Adventure

I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I’ve been doing these blogs and I have not yet featured one on swimming. I know. It’s ridiculous considering for quite some time I was known as Sean Conway – The Swimmer. It even says that on my Wikipedia page (If someone knows how to change that I’d be ever so grateful) Anyway, living in Coniston and not swimming is like being French and not eating all the baguettes, and when it comes to dipping your toes into the often-icy water there is one particular swim that I love the most.…

Top Spots for Wild Swimming by Rachael Parkin One thing the Lakes District definitely isn’t short of is water. Whether it’s sparkling in a glistening lake, surging down a thundering river or falling out of the sky to try and put a dampener on your day, to holiday in the Lakes is to get wet in the Lakes. And few things are more appealing on a hot summer’s day than a refreshing, cool swim amongst the magnificent scenery of the Lakes. Whether you’re an experienced wild swimmer and looking to do some serious swimming on a picturesque lake or a…

By Rachael Parkin Ordnance Survey (OS) have recently published Britain’s favourite place to start a walk; with Ambleside claiming the top spot for the Lake District, coming in fifth out of the UK as a whole. The survey shows Ambleside as the hub of walking in the Lakes, with more people choosing to start a walk from here than anywhere else in Cumbria. The survey also revealed that other Cumbrian walks scored very highly, with the summits of Scafell Pike and Helvellyn also appearing in the top 10 of the most commonly tread paths. With this in mind, we at…

Explorefromthedoor with Sean Conway – #10 Trouté Diem – Seize the Trout Now when I decided to start this blog series about adventures in and around my home in Coniston, I have to admit it was all adrenalin this, running that, cycling here, canoeing there and all other manor of activities to get your heart racing. Don’t get me wrong. My next blog after this one is probably one of the toughest local challenges I’ve come up with, but for now, I fancied doing something a little more relaxing. OK, a lot more relaxing – fishing. This came about because…

Six Easy Wainwright Fells to Bag on your Holiday by Rachael Parkin If you fancy bragging about bagging half a dozen Wainwrights during your Lake District holiday but don’t feel like your legs are quite up to scaling over 3,000 feet up the dizzying heights of Scafell or Helvellyn and the likes, or if you are coming on holiday with children and are looking for lower, safer summits to conquer without missing out on the spectacular scenery the Lakes has to offer then we’ve put together a list of some the easier, but no less rewarding, fells to climb during…

Explorefromthedoor with Sean Conway – #9 The Double-Double Awakener! It’s been almost exactly a year since I finished my world record bike ride across Europe. And in this year, I have cycled only three times and one of those times was to get some bread from the bakery 200 meters from our house. I always do this – go cold turkey right after a big block of cycling and I have to admit, I always regret it. It’s far easier keeping a steady fitness than trying to build it up again from scratch. Never the less, it’s now May, the…

Enjoying the Lakes on a Budget The Lake District National Park is here to be enjoyed by everybody – whatever their budget. While those who wish to can come and “splash the cash” it is equally possible to come, enjoy and get the very best out of this UNESCO World Heritage Site whatever your budget may be. Here are our top tips for experiencing everything this stunning part of the world has to offer without breaking the bank. Travel outside of the busy and peak seasons. If it’s possible to do so then it will be of no surprise to…

#Explorefromthedoor with Sean Conway – #8 My Favourite Low Level Hike Winter walks are, in the words of Tina Turner, simply the best. Layering up, a flask of boiling hot tea in your thermos and a map snugly sealed in a zip-lock bag you’re ready to hit the trails. With winter, however, it can be extremely windy which can make heading up the hills feel somewhat out of your comfort zone. Don’t get me wrong. I love it when the elements are giving you a Rocky Balboa style battering but it’s not for everyone. Luckily there are many low level,…

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…