CONTENT SPONSORED BY
“AS SOON AS I SAWYOU,I knew a grand adventure was about
to happen.”It’sa saccharine Disney quotefrom Winnie-the-Pooh,
but it’sexactly howit feels as I spot my pals outside the café in
Grange. Big smiles and hugs. Cheeky banter and fits of laughter.
is is how our Lake District weekender starts.
Aer this isolated year,the buzz offriendshipwraps around
us like a blanket, and wetaste again – almost like a sense of déjà
vu – the camaraderie of an expedition shared. A year starved of
social contact isbehind us, and only the trail lies ahead. We’refour
friends off anadventure, and I for one amas excited as Pooh Bear
around a pot of honey.
“How many days have you packed for?”I ask Harrison, his
tumescentbackpackbulging at the seams. “It’sall the fresh
ingredients fortonight’sgourmet camp meal,”he replies with a
twinkle in his eye. “Itbetter be good,”I counter, “because I only
invitedyou for your cooking skills. Oh, and because I thought
you’dbe a useful pack mule.”
Harrison is six foot two and built as sturdily as the Borrowdale
crags above us. “Inthat case, you won’tmind carrying this water
and foodfor me?”jokes Sarah, as she re-ties her headband.
“Got space in your backpack for this?” chips in Jessie, handing
over a camera lens that looksas heavyas the nearby Bowder Stone.
Laughter and chat fills the air as we amble down a quiet lane
towards Hollows Farm.
GO YOUROWN WAY
e plan is to walk 16 miles fromBorrowdale toLoweswater over
the next two days, linking together seven LakeDistrict highlights
in a ‘bucket list’ hike I’ve christenedthe Magnificent Seven. e
box-ticking schedule is exciting and varied: country pub, quaint
café and rustic campsite; dramatic peak and idyllic lake; secret cave
and wild swimming nirvana. Tome, it represents the best of the
Lakes, with its combination of rustic charm and mountain drama,
packed into the space ofa weekend.
It’sa bespoke route I dreamtup at home on my laptop, using the
‘highlights’ feature of thekomootnavigation app to seek outmust-
see spots and can’t-miss moments – and nowit’sall coming to life.
What was once just a wiggly blueline drawn on my computer screen
has become reality. I glance down at my phone and then up again
at the landscape. e green shading of komoot’stopographical
map has morphed into Borrowdale’scloaks of oak and birch; the
light brown contours have taken shapeinto craggybuttresses and
sweeping ridgelines; and the solid blackline indicating a path has
transformed into the stony trail beneath our boots. Myroute is
awakenedand animated, alive and real, and I love it.
I know it’sfar from a trailblazing first ascent ornever-done-
before crossing, but thereis somethingspecial about designing
your ownbespoke route. Itis unapologeticallyyours and yours
alone; a plan brandedwith the stamp of your personality, originality
and initiative. You’re not a sheep following the well-trodden path.
Instead there’san added spice of individuality and exploration.THE WATER’S FINE
“C’mon, it’slovely –aren’tyou getting in?” says Sarah, treading
water in the crystal-clear pools ofa meander in the River Derwent.
We’ve made it to highlight number one, a wild swim spot
in Low Hows Wood. Sunlight dances on the water’ssurface,
yellow gorse flowers flutterin a light breeze,and the river burbles36 The Great OutdoorsAugust 2021