Blog

Wonderful One Hour Walks By Rachael Parkin Perhaps the glorious sunshine in which you are basking at 1 pm is due to turn to torrential downpours at 2 pm. Perhaps you have an hour to fill to work up an appetite before dinner or fancy a short stroll to walk off a particularly large lunch. Perhaps you have little or tired legs within your party and 60 minutes walking is plenty. Or perhaps you simply want to enjoy stunning scenery and fresh, Cumbrian air without the excursion required for a long day’s hiking. We have compiled a list of some…

‘Come on winter!’ I found myself shouting every morning as I opened the curtain to another day where there wasn’t any snow. My wife as you can imagine found this rather annoying mainly because I tend to get up half an hour before her each day and truthfully, I could have done this charade from the living room. It’s just the best view of Coniston Old Man is from the bedroom. I started this in about November, admittedly slightly eager, I painstakingly did my little snow dance each morning wishing the rain clouds to bring those little white flakes of…

Five Things to Do in Ulverston By Rachael Parkin The new film about the lives of the legendary Laurel and Hardy, ‘Stan and Ollie’ is now playing in cinemas across the country but did you know that Stan Laurel was born less than 30 minutes away from Coniston and the Coppermines Valley in the south Cumbrian market town of Ulverston? With its quaint, cobbled streets and an abundance of shops, pubs and cafes Ulverston is worthy of a visit any time of year but with now, with its most famous son back in the limelight, it’s a better time than…

10 Instagram Worthy Lake District Locations By Rachael Parkin Whatever the weather – be it big, blue skies and glorious sunshine, a sparkling white winter-wonderland, or (and this is the most likely), a leaden sky, heavy with dark, brooding rain-filled clouds – the Lake District has some of the most photogenic locations any enthusiastic Instagrammer could ever wish for. With fabulous photo opportunities at every turn it’s virtually impossible to narrow them down to just a few but here we have compiled a list of several of the most Instagrammable locations the area has to offer. 1. Scafell Pike Summit…

#Explorefromthedoor with Sean Conway – #6 The ‘Not the Tilberthwaite’ Loop (Yewdale Fells) The view from the front of our house I have to say is second to none. Yes on a good day we can see the Old Man off to the left but every other day, unless the mist is really low, we can see the wonderfully craggy hillside of Rigg Head and Yew Pike and its towering proximity to our home means we have a soft spot for the route up there. My wife and I call it the Tilberthwaite loop because you head up towards Tilbertwaite…

#Explorefromthedoor with Sean Conway – #5 Mountain Bike Heaven If you’re into mountain biking but, like me, aren’t Danny Macaskill and able to throw yourself down 50ft drops, then the Grizedale forest is the place for you. The second best thing about Grizedale is that you don’t need to drive there from Coniston, you can get on your bike right at your door and be there within half an hour. Now I have to be honest I haven’t been Mountain biking in a while. 2018 was all about my Europe world record attempt and I couldn’t afford to get injured…

Izzy Walks the Wainwrights: Numbers 1-73 By Rachael Parkin Izzy, the newest addition to the Coppermines family, is a Welsh Sheepdog, Border Collie cross with an endless enthusiasm for “walkies”. Lucky for her then that she lives next to some of the best “walkies” country in the UK (if not the world – but we are a bit biased). Bred for working in the hills she is seemingly physically incapable of tiredness, has an uncanny ability for finding sticks in places no tree has ever grown, and as it turns out, and has a talent for posing wistfully on mountain…

Get that Festive Feeling in The Lakes this winter By Rachael Parkin Whether you get that “festive feeling” by warming your feet on a roaring log fire, by Christmas shopping in quaint market towns and villages or by embarking on an exhilarating walk up a snow-capped mountain there will be something for you here in The Lake District this festive season. The season gets underway with Ulverston Dickensian Festival, this year taking place on 24th and 25th November. A charming family event with a Christmas Market, street entertainment, children’s rides including a Victoria Helter-Skelter, period costume competition and Santa himself.…

#Explorefromthedoor with Sean Conway – #4 Conistons Old Man. As my wife will tell you, to her annoyance, I have an unhealthy ambition to one day be The Old Man of Coniston. You know, the crazy grey-haired pensioner who does his weekly shopping on horseback while herding his flock of lamas down the high street because they just really needed a walk. I really want to be that guy. Sadly, I have chosen the wrong town to live in if I want to be The Old Man of Coniston because I will always be trumped by the real Old Man…

Here in the Lake District, there are endless opportunities to explore and discover the great outdoors. Perfect for family walking, there are short, sharp climbs and long flat circular walks, meandering forest trails and lakeside family walks. In fact, for family walks, Lake District routes are suited to a wide range of abilities. Whether you have babies in carriers or budding adventurers with little legs, older family members or those with reduced mobility, the Lakes is perfect for getting outside and experiencing nature at its finest. We particularly like Lake District walks with kids around Coniston. Quieter than busier hotspots,…