Living the Lakes
So, what do I mean by ‘living’ the lakes. Well, since I’m here for around a fortnight dotting around the fells, I feel I’m entitled to say I’ll be living here for this duration. But a more pertinent + significant element of this phrasing is about embracing + adapting. Unfortunately, with all the madness of work + commutes in between it’s been difficult plotting detailed routes. I’ve scoped several fells, got many ideas, but will again be ‘winging it’, getting creative, over the coming weeks and generating trails on the spot more or less, or the days/nights before, as is more or less now my MO but I’m sure it won’t be safe + productive to sustain, especially overseas.
So yes, it’s embracing this MO, who I am, but also embracing my surroundings and trying to scope out each of the 7 fell regions, go high, go low, go down below! Well, I mean if I stumble upon a cave, DOPE! But this is more likely to apply to visiting some of the lakes around here. Sadly, I won’t be dipping my toes + tips + stripping to some trunks for a swim, maybe next time. But yes, I want to immerse myself into new parts of this district + be able to come away and say ‘yes’, I LIVED THE LAKES!
Part of this will also be knowledge, comfort + familiarity. If I can come away with a good awareness + insight of all 7 regions, then I’ll be content with that. A big part of this was definitely inspired by my last day in Skiddaw when doing my DALES to LAKES trip. I was blown away by how varied the area is when I went towards the Central + Northern fells + a lot of what I saw in my mind resembled scenic postcards. It was nuts, very pretty indeed.
In the past, I’ve done sections of the Southern, Eastern + Far Eastern fells, and that’s about it, alongside playing around Ullswater. So yes, I’m looking forward to see what the Western fells bring, particularly since they absorb a lot of the elements coming from the Irish Sea and aren’t accessed as much as the Central + Eastern fells.
The Journey
It went surprisingly well! I manged to stock up on supplies through a couple of runs, and even managed to sap up some fuel despite these distribution issues. It seems like people in the North have been a little more sensible + haven’t gone as bonkers as those in the South since quite a few stations still had some supply, which was a huge relief. Hopefully I’ll be able to whizz around without the fear of running out of fuel in the Lakes now!
But yes, although the legs I did were longer than usual, I was OK in terms of concentration + driving consistency. The breaks I took seem to do a decent trick. I was so concerned about issues with fuel I barely used my AC and the temperature outside was early 20’s (although my chocolate melted – sad face)! But I was OK, arrived safe, vehicle fine also (even found free parking!), and that’s all that matters ultimately.
How do I feel?
Honestly, I’ve been feeling mildly depressed today, although it’s gradually dissipated with each mile I’ve passed on the motorway. My mood was so low this morning I actually went back to bed to rest more + was almost procrastinating the whole process of getting ready. I did feel more alert with the additional rest, but yes, morale was dithering in the doldrums.
But my urge to make the most out of situations is a stronger influence and will drive me to make things happen during my time here. The vibe where I’m staying isn’t great so far, largely antisocial in short, which doesn’t help my mood. Hard to strike a conversation, people want to keep to themselves, which is a shame but it is what it is. When a place is larger with more people, it can become a little overwhelming and people revert into shells. It’s sad and symptomatic of today’s times + human rhymes. Not always what I’ve recalled with the YHA but I’m here for a while and I’m sure someone will surprise me!
So yes, I’m encountering a few closed + introverted people, some a little abrupt and doing the bare minimum, but I don’t give a ****. I’m not going to let bad vibes + energies, people’s proclivities, stop me, especially as it may be more a reflection of them than reaction to me. So I’m not going to go all gung-ho happy + cheery but let’s get it, see what’s out there.
drBACKPACK 