KYQ4: Lakes after Covid

Monday 5 July 2021

Lakes after Covid

Langdale sunset

This was our 36th year at Langdale, we had missed 2020 owing to the Covid lockdown. We collected Gregor in Glasgow, a city we had not visited for 10 months. It was also our first trip out of Scotland for 20 months. The A74 was busy but we made good time to the Lakes and dropped Gregor at Ormathwaite so that he could run up Lonscale Fell whilst we went to Booths in Keswick to buy food for the week. Keswick was mobbed and so was Booths, a supermarket chain like Waitrose but for folk with short vowels. The crowds of shoppers made us feel uncomfortable having been limited to our local supermarkets during off-peak times.

We arrived at Langdale slightly early, the arrivals process had been organised to avoid any unnecessary contact, requiring us to book in online with card keys for the lodges being left in the letterbox. It didn't work that well and we had to retrieve the keys from reception as normal. The swimming required booking a session on arrival and we were lucky to get an early slot with changing facilities limited to family bubbles. The upside was a near-empty pool.

The good news was the weather was to be fine for most of the week and so it proved with sunshine and warm conditions every day. Unfortunately, week 26, which is normally quiet in the Lakes before the onset of the English school holidays was exceptionally busy. It was difficult to eat out and on the occasions that we managed, service was slow and menus were much reduced. The place was awash with new cars, mainly SUVs and very few electric or hybrid. There were also far more young people, presumably because there were no opportunities to go abroad.

We ate out three times at lunchtime, always outside and had one evening meal in a spacious restaurant. The local pub was always subject to a long queue so we gave it a miss. It saved money from the normal holiday splurge but prices had gone up significantly in those places we did get into since our last visit. Eating out is in danger of becoming priced out. We visited my sister who was enjoying a delayed Golden Wedding celebration at the impressive Samling Hotel near Ambleside. We spent a couple of hours catching up on the last eighteen months on a patio in the splendid gardens. We were in the company of bronzes of Roosevelt and Churchill on a bench that was a copy of the Bond Street bronzes 'the Allies' that had been bought by the hotel at auction.

I managed two hill walks to Kentmere and Crinkle Crags and we climbed Catbells to enjoy the best of all Lakeland views over Derwent Water and the Vale of Newlands. I ran up Holme Fell after a walk to Little Langdale and a visit to the magnificent 'cathedral' by the quarry over Slater's Bridge. Everywhere we went in the Lakes there were lots of folk seizing the chance to walk/run/cycle the superb network of paths. The smiles and friendly banter were usually an indicator of 2 jabs, perfect weather and the splendour of the midsummer landscape.

Meanwhile, Gregor met his match, after collecting half a dozen Strava crowns on the various hill runs, he took his girlfriend up Scafell Pike. She managed to capture 3 Strava crowns on the ascent of Scafell Pike despite being a comparative novice at both running and hill walking.