A little bit of rain doesn't stop us...

“Well, so that’s where all the lakes of the Lake District come from!” For most of our Ramsoc walks, we’re very lucky – this year we’ve had sunshine, blue skies, and mild weather. Charlotte’s October weekend were tales of lovely weather in Snowdonia. Unfortunately, our luck couldn’t last!
With the remnants of Hurricane Abigail echoing on the minibus radio as we headed into the North, there was a sense of trepidation. For forecasted was rain, and lots of it. Not just a lot. Buckets worth.


A little fall of rain, however, doesn’t stop us! After cosying up in the lovely YHA Hawkshead Courtyard and falling asleep to the sound of rain (we didn’t stop hearing it all weekend), we arose bright and early for a day of walking! I was one of the leaders and was being assessed, and we were climbing some of the Langdales – beautiful peaks in the centre of the Lake District. The climb wasn’t too arduous, yet with the clouds lapping at our boots, we knew we were getting high.
Our assessment went well, whilst we were a little nervous at times the walk went just fine, and we’ll blame the slight navigational hiccups on the poor visibility, both in front of us and on our glasses! After climbing to the summit, we made our descent, savouring in the wildness and admittedly wet beauty of the Lake District. 



After finishing a lovely day out on the hills, we returned, some of us very damp by this point, to our cosy hostel. This weekend, I had the pleasure of being cooked for, so I sat back and enjoyed a delicious chicken pie, followed by more pie for dessert! After enjoying some wine, chatting and laughing with everyone, I turned in for the night.

The next morning, the rain hadn’t disappeared. Far from it; if anything, it seemed to be even heavier! Last night, we’d made plans of heading over to the Coniston Fells, and we set off with high hopes for a day on the hills. Storm Abigail, however, had different plans! Our convoy set off across country lanes to Coniston, but water was in our way.


The first time was a surprise. The second, quite funny. By the third and fourth, we knew we wouldn’t reach Coniston; our destined fells were out of reach. But we’re walkers – we don’t just give up there! Instead, most of us set off for a bimble around Lake Windermere. We couldn’t escape the rain, but we still had a wonderful time.



Richard Hancock, President

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