Lake District walking weekend - Friday 28th to Sunday 30th November 2008
What a weekend!
It took a little longer to arrive than we had hoped due to some "technical issues" however, there was a warm welcome from the advanced party when we reached Rydal Hall at 1:45am!
The was an unpopular early start to Saturday. Something was definitely wrong - Wattsy was up first. Breakfast was served and it was off to Ambleside in the minibus to start the day.
At first it looked like it would be cloudy and dull all day. However, once we had climbed to about 150m, we broke through the mist to clear skies and warm sunshine. The clouds remained in the valleys all day providing breathtaking sights from the mountains.
Both of the Explorer groups made it round their routes without any problems - however, the Network team weren't quite up to the challenge and only 75% of their team managed the whole route!
The groups had a fantastic experience; the air was still and crisp and there was a light dusting of snow on the tops. Everyone was down in Rydal by about 4:30pm and had time to relax and shower before dinner.
The evening meal was a feast of no mean proportion! A three course delight to refuel everyone who had been out an about during the day. After dinner Bruce entertained everyone with his quiz which was won (somehow) by the Network team
Sunday morning was even better than Saturday - blue skies in Rydal meant a cold start. After another great breakfast it was off to Ambleside for some shopping and cream teas. Then it was back to Rydal for lunch before clearing up and leaving for Bristol.
Thanks to all the Explorers for such a great weekend. Thanks also to the catering team, walking leaders and drivers who gave up their weekend to make the trip so good.
Next year we will be off to Hafod in North Wales - the date is already booked so make sure you're a part of it - see you in Snowdonia!
If you have any photos, comments or stories, e-mail them and they will be added to this page.