John McCarthy
If you want to see the world differently – and get it all to yourself – walk it by night, like the Howlers do…
How do you get your friends together and carve out really memorable moments when you’re all rather busy and committed? John had an idea.
STAYCATION HOLIDAYS ARE booming for the second year in a row and visitor numbers to the Lake District National Park are expected to double this year. We must all accept that some locations will be much more crowded than usual, so perhaps it’s best to avoid hotspots, go exploring in remote hidden valleys and get off the beaten track.
How do you find the peace and solitude that many of us crave when our national parks are becoming even more popular, and so many more people have switched on to the benefits of a healthy lifestyle?
A group of Lake District-based adventurers have found the solution. For the last eight years they have been meeting every month under the light of the full moon for a magical moonlit microadventure. Over the years they have walked, climbed, scrambled, swum, cycled, canoed, kayaked, caved and eaten a lot of cheese, bathed in wonderful moonlight. Because they go out on the night of the full moon, regardless of the weather, they have also been hailed on, snowed on, rained on and frequently blown around.
The idea to gather for these monthly ‘Howlings’ originated from the frustration of trying to align everyone’s daytime diaries and overcome work and family clashes. The idea of an evening walk, paddle or swim seemed a great solution. What started off as a conversation between four old friends around a dinner table has become a sociable group of more than 20 adventurers, banded together under the shared love of ‘Lunarantics’.
During nocturnal meanderings, the Howlers have discovered that even places they know well, like Blencathra, Causey
Pike and the Ullswater valley, take on a different atmosphere at night. We’ve also learnt that other than the odd fellrunner training for the Bob Graham Round or a couple of crazy mountain bikers speeding along the
John McCarthy skyline, we can get the mountains, lakes and rivers to ourselves. If you crave isolation and an opportunity to see a World Heritage Site in a completely different light, night time is the right time.
Many of these folk were unknown to each other when the original Howlers set sail across the Solway in September 2012 to invade Scotland. It gave us a great story to tell, and soon other like-minded folk were attracted to the idea. Meeting once a month is enough to build a community of kindred spirits who hatch ideas for moonlit activities and locations.
As the founder of Lunarantics, I’ve attended more than 90 of these gatherings. I recommend the experience wholeheartedly, as long as you take sensible steps to minimise risk. For instance, it’s wise to stay within your normal daytime abilities. If you’re planning to go by night, walk it in daylight first, so you know the lay of the land and where the paths lead. And buy the best halogen headtorch you can afford.
Lockdowns have presented challenges, of course. The Howlers meet up for full moon exercise in families, pairs or groups of six when permitted. But we realised that we missed the sense of community we had developed over the years, as much as the adventures themselves. Thus it was decided to collate our stories, gather notes and photographs, and write a book that might inspire others to consider their own nocturnal gatherings and reap the physical, mental and social benefits.
The resulting book is called Full Moon Lunarantics: Dark Exploits in The Lake District. It’s much more than a night-time guide to the Lake District. It is packed with quirky stories, funny tales and expert advice. It follows the laughter and learning as the adventures pick up pace and inspire us to look at life differently: by moonlight.