WALKING | Large Outdoors Fleetwith Pike Lake District Walking Weekend

July 26, 2015 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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Let’s go walking!

Where We Were

New members walking weekend, 24th – 26th July 2015
8 Mile Lakes & Shores Walk, Buttermere, Cumbria
largeoutdoors.com

The Lowdown

I’ve always been ever so slightly intimidated by hardcore walkers, what with their fancy walking gear, OS maps in waterproof pouches hanging around their necks and their general air of competence.

Loving the outdoors and walking, goes hand in hand of course but we’d never done anything we’d regard as a proper walk; that is to say, nothing that had required us to read a map or do any real navigation. Joining a guided group walk seemed like a good way of seeing more of what the Lake District had to offer, a little further from the beaten track that we’d have experienced on our own.

Stop showing off nature

I won’t lie, due to my accident last year, I was nervous about walking in a group. What if I held everyone up? What if I couldn’t manage the terrain? What if I need a wee? Sometimes it’s good though to just tell that part of your brain to take a hike (oh the hilarity) and I’m so glad I did!

We met up with our guide, Kendra from Large Outdoors, at 10am close to Buttermere, and were introduced to the rest of the group. Large Outdoors walking weekends generally start on a Friday night with a group meal and chance for everyone to get to know each other. Due to work commitments we were unable to make the Friday night meal, but everyone was friendly and welcoming, and off we went.

The scenery was stunning right from the start

The walk started at one end of the lake, and we followed an easy path along the right hand side, taking us past waterfalls and grazing Herdwicks. We chatted as we went, and the photographers of the group had plenty of time stop and take shots as the stunning landscape revealed itself.

The first part of the walk certainly raised my confidence, and as I found my stride, my fears slipped away. After a short break to refuel, Kendra announced the second part of the walk.

Ahead of us, stood Fleetwith Pike and to the right of that, Haystacks. As we began walking again, the terrain changed, and for the next hour or so, we were walking gently uphill, as we approached the first real ascent.

With waterfalls beside us, the scenery was breathtaking, but I felt I needed to concentrate hard as the ground became more uneven, and the path got narrower, and there were frequent boulders to climb over. The walking pole that I’d bought in a panic to make it look like I knew what I was doing, proved invaluable and I was glad I’d made the investment.

See the top of that mountain? That’s where we walked!

The higher we got, the more frequently we took little rest stops, just a minute or two to catch our breath and make sure all the group were together. I revealed my fear of heights about half way up, and Kendra and other members of the group gave words of advice and encouragement. I’m never one to back down from a challenge and despite the vertigo, I got on with it. Once we we’d made it up the hardest part, we stopped for a picnic lunch, with the most breathtaking views.

We made it, and wow what a view!

After lunch, we continued up towards Dubs Hut bothy, at the top of Honister Slate Mine, before we continued on and started our steep descent towards our end point, at the bottom of the slate mine, just off Honister pass.

Our Verdict

As total novice walkers, the weekend gave us an excellent taste of walking in the Lakes. Our guide, Kendra was awesome; sharing her knowledge of the region and never slow with words of encouragement. It was the perfect introduction for us, though it wasn’t quite the gentle stroll around the shores of Buttermere we’d been expecting, it was actually great to be challenged, walking up something we’d never have thought we were capable of doing.

The whole group were so friendly and lovely, it’s the kind of thing I’d have no qualms in doing on my own in future, and I’d thoroughly recommend anyone thinking about joining a Large Outdoors walk to go for it.

We both had a fabulous time, took in breathtaking scenery and spent time chatting and laughing with some great people. For us, it ticks all the boxes for a perfect weekend.

If you are still unsure, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Large Outdoors, they’ll answer any questions you have and will put your mind at ease.

With frequent walks in a variety of different regions, catering for all abilities, if you are a lover of the outdoors, or just want some friendly like-minded people to walk with, you won’t go wrong with Large Outdoors.

More pictures from our weekend

The start of our walk at Buttermere

Beautiful Buttermere Lake

Just nature, doing it’s thing

Looking up towards Fleetwith Pike

Some members of the group, as we left the shore of Buttermere and headed up

Looking up at the mountain ahead we were about to tackle

Looking back down towards Buttermere

The group taking a breather on the way up

The view from Dubs Hut bothy

The view as we started our ascent down towards Honister Slate Mine

Thank you to Large Outdoors who invited us to join them.

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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