My ideal romantic break? A hike in the Lakes
SOME women would rather be whisked to Paris or Rome, but, for me, the Lake District is the dream romantic break. So much so my husband and I have spent ten years ‘peak bagging’ there.
We’ve been trying to amble, scramble, run and lately stagger up all 214 of the ‘Wainwrights’ — fells outlined by Alfred Wainwright in his Pictorial Guide To The Lakeland Fells.
We’re not alone in this odd-seeming pursuit. Wainwright may have hated fame, but his hand-drawn, seven volume collection published from 1955 has sold more than two million copies.
A decade ago, with new walking boots and an even newer relationship, we made short work of our first Wainwright, a snowy Helvellyn on New Year’s Day. We teetered along Striding Edge and Swirral Edge, took in the view across to Ullswater — and were hooked.
Crossing off the fells became a shared obsession. Weekends in the Lakes a welcome change from hours in the office. I only had to climb 137 before my then-beau got down on one knee on Harter Fell in a snowstorm.
Having two babies almost brought our adventures to a standstill, though we have taken both little ones with us.
We were blissfully child-free on our most recent trip, so bounded up the side of Glenridding Dodd, climbing past old miners’ cottages and around the west side of Blae Crags. At the summit a fine view of Ullswater was revealed.
A small descent, followed by a short climb up Sheffield Pike took us to our second top, before zig-zagging down.
We returned to the luxury of Gilpin Hotel and Lake House, near Windermere. Our spa lodge’s private hot tub and sauna soothed tired muscles, while Michelin-starred HRiSHi refuelled us.
The hotel has celebrity fans — Keira Knightley, plus Jerry Hall and Rupert Murdoch. Who can blame them?
Three nights and nine hills later, we hit 167 Wainwrights, and inched closer to our goal of all 214.