:quality(60))
:quality(100))
Traversing The Lake District by Paddleboard
A Lakeland Journey from South to North
I spent my childhood in Cumbria, and I’d long dreamed about traversing the full length of the Lake District under my own steam.
I’ve run, cycled and kayaked all over England’s largest National Park exploring its hundreds of crags, mountains, ribbon lakes, and tarns. But travelling the whole length in a single trip had always eluded me—not least because I’d never found a form of transport that would take me the whole way.
In recent years, however, with inflatable paddleboards becoming lighter and more compact, I’d begun to revive my old ambition. I live in Chamonix now, so I’m rarely short of mountains, but the Lakes still exert a certain pull. Returning to the turf I spent 20 years roaming freely is always a special feeling, and meeting up with my old friend and paddle partner Ed proved the final catalyst.
:quality(80))
In recent years, however, with inflatable paddleboards becoming lighter and more compact, I’d begun to revive my old ambition. I live in Chamonix now, so I’m rarely short of mountains, but the Lakes still exert a certain pull. Returning to the turf I spent 20 years roaming freely is always a special feeling, and meeting up with my old friend and paddle partner Ed proved the final catalyst.
:quality(80))
:quality(80))
After deflating rapidly—the boards that is, we’re still feeling buoyant—we climb the steep ascent up towards High Tove (515m). We knew with the weight of our kit that this would be one of the trickiest sections of the trip, with a long hike through boggy and rough terrain. Our packs come in at around 20kg, but thanks to the solid padded straps of the carry Compact backpack, even the steepest gradients are surprisingly manageable.
:quality(80))
:quality(80))
More Articles
:quality(60))
:quality(60))
:quality(60))