes some getting used to. There is obviously a love affair here with Beatrix Potter (or Beatrix f**king Potter as Bob refers to her) who lived and wrote here. I resisted the temptation to purchase a Beatrix Potter tea towel and instead used my time to do some practical things such as getting my hair cut and posting my wedding suit back to New Zealand.

The rest of my second week passed much like the first. The undoubted highlight however was my trekking in the Langdale Pikes. The walk begins about 20 minutes from Ambleside near the Stickle Barn pub (oh yes I had my eye on that place for after) and heads up a step gradient to a beautiful Tarn. I noticed most other walkers armed with maps and compasses at this stage – but, not to worry, I had my iphone. I dutifully followed Siri’s directions until I became a little concerned to find myself in the middle of an amazing mountain vista with none of my fellow hikers in sight. The remainder of my walk/climb consisted of studying my environment, spying other hikers, scaling and scrambling up bare rock, navigating great boggy expanses and finally slip/sliding down a mountain stream to re-join the road – about 3km from the best beer ever. The most awesome, thrilling and challenging hike I have ever attempted.

​201 floors and 17km according to Siri.

​From the Lake District I head back to Manchester in the car and then on the train to London for my last week before catching up again with Jo in NL.