Spirit Trail - The Finale

After all that excitement I'm now sat at home with one minor blister (it got a bit gory for a while but is improving now) and slightly aching legs - the sort of ache that says you've done a long walk but you could crack on again if you needed to.

For those that have followed our whole journey - THANK YOU - we really appreciate all the reads, likes and retweets and we've been blown away by the number of people who've taken an interest in what we've been doing.  This all began as me having a mad idea on a fell so I can't quite believe we've actually done it.  To be fair, out of all the mad ideas I've had on fells this is probably the only one that could work in reality - the others generally involve the use of ray guns, personal shields or teleporters.

I would say I'll miss going out in the hills and drinking gin every day but I plan to spend most of the next 4 days doing exactly that!  I will miss all the wonderful people we met along the way though - people who took the time to meet with us and allow us to sample their wonderful drinks, and I definitely plan to keep in touch with as many as I can.

The lovely folks from Virginia House on Day 1

So, what's next I hear you ask?  Well first of all me and Karen need to get our book written so expect to see that sometime between Easter and Summer 2018.  We got along famously during our trek but, as we both said to each other, we rarely spend that much time alone with our husbands, never mind a virtual stranger, so we're both enjoying a bit of a breather today (plus I'm sure Karen is enjoying a break from my ear splitting snoring!)

The success of this project has spurred me on to develop other ideas so, if you're a hiking friend of mine, watch out - I may be descending on your in-box with a harebrained hiking idea for 2018 - I have plenty of ideas brewing, now all I need is a suitable victim (oops!) companion. 😀

When the credits roll at the end of a movie the audience generally ignore them as they race for the exit but PLEASE spend a moment to take a look through our credits - we honestly could not have completed this adventure without their support.  I wasn't able to add all the fancy clickly links when we were on the road, but I can now, so all you have to do is click on them the links below to give them a "like" and a "follow" - in each case the first link is to their website - THANK YOU!  😊

Shed 1 Gin

@Shed1Gin

Shed 1 Gin on Facebook

Literally gin made in a shed in their back garden - love them to bits!

Cumbria Crystal

@CumbriaCrystal

Cumbria Crystal on Facebook

Cumbria Crystal on Pinterest

The make stunning crystal for James Bond & Downton Abbey & they're in the heart of Ulverston

Virginia House

@VirginiaHouse24

Virginia House on Facebook

Virginia House on Instagram

Beautiful food, comfortable rooms and a VERY well stocked gin parlour - I'm amazed we left...

South Lakes Ecology

Who took the time to tell us what juniper looked like and why it's important for more than making gin

Kin Vodka
@KinVodka
Kin Vodka on Facebook
Kin Vodka on Instagram


Judith has SO much passion for what she does and never misses an order - even when she was flooded out during Storm Desmond

Unsworths Brewery
@UnsworthsBrewer
Unsworths Brewery on Facebook

One of two guest ales on our trail - just to make sure we kept our fluid levels up...

Hydroflask
@Hydroflask
Hydroflask on Facebook
Hydroflask on Instagram

Kept our tea so hot we could drink it all day!

Gilpins Gin
@GilpinsGin
Gilpins on Facebook
Gilpins on Instagram

We didn't meet but they were super supportive & a very fine gin!

Cowmire Hall

Properly traditional & very lovely.

Crumble Cottages
Crumble Cottages on Facebook
Crumble Cottages on Instagram
Sadly timings meant we couldn't stay here but they did give us tea and biscuits!

Kendal Mintcake Liqueur
@Mintcakeliqueur
Also make Lakeland Moon Gin

Super green, super tasty and divine in cocktails.  The one night we almost can't remember...

Kendal Hostel
@HostelJan
Kendal Hostel on Facebook

Our first experience of hostel and very lovely it was too!

Sally's Cottages - The Hideaway Windermere
@Sallyscottages
Sally's Cottages on Facebook
Sally's Cottages on Instagram
After our first very wet day it was wonderful to come "home"

Gingerbread Vodka
@MintCakeVodka
Mint Drinks on Facebook

A lovely late discovery

Dodd's Restaurant
@Dodds_Ambleside
Dodd's on Facebook

Fantastic fresh cooked food in the heart of Ambleside

Ginger Bakers
@GingerBakers
Ginger Bakers on Facebook

Bakers of the best brownies on the planet. Fact.

Armathwaite Hall
@armathwaitehall
Armathwaite Hall on Facebook
Armathwaite Hall on Twitter
So luxuriously perfect I'm amazed they let me in!

Herdy
@HerdyUK
Herdy on Facebook
Herdy on Instagram

Because how can you not love a Herdy?

Keswick Brewing Company
@KeswickBrewery
Keswick Brewing Company on Facebook

Our second guest ale and home to the utterly awesome Twizy!

Windermere Lake Cruises
@WindermereBoats
Windermere Lake Cruises on Facebook
Windermere Lake Cruises on Instagram

For saving our legs after a very wet hike!

Lakes Distillery
@LakesDistillery
Lakes Distillery on Facebook
Lakes Distillery on Instagram

Brewers of whisky, gin AND vodka - and a fab bistro too!

The Rum Story Whitehaven
@TheRumStory
The Rum Story on Facebook

A wonderful surprise at the end of a very long trail



And for now, that's all folks!  THANK YOU for following and sharing in our adventure - we'll let you know when the book comes out!

Beth
@CumbrianRambler
CumbrianRambler on Facebook
CumbrianRambler on Instagram


The nut job who wades through bogs in the pouring rain for fun!

Karen
@Happy_rambler
LadyHiker on Facebook
Karen Guttridge on Instagram

Who loves the sunshine and pulls a mean pint!

DON'T FORGET OUR THREE BOOKS - perfect as a pressie or just to treat yourself!  Click HERE to learn more!

Click on the pic to learn more!

Spirit Trail Day 1 & 2- Hello Stranger...

Well, we did it, we finally met. After around 5 years chatting on social media and several months of intense planning for the trip I finally met my hiking partner for the next 2 weeks.  Karen is absolutely lovely though frankly I'm just pleased she didn't turn out to be a 20 stone biker named Barry from Milton Keynes.

There was no time to mess around with slow introductions - within an hour of her arrival we were off to Ulverston for the start of our trek and a meeting with the lovely guys at Shed 1 Distillery.   They're often asked why they don't do distillery tours - the answer is quite simple - you see that photo below - it's an aerial photo of their distillery.  The entire distillery.  There's a reason they're called Shed 1 and it's because despite winning awards for their excellent gins, they distil everything in a 25 litre still in the shed in their back garden.

We had a fabulous time sampling 3 of their brews and learning all about the botanicals they use and where they source them (mainly Cumbria).  Our trip was beginning very well indeed...

From there it was over to Cumbria Crystal who have very kindly agreed to give us two absolutely beautiful crystal goblets for our trip - the perfect G&T demands the perfect glass.  You can find them in Ulverston opposite Booth's and the factory shop is open 7 days a week.  If you visit Mon - Fri you can watch the experts blowing the glass in the factory - but please do remember it's a working factory and the glass blowers are performing an immensely skilled task so it's best not to distract them.

Their finished products are unashamedly top end and can be seen in all the British embassies around the world as well as in James Bond films and Downton Abbey (amongst many others).  Here's the VERY best bit though - from October through to 22nd December you can book to go in and blow your own crystal bauble for your Christmas tree.  How cool is that?  We already have our session booked!  You can book yours HERE - do it soon as they're bound to sell out really quickly.

The crystal goblets are absolutely beautiful and I know they will be perfect for our many G&Ts - we've got them wrapped up like footballs so we don't damage them!

After all of that excitement it was time to check into our hotel for the night - Virginia House in the centre of Ulverston.  This little gem has a well deserved reputation for fine dining and the fact that it has one of the best gin bars in Cumbria didn't influence our decision at all.  Honest...

Craig and Louise are the perfect hosts and the food was absolutely superb - really imaginative and utterly delicious.  I mean this in a really good way, but the whole thing was like getting to taste all the amazing food they make in a Masterchef final.

Following such a fine feed - and perhaps the occasional gin (just to be polite!) we slept like logs and devoured a huge breakfast this morning before setting off.  Craig and Louise waved us off and, as we took our very first steps, the very first drops of rain began to fall...

So how was the first hike?  Well, it rained. And rained.  And then rained a little more.  There was also a howling gale as we made our way up over the back of Hoad Hill - but the problem with putting two resolutely positive people together is that we refused to acknowledge that we were either cold or wet.  "Well it could be worse..."  "And at least it's not..." were the main topics of conversation

"At least there are no bears..."

"At least it's not snowing..."

The first day was just a short hop to Greenodd as I had a commitment to honour with the Arthur Ransome Trust - I was reading a chapter in a marathon reading of Swallows and Amazons.  Such a shame the weather wasn't playing ball, but it was still an excellent event!

Tomorrow we're back on the road again so join us (or even watch out for us!) as we make our way from Greenodd to Cartmel.  Here's hoping for sunnier skies!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

We have been incredibly lucky to receive superb support from a whole range of folks on this adventure.  Please could you take a moment to take a look at their websites and follow them on social media.  They really are all VERY lovely people.  😀

Shed 1 Gin

@Shed1Gin

Shed 1 Gin on Facebook

Cumbria Crystal

@CumbriaCrystal

Cumbria Crystal on Facebook

Cumbria Crystal on Pinterest

Virginia House

@VirginiaHouse24

Virginia House on Facebook

Virginia House on Instagram