I was wondering if my annual 'end of year' blog looking back over the highlights of our year is a bit like one of those 'round robin' letters that come with a Christmas card? Well, on account of the fact we don't have kids, there are no lists of their many achievements, although we are quite proud of the cats...
Looking back over the year one thing that's apparent is that although we were outside a lot we didn't take a lot of time off - something I'd definitely like to fix for 2019. We are incredibly fortunate that time outdoors in some amazing places counts as work, but sadly it's the sort of work that doesn't pay a lot - perhaps 2019 will be the year of our best seller? We have three books out next year, so watch this space...
January
When we do get out we like to explore away from the main routes. January saw us getting some final pics for Steve's amazing Cumbria in Photos book and enjoying a wonderfully snowy drive along Thirlmere before wolfing down a divine 'Ginuary' Afternoon Tea' at Lakes Distillery.
Hell's Gill
Fox's Pulpit
Thirlmere
Millom
February
In Feb we tackled a few lovely old routes and explored Longsleddale and Swindale before The Beast From the East dumped snow across the land - we even got snow on Grange prom!
Longselddale
Swindale
Wrengill Quarry
Grange Prom
March
Lots of travelling in March, but we also learned how to pronounce Brougham Castle, visited Nottingham AND admire the first daffodils at Ullswater.
Brougham Castle
Trent
Daffodils
April
Sun, sea and family! We enjoyed what turned out to be our only proper hols of the year, a week in North Wales, so of course I *had* to paddle! Later that month we stranded ourselves on Roa Island for a blissful picnic before spending time with Steve's Parents admiring posh houses.
Yes, it was freezing!
Black Rock Sands
Roa Island
Cliveden
May
In May I got to explore one of my favourite nerdy bits of history (I'm busy drafting the book just now, watch for it around May time!), then we had Hardknott Roman Fort all to ourselves on a glorious evening. Next up was the cover shot for Gin, Cakes and Rucksacks before giving our lovely nephews a taste of the outdoor life.
Any guesses where I am?
Harknott Fort
Getting the cover shot!
Wearing out the nephews
June
June was mostly HOT, HOT, HOT! Work took me to Brussels and we squeezed in a couple of days sightseeing - The Atomium was, without any shadow of a doubt, my absolute favourite thing! Then there was a protest march against Northern Rail's abysmal service before exploring a couple of old ruins on Morecambe Bay and finally finding our heads in the Eden Valley.
The Atomium
Quicker than taking the train
Near Naze
Sandstone Heads
July
Still hot but thankfully cooling down! It may look like the Caribbean, but it's actually Walney Island. A quick work trip to Edinburgh then over to Chapel Island before a lovely long walk along a Lancashire canal.
The tropical paradise island of Walney
Edinbrugh
Arriving at Chapel Island
Lancaster Canal
August
We finally got around to visiting the amazing model village in Flookburgh, then managed a couple of nights break at Barnard Castle before a very long, VERY wet hike from Penrith to Ravenglass.
Miniature Village
Cockersands Abbey
Barnard Castle
Awwwww... Incredible Camping Cats!
"Are we there yet?"
September
In September I was introduced to freezing cold dips, thanks to Suzanna Swims, then I joined my first ever major group hike, run by the amazing Helen of Wild Rambling, and then I compared the relative merits of Barrow and Birmingham,,,
We finally launched Gin, Cakes and Rucksacks and were incredibly lucky that so many amazing people came along to support us! We followed that up with a surprisingly hot hike over Nan Bield Pass before I met one of the heroines from my youth. Last up we discovered some wonderful walks around Keswick.
SO lucky to have so many fab folks support us!
Hotter than it looks!
Sharron Davies
Beautiful autumnal Keswick
November
Still walking, still working. This time we tootled around Wetsleddale and then tried our hand at a Christmas market - first up was gate-crashing Shed 1's stand at HolkerHall. Then there was Kendal Mountain Festival (they go on tour too - check here to see when they'll be visiting a town near you.) without a shadow of a doubt the most fantastic and exhausting weekend of the year. After finally getting a little sleep we took a wander around Argill Woods for Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
Wetsleddale
Holker Hall shenanigans
Kendal Mountain Festival
Argill Woods
December
The last of the Christmas markets - hard work and long days but fun to meet lots of fab people! Then a wonderful walk up and over Humphrey Head and making very early plans for one of next year's BIG projects - so exciting! We've seen lots of fab places again this year, but nothing can beat a stroll along Grange prom, it's the perfect place to clear my head. Lastly there was the walking nativity through the streets of the village - thankfully the sun shone! It's the first time they've done it but I hope it wont be the last.
Windermere Market
Limbo dancing tree on Humphrey Head
Grange Prom
Walking nativity in Grange
Thank you SO much for reading our blog this year - and an especially HUGE thank you to everyone who has bought one of our books - we really do appreciate it! We sincerely hope you all have a very merry Christmas full of family and fun, and a peaceful and happy new year. Here's to 2019!
Endurance, grit, determination, a drive to push yourself beyond the limits of your comfort zone and a willingness to face fear square in the face are just a few of the qualities you'll need to be a volunteer at Kendal Mountain Festival.
Having visited the festival for many years, this year we decided to get involved so we volunteered to help out a bit and see things from the others side. We had an absolutely brilliant time. Utterly exhausting but brilliant. At one point I was sat in a film session where there was a Q&A with the film-makers who had survived untold challenges canoeing along the Amazon in a dugout boat (which they'd dugout themselves and documented in a film called Dugout).
They talked about how they'd survived the extremes of tiredness and hunger. "That's nothing" I thought "I haven't had a hot dinner for 3 days and all that stands between me and the end of my shift in 8 hours are two Yorkie bars and a bag of mini Cheddars". I should have listened to Jean - a seasoned volunteer who had wisely packed a tuna sandwich and had a rucksack full of enticing snacks.
So what does being a volunteer entail? Well, pretty much anything and everything. The amazing Kendal Mountain Festival (KMF) team are there to ensure everyone has a fantastic time at the festival and our job is to do whatever they need us to do in order to make that happen. In exchange we got a rather lovely T shirt, a Hydroflask and a pass to get in to see films and events when we're not on shift. Me & Steve absolutely LOVE watching the films at the festival so over the course of 4 days we worked 27 hours and also fitted in well over 15 hours of films, which didn't leave a lot of time for food. Or sleep. I knew exactly how the Dugout guys felt - bar the odd swarm of enormous ants and the occasional dog-sized spider. (Of course we could have had more time to eat if we'd watched fewer films, but where would the fun have been in that?) 😀
Between us our duties encompassed:
Putting up bunting
Taking bunting down when an angry lady told us off for putting it in the wrong place
Giving out brochures
Answering questings
Acting as VIP drivers and ferry folks to the station and assorted hotels
Selling festival merchandise
Handing out passes and tickets to VIPs
Not recognising some VIPS and feeling bad about it later*
Picking up litter
Fetching a burger for Tom and trying not to lick it as it smelled so good
Giving out tickets at the opening ceremony
Taking tickets in again at the opening ceremony
Buying batteries
Putting said batteries into tealights
Putting up posters
Helping to pack stuff away again when it all ended
Another famous bloke
* A young guy arrived at the Summit Desk (VIP spot) when I was there alone. I looked at him. "I know I know you" I said "and I know you're a climber, but I'm so sorry, your name completely escapes me just now". It was Pete Whittaker - one of the most talented climbers on the planet and thoroughly nice guy to boot. If you don't know him take a look at this. The man is a legend.
Pretty much everyone we met was utterly delightful, including world famous climbers and the occasional TV star. The tetchiest person we met (apart from the scary bunting lady) was a journalist who shall remain nameless. They wanted a lift from the Brewery Arts Centre to an event at the Leisure Centre (a distance of around a mile for those not familiar with Kendal). Both pool cars were out and it would have been half an hour before we could take them over there. They stared at me. "I'm happy to walk you over there if you're unsure of the directions" I offered. "I know where it is" they replied "but it rained on me one year and I don't want to get wet."
What I wanted to say was "This is a mountain festival so dig deep and brave the drizzle". What I actually said was "Would you like to take a seat and I'll see if I can find you a coffee while you wait?" Sometimes I hate myself.
The entire KMF team were hugely appreciative of our efforts throughout, though special mention should go to Tom for his unending cheerfulness and Festival Manager Paul Scully who stopped to say thank you every time he passed a volunteer. The KMF team were easy to spot as they were all sporting eco-friendly white down jackets from festival sponsors Columbia. The jackets may have many fantastic features including being warm, waterproof and made from 21 recycled water bottles, but every time I saw 4 of them gathered together I started humming E17's Stay Another Day - all they needed were fur trimmed hoods. (The whiteness is another eco-feature which avoids the use of coloured dyes)
Will we be back next year? Absolutely - if they haven't been put off by me insulting world famous climbers and surreptitiously Googling other vaguely familiar faces and names. It is one of the most exhausting, brilliantly fun weekends I've had in a long time. I think I might even film our experience and enter it into the following year's event. You want endurance mate? I'll give you endurance...
(And if you want to buy tickets, see what's on or volunteer next year just click here for more info)
My favourite film of the festival - just 5 minutes and guaranteed to make you smile.
MORE THINGS TO MAKE YOU SMILE - our books are packed with fun facts and fab photos - perfect as a pressie or just to treat yourself! Click HERE to learn more!
