How do folks
I hope you are in fine fettle.
This blog comes to you live, from Kendal, Cumbria (well, Westmorland actually, but I am still not acknowledging that minor administrative fact).
A mini-break t’Lakes, don’t mind if I do. Like everywhere in Blighty the last two months, since summer finished in June, it has pretty much p!$$ed it down every day, but summer in Europe this year seems to be either hotter than the sun on fire, or just torrential rain. It is what it is as they say.
Using up all my hard earned jollies at work, we had a mini 2-day break to Wasdale last month and have generally saved a fortune on suncream.
So here is a wrap-up of events in what I call my blog.
Apologies if it is a bit photo heavy this time 
Dave Angel, Eco Warrior.
If you do one thing today (apart from read my mumbo-jumbo) start using ECOSIA. (It like the word for Scotland in Spanish, but minus the S).
Think of it as an environmental Google that plants trees whilst you search for stuff on the internet. I have (not personally) planted 6 trees this month. They are carbon friendly not for profit, it helps the planet and is FREE. It is as good as Google in my eyes. Don’t believe me? Watch THIS
Highest mountain, deepest lake, biggest liar…
Wasdale is an amazing place with Scafell Pike (England’s highest mountain standing at 978m/3210ft above bath water), Wast Water (79m/258ft below bath water) and an an annual competition to find the World’s Biggest Liar!
Competitors have 5 minutes to tell the tallest of tall tales, without script nor props. Naturally, politicians and lawyers are barred from entering.
Along with Cumberland-Westmorland wrestling, Egremont Crab Fair and gurning, it is a big part of Cumbrian history!
Having stayed at the Achille Ratti hut for the Wasdale race, I was keen to take the girls there and we managed to pick those 2 dry-ish days in July 🙂
Back in the mists of time, when I was around the age of the Nipper, my mate Chris and his Grandad invited me to climb Great Gable and despite growing up in the Lakes I had not really done much in the Lakes, so on a day when it did not stop raining, we dragged ourselves up to the top of Great Gable and it was BRILLIANT.
Repeating history, we all set off to climb Great Gable, which although not the highest (898m/2949ft) peak is definitely one of the finest looking. The kind of mountain (shape) a kid would draw if you asked them to draw a mountain.
So, with sarnies and flask, we set off on a big day out. I love running up and down mountains, but occasionally it is good to just slow things down and get to admire the views a bit more.
What are the chances? Bumped into my mate John (Lakeland Trail Runner) on the top, he was doing a recce of the Borrowdale course. Check out his awesome videos HERE.
https://www.youtube.com/@lakelandtrailrunner/about
We hotfooted it down to catch the ice cream shop open with 5 minutes to spare and saw the biggest dog we have ever seen, a Bernese Mountain Dog crossed with a poodle (“Bernapoo”?) called Blue.
Then the Nipper wanted to paddle in the lake where we got chatting to a lass all about the mad world of wild swimming.
A top 2-day trip.
Pannus mihi panis.
Kendal, the Auld Grey Town, which was listed as within Yorkshire in the 1086 Domesday Book, then Lancashire up to 1226 and now lies happily in Cumbria (Westmorland).
Famous for its Mint Cake, its Snuff (tobacco that goes up your nose, not the movies) factory and a castle which once was the home of Kathryn Parr, last wife of Henry VIII.
It always feels ace to come “home” and whilst I never actually lived in Kendal, I was born here in the auld grey town and spent a lot of my youth here, living just downstream on the River Kent, so it does feel like coming home.
I had no massive plans, bar some training and a race (Borrowdale, tomorrow).
The weather was wetter than an otter’s pocket coming across from Yorkshire and stayed that way for a run around Borrowdale on Monday.
Then dried up a touch for a round of the Kentmere Horseshoe on Tuesday.
The temptation was to just go out and do long days in the fells, but that would not help for Saturday so I have had to rein back a bit, so I did a bit of wandering around town (and wrote this blog!)
Meet-ups/trying to stop being a hermit
It has taken me forever to get out of bloody lockdown mode.
Although it seems like a lifetime ago now, the habits of the pandemic are still hard to shift (for me at least). Even when it was officially declared “over” by the W.H.O, I would do anything to get out of going out, (work is work, you have to go there!)
In the last month I have seen my Britanico teaching friend , Debs, down from Scotland, my i-to-i mate Dave, in Market Rasen, had a great run on my birthday with my old CELTA amigo, Neil, then met up with the man who first introduced me to the world of mountaineering and also fellrunning, Ray.
There was also my mate Pete’s annual BBQ, which was awesome as ever.
We are social creatures as humans, but there are times (like this week and rignt now), when I do just prefer not to go out at all, but when you do, it’s always worth the effort:-)
Tight lines!
We have had a couple of fishing outings, plus the Nipper’s first ever match.
We recently found a great little pond outside Leeds where the youngster caught this beauty.
Planning a boat trip for a birthday treat this month too 🙂
Raiders round-up.
It has not been a halcyon season.
Apart from the pre-season friendlies, we have not played much good rugby.
13 defeats, 6 wins and one draw puts us in the bottom 4, BUT if you discount Newcastle, 6 points covers the bottom 6 teams with 6 games to go, so it is all to play for. We did beat Bradford Northern on Monday (away), so we might be turning a corner. Hoping to go and see the Shipbuilders put one up the London Broncos on Sunday, Fingers crossed.
And finally…
I have lived in noisy places, but remember, there is alwys someone worse off
That’s all for now folks!
Hasta la proxima
Johnny
LADFROMTAD.COM 