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A Lakeland cruise...
Last year was unusual for me. I can only remember visiting the Lakes once, on a very, very wet day by Derwent Water. I also only paddled on a handful of occasions. So with the recent improvement in the weather, I decided to put both things right in one hit!
I faffed about with gear the night before. So on a gorgeous bright morning soon had things loaded and smoothly heading North. In fact it took only an hour and twenty to get to the South end of Windermere...to Fell Foot Country Park, whose gates were locked! Passing locals assured me the gates should be unlocked very soon. So not wanting to waste time, what better thing to do than have a second breakfast! I even managed to get changed just as the gates swung open...
Without much trouble I soon had the boat down by the water, on a little bit of gravel shore in between two slips. Now suddenly I felt the warmth of the sun, reflected, by the gentle lap of the clear water. Looked like I had the lake to myself...unbelievable...my own lake.
Mind you I'd set myself quite a task. I intended paddling from end to end, return. A distance of twenty miles, which I'd set six hours aside for. I was very aware not to go too fast, but the boat was gliding effortlessly on smooth water and the World seemed right and I felt great. The scenery is beatiful and becomes more dramatic the further North up the Lake.
I'd been passed by "The Swan" on it's way up to the same place I was headed...Waterhead by Ambleside. For a brief moment I thought of "The African Queen" sinking the German Navy boat in some film! So easy was the paddling that I let my mind wander...
Belle Island looks like the end of the lake from the approach. But the map showed there to be another third of the lake beyond. By now there were a few yachts out and about and with them came the wind! So I took some nice little surf waves across to Ambleside and landed two and a half hours after setting off.
By now the sun was toasty warm. Too early for lunch...so had the most delicious whippy ice cream. In fact really the best I've ever had, from the little tea room right on the promenade by the lake. Was totally immersed in my own world..shared with passing ducks, swans and geese when the RAF did a low pass and I nearly fell in the water!
This somehow seemed to break the spell. The wind was against me all the way back, right in my face, or more annoyingly just off the quarter. I put my head down and put some effort in. Didn't look at the pretty landscape. My right thumb was blistered and my tennis elbow was serving a whole new ball game in pain! But I won through, actually arriving back to Fell Foot in two hours twenty. Where once off the water I realised the day was a scorcher and not all wind and waves!
I faffed about with gear the night before. So on a gorgeous bright morning soon had things loaded and smoothly heading North. In fact it took only an hour and twenty to get to the South end of Windermere...to Fell Foot Country Park, whose gates were locked! Passing locals assured me the gates should be unlocked very soon. So not wanting to waste time, what better thing to do than have a second breakfast! I even managed to get changed just as the gates swung open...
Without much trouble I soon had the boat down by the water, on a little bit of gravel shore in between two slips. Now suddenly I felt the warmth of the sun, reflected, by the gentle lap of the clear water. Looked like I had the lake to myself...unbelievable...my own lake.
Mind you I'd set myself quite a task. I intended paddling from end to end, return. A distance of twenty miles, which I'd set six hours aside for. I was very aware not to go too fast, but the boat was gliding effortlessly on smooth water and the World seemed right and I felt great. The scenery is beatiful and becomes more dramatic the further North up the Lake.
I'd been passed by "The Swan" on it's way up to the same place I was headed...Waterhead by Ambleside. For a brief moment I thought of "The African Queen" sinking the German Navy boat in some film! So easy was the paddling that I let my mind wander...
Belle Island looks like the end of the lake from the approach. But the map showed there to be another third of the lake beyond. By now there were a few yachts out and about and with them came the wind! So I took some nice little surf waves across to Ambleside and landed two and a half hours after setting off.
By now the sun was toasty warm. Too early for lunch...so had the most delicious whippy ice cream. In fact really the best I've ever had, from the little tea room right on the promenade by the lake. Was totally immersed in my own world..shared with passing ducks, swans and geese when the RAF did a low pass and I nearly fell in the water!
This somehow seemed to break the spell. The wind was against me all the way back, right in my face, or more annoyingly just off the quarter. I put my head down and put some effort in. Didn't look at the pretty landscape. My right thumb was blistered and my tennis elbow was serving a whole new ball game in pain! But I won through, actually arriving back to Fell Foot in two hours twenty. Where once off the water I realised the day was a scorcher and not all wind and waves!
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