Don't look down.....
Categories: just-life
Date: 01 August 2008 18:47:32
It is surprising (at least to me) that the journey times from Somerset, Surrey and Aberdeen are all within fifteen minutes of each other when the destination is Keswick in the Lakes. Therefore it made a very good destination when a bunch of us who just happened to live in these far flung places decided that we all wanted to get together for a weekend.
Considering how the weather has been for the summer we were considerably lucky that there was only rain on the Friday evening after we had set up the tents, but apart from that it was glorious.
On the saturday we heading up into the mountains and had a go at the new via feratta course that has been setup at the Honister Slate Mine. For those of you who don't know what a via feratta is, it can be described as a pernament climbing route up a mountain using fixed rungs and a cable that you always stay clipped onto.
Some parts of the route are fairly easy, even if you wouldn't want to slip;
other parts are a lot more hairy and you are very glad that you are tied in!!
Three and a half hours later we reached the top of the mountain and were able to unclip and admire the view.
The next day we headed out onto Derwent Water in a couple of Canadian canoes which was a lot of fun and being a bunch of (ex-)university student was rather splashy. But you're allowed to head out onto the islands for a picnic or just cruise around. No pictures for this for the simple fact that I'm not so foolish to take my camera out on a canoe!!
I can also make the recommendation of The Troutbeck Inn, which is just off the A66 between Keswick and Penrith, because the food is amazing, the beer is great and the dog makes such a great goalkeeper that I want him on my fanasty football team!!