Dave's wintery weekend in the Lakes

People thought we were mad when we said we were heading to the Lake District in December. We had planned a walking holiday, but sadly Storm Caroline scuppered this somewhat and for much of the trip we encountered rain, cold temperatures and heavy winds.

On our first day we planned to walk up Skiddaw, which turned out to be rather ambitious. For those not in the know it’s England’s sixth highest mountain, and we certainly weren’t in the know! There seemed to be no end to the mountain and with the weather we were battling we only barely just touched the bottom of it before turning around and heading back to the car. Still we walked four miles though!

Day two was the worst of the weather and so we sought out something inside to do – so we thought let’s tour a slate mine! As we walked into the reception area at Honnister Slate Mine (England’s last working slate mine) the staff looked at us like we were mad. ‘A tour in December? Are you sure?’ we could hear them ask. Rightly so, it was blowing a gale as we climbed into the slate mine and it was freezing as the wind rattled through the tunnels. Still, it was insightful and the lady leading the tour made it all worthwhile.

Day three we completed a walk from Keswick where we staying, up Walla Crag and around the shores of Derwentwater back to Keswick – eight miles in total. This walk provided some wonderful views across Keswick and Derwentwater and if you’re ever in the area it’s a walk I would recommend.

And finally, the Lake District has plenty of excellent pubs and if you’re ever staying in Keswick I suggest heading to The George and seeing if you can tackle the Cow Pie. It is bigger than it looks in the photos and is packed full of hearty chunks of beef – yum!

written by Dave McLellan

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