THE BIG FREEZE

‘The ice is as smooth as glass, and a foot to eighteen inches thick,’ read the newspaper report in 1895, when all the lakes including Windermere (England’s largest natural lake) froze over. Tens of thousands of people came to see it – skating its entire 11-mile length, sleighing, cycling, and even sailing yachts across the ice. It wasn’t the only time either: it froze over for four solid months in 1683-4, and most recently in winter 1963, while February 2021 saw it start to ice up in places. It was only strong enough to get geese skating that time, but the shore paths around Claife Station – a viewing point beloved by 18th-century visitors – deliver great vistas of the frosty lake. Download your route guide at walk1000miles.com/bonusroutes