Latrigg: Torrential rain and a fake map

Latrigg would be the start of something wonderful

Latrigg in the Lake District for me would be the start of something wonderful.

For years I found myself spending Saturday mornings on the golf course followed by a few pints. The rest of the weekend was spent in my local pub. As with most locals I found myself surrounded usually by the same people and often having the same conversations.

Instead of getting pissed in the local I was sure there was something else that would fill the time better. It turns out so did one of my good friends from that same local.

Our drunken conversations are either completely ridiculous, having absolutely no point whatsoever or they are serious heart-to-hearts. This one was one of latter conversations. Both expressing an interest to do a something more productive with our time we settled on a hike in the Lake District.

Pete remembered watching a documentary on the top Wainwright Walks and mentioned a fell walk up Latrigg in Keswick might be a good place to start.

We wouldn’t let the weather win

It’s around a 2-hour drive from Manchester to Keswick and it bounced down with torrential rain the entire way.

Parking up in Keswick town centre we sat in the car as the rain continued to hammer down whilst asking the question are we really going out in this? And then we decided we had come this far it made no sense not to give it a go.

How hard can it be to find the start of a walk?

Fifteen laps of the local park later we stumbled (I say stumbled as i’m pretty sure it was completely accidental) onto the right track and we were off.

Ten minutes into the walk the weather had eased off slightly and we were able to enjoy more of the scenery with some stunning views.

It was safe to say the walk so far was not a success. What kind of tourism office sells fake maps Pete asked. Just as quickly as the rain had eased off, it started up again. We motivated ourselves by setting our sights on a small group of walkers in the distance and and attempted to catch them up.

Sitting on a bench at the top we enjoyed a sandwich whilst also enjoying the view. Even with the weather it felt extremely satisfying.

And so the idea of hiking for a healthier mind was born

On the descent we discovered just how out-of-shape we were. A little out of breath we were greeted by a fell runner coming up who gave a cheery ‘morning chaps’ as if he were sat on a park bench reading a paper. Another thing we noted was that we were adjacent to Skiddaw which gave us inspiration for another trip.

For what I lacked in fitness compared to Pete I made up for with organisation. Having a fresh towel and spare change of clothes was very much welcome on returning to the car.

Once changed we decided we had earned a pint in one of the many pubs in Keswick town centre. Sitting expressing our gratitude to have such stunning scenery practically on our doorstep.

We decided we had loved our day out. Personally having struggled with mental health there was no doubt I felt more alive and at peace in the hills. And so the idea of hiking for a healthier mind was born. Skiddaw would be our next trip out and we were keen to see what was in store.