Monday 7 March 2016

A WALKING HOLIDAY IN CUMBRIA


A few weeks ago I went away on a 4 night trip up to Cumbria on a walking holiday with James and his family. Now, let me be honest with you. Walking isn’t my thing. Sure, I do it, obviously, but the thought of driving somewhere and walking for a few miles on a Sunday afternoon doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest so let alone drive 4 hours to stay in the Lakes and walk for 3 days. But I put my negative feels aside and agreed to go. A few weeks later I had went shopping for some gear, walking shoes, water proofs, thick socks, hat and gloves etc so I was well equipped. Buying all this stuff actually made me look forward to it, even more so when James presented me with a Fitbit Surge which I knew would be perfect for tracking every step I took and would hopefully spur me on...




If you’ve ever been to The Lakes you’ll know how breathtakingly beautiful it is and as soon as I saw the mountains and beautiful green fields for miles and miles I thought this could actually be pretty fun. We stayed in a big converted barn which slept 12 and there were 9 of us + a dog. We even had our own hot tub which was nice to get in to after a day’s walking and a log fire which was so cosy! The barn was nice, a bit dated but perfect for what we needed. The only downside was that everything was wooden, including the floorboards which were ridiculously loud so whenever one person was up in the morning, we all were. It’s worth noting that apart from a village shop which is about 15 mins away, the closest supermarket was an hour’s drive. Luckily we had bought a load of food with us and only needed to stock up on bread and eggs later on in the week but I would imagine it would have been a nightmare if we hadn’t!

We arrived late Monday afternoon and a few of us went out for dinner at a pub which was just about a mile down the road. Everyone was planning on going the following night post big walk but I knew I wouldn’t want to go back out again so the 4 of us decided to fuel ourselves up instead.


 Tuesday we headed over to Scafell Pike, which was about 45mins from where we were staying. What I didn’t know was that Scafell is actually the biggest mountain in England and I was about to climb it. Talk about throwing me in at the deep end! I won’t go in to a full blown step by step account of the walk but believe me when I tell you it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. At times it was difficult, especially as we got to the top and the snow was coming up to my knees and the wind, oh the wind, was so painful throwing snow at my face! And although I may have been at the back with just one other person I actually really enjoyed it, looking at the photos gives me a massive sense of accomplishment, knowing I did that gives me some great self pride and you know what? I would 100% do it again. Once everyone was the bottom, we headed to the pub for a hot chocolate which was incredible. Then the rain came and that would be it for the next 24 hours.  

As the rain kept coming Wednesday morning  we decided to do something different, we drove to Ravenglass (20 mins away) and got a little steam train to where we went on a smaller waterfall walk. The rain had stopped by lunchtime so we didn’t get too wet walking about and it’s so nice seeing fresh running water running down the mountains.  

On Thursday the boys went on another mountain climb whilst the ladies went on a flat 5 miler which again was really lovely! We walked through villages, farms and bridges, it was all really beautiful and although there was a incline at some parts, it was mainly flat which is exactly what my legs needed.


The days completely flew by and before I knew it the car was packed up and we were heading home by 11am on Friday morning. I really did have a great time, it’s certainly opened my eyes to try new things and a few of us are already planning another trip, probably to Wales which I’m sure will be equally as fun! Oh and FYI my Fitbit looked like this, which I don't think will look like that again anytime soon!
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12 comments

  1. That seems like such a lovely trip. The steam train totally 'took me' to hogwarts. Cumbria seems beautiful. I'd love to visit that area someday. Also you took some very beautiful photos <3

    - LS
    http://www.sephira.dk

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments! :) I wish I was on my way to Hogwarts! xo

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  2. I went on holiday there last summer and it was so lovely! Well done for climbing Scafell, that certainly is an achievement! x

    http://www.hollysparkle.co.uk

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    1. Thanks Tessa! I think my legs are still recovering! ;) xo

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  3. Your photos are stunning! I used to go on lots of these kind of hidaya when I was younger (with my parents) but haven't done so for years... This post has made me want to do it again!

    Liz x
    Distract Me Now Please

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  4. I'm not really a fan of walking either but what a lovely post - it makes me actually want to go and explore! And all that body magic :D! Glad you had a nice time :).

    Christie x
    www.christieslifestyle.co.uk

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    1. It was honestly so much fun! Really enjoyed it, I would highly recommend it:) xo

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  5. I'm from the Lakes and now live in London. It's so refreshing to return you really do feel a world away. It's so good for the soul to switch off from the rush of a city in those beautiful landscapes. Love that you included a steam train on your trip!

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  6. Your photos of the location look so beautiful! There is just something so British about these pictures you posted. Did not think you had such mountains though, what a lovely discovery! Will keep this place in mind when coming for a trip in the UK! :)

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment XO

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