Grasmere Sports 2019

Far too early on a hot and sunny Bank Holiday Sunday my son and I rocked up to Grasmere for this year's Grasmere Sports:

For the third year running I was responsible for registering the fell running which is a perfect job for me as I know plenty of the runners!

Due to the high temperatures my son spent quite a bit of time with me in the registration zone but he also went out to compete in the long leap:

#CountryKids A trail run to Easedale Tarn

As part of Great Landscapes Week The Friends of the Lake District have been laying on all sorts of free activities from basket weaving and bushcraft to yoga and trail running. When I saw that there was a taster trail run to Easedale Tarn that my son was allowed to take part in I quickly signed up! We met up in the centre of the village and met up with the trail leader, Wayne from Jogging Pals, to get a briefing and do a warm up. Then we headed out through the village and the grounds of Allan Bank:

There was very much an emphasis on the social aspect of the run as that is the main part of the ethos of Jogging Pals. The two 10 year olds led the way like a pair of mountain goats whilst the rest of us came along more steadily as we were chatting as we went. Every so often we would pause so that everyone had a chance to recover and regroup:

The boys were a lot more sure footed and fitter than the rest of us as we tackled the increasingly steep and rocky trail up the mountain side:

#CountryKids at Allan Bank National Trust in Grasmere

Having renewed our National Trust membership yesterday (and getting a voucher for free Easter hunts!) we picked up the grandparents and headed for Grasmere and Allan Bank. You have to  find somewhere to park in the village (get there early) and then walk up the drive to reach the house:

We found the first clue for the Easter hunt before we had even reached the house:

Once we had collected our back we headed straight out to find the next one:

#CountryKids Grasmere Gallop 2016 #FitnessFriday

We took full advantage of our inclusive breakfast at the Macdonald Old England to fuel us for the Grasmere Gallop. Not only was there a continental buffet but a full cooked English as well which I failed to finish:

My son went for a simpler version but just had too have a bit of fun with it:

The advantage of being in Bowness meant that it was a much shorter drive up to the Grasmere Sports' site where we registered and met up with friends (Four Pairs of Trainers). This year the race had gone hi-tech and we had ankle timing chips:

#WordlessWednesday whoops..

#CountryKids at National Trust Allan Bank in Grasmere

We hadn't been to the Allan Bank at Grasmere since the week it opened to the pubic in 2012. So when an acquaintance wanted to meet somewhere child friendly near Langdale I immediately suggested it as a rendezvous. Several members of my family decided to copy us too so that we had 3 generations visiting the place. 

After finding a car park space at the right end of the village we walked up the lane to the property as there is only limited disabled parking on site. My children couldn't resist climbing the rock formation to the side of the drive:

It was interesting to see how much had changed in the last 2 and a bit years! As it was gutted by fire in 2011 it has been a slow job to restore any of the rooms:

fire damaged door panels

Grasmere Gallop Fun Run 2013

I foolishly said on Twitter a couple of months ago that I was looking for some more running challenges. It was suggested I try the Grasmere Gallop Fun Run at 5.7 km as an introduction to trail running. Once I'd signed up other people told me that the Fun bit of the race title didn't really exist... oh well too late to back out once I'd paid my entry fee...

The day came this Saturday when it was time to head up into the Lake District proper to register for the race. It was an absolutely glorious hot sunny day which was not ideal but it looked wonderful:

After signing in I discovered quite a few friends were also doing various lengths of race though as they were all a lot fitter than me they were doing either the 10k or 17k events.  There was also a Nordic walk of 10k which attracted plenty of entrants. We all mustered together and were then piped to the official start line in the village:

listen to ‘Piping in the start of the Grasmere Gallop today. A fantastic fell race through amazing scenery’ on Audioboo

It was an amazing experience lining up with over 500 other people for the big start. Then the hooter went and we all set off along the road out of the village. The first part was quite pleasant as it was fairly level then we climbed up towards Loughrigg and I was amongst those who chose speed walking instead of running! 

My race then was diverted down on to a path whilst the longer races carried on upwards. It was quite tricky running down the footpath over stones and roots but very much more pleasant under the trees. Our course took us back along the lake side and due to the heat I was alternating running and fast walking as I decided it was better to finish than collapse! We had a very steep path back up to the road and then a lovely descent back to the village.

Plenty of walkers and cyclists cheered us on which inspired me to try and run as much as possible even when it felt too hot. At one point I caught up with a student from my school and helped him pace himself as he was sprinting too fast then walking slow. Together we ran through the village and back to the sports field. At this point the first of the 10 k runners over took us on his way to take first place (so pleased it was a dad from my children's school!). It seemed a long way round to get to the finish but I managed to sprint down the last bit (seemed to impress my children!).

It was a nice feeling to cross the line and be awarded a medal and a tray bake plus squash:

When we saw the official results I was the 35th overall out of 56 and the 12th adult female out of 22 so I am pretty pleased with myself. My pace was about 11 minutes 39 seconds per mile which wasn't bad considering the heat. My daughter says she will beat me next year so we are up for a big challenge! At least I now have a target to beat:

Roll on the 5 k next weekend at the Race for Life in Preston!

#CountryKids Out in the sun

We have been making the most of the sunny weather to have lots of outdoor fun this week. First of all we had a couple of hours after school enjoying a picnic tea and fun in Staveley Park. I actually remembered the children's swim things so my daughter could have fun in the river:

The water was pretty cold but she still seemed to be enjoying herself! Her brother was more sensible and stayed on dry land to play hide and seek:

We were having such a lovely time we ended up spending another 20 minutes in the playground instead of going home:

A lovely evening! Today we had an almost completely outside day in Grasmere and Fell Foot. The children came to cheer me on in the Grasmere Gallop and afterwards had fun in the buttercup meadow:

Then we went onto Fell Foot to a party and my children both added to their 50 things list. My son got brave enough to climb a tree:

Both children also had their first go in a kayak. My son went out with me but my daughter went solo:

All in all a perfect Country Kids day!

#TheGallery: Picture Postcard

Thanks Tara for once again setting a lovely challenge. Only problem is choosing just one photo... Well I guess my all time favourite was this postcard style shot of Grasmere this January:

we were on a 3 generation hike over Loughrigg Fell. It was a blue sky day but ice and frost on the ground. You can read the original post here. This picture just came out perfectly in terms of light and colour and is a great postcard for Cumbria.

 

Happy 730th blipday to me!

Way back on the 24th April 2010 I posted my first entry on my Blipfoto journal. Little did I know how addictive this would be and that 2 years later I would still be doing it and have only missed one day (due to moving house...). 

Blip 1 Bodiam Castle

Being on Blipfoto has helped me to improve my photography by making me seek out better shots for that 1 daily photo. Seeing other people's photographs is also an inspiration. Even better I have met up with some of them and its been lovely to make new friends. 


These are the most popular photos I have taken on my journal:

And when it comes to ratings from fellow blippers there is a slight variation:

It has also been a great way to record events and show our transition from loving in Hastings to living in Cumbria. Along the way I have collected certain sets of photos including Postboxes, pubs and door knockers! Here are some of my personal favourites:

Kendal Gothic

A Passion for Kendal

Grasmere

Miss big eyes

I wonder if I can keep it up for another 730?

Reasons to be Cheerful: XXXVI ( #R2BC )

Another week and another set of reasons to smile!


1) A Passion for Kendal


Being involved in this was such a blast. I've already written all about it here and here so not repeating myself! Just sharing a picture:

2) Easter fun with my children


We had a lovely time at Sizergh Castle on Sunday. A really fun day for us all and a great way to recover from the Passion Play. Eggs and face painting for the children and gardens and castle for me. Lots of smiles all round!

3) Sainsbury's Blogger Network


Having been accepted onto the Blogger Network I finally got my promo on their site this week: More Marvellous Mummy Blogs do you recognise me from the description?


4) Loving the Lakes


Being up here is a reason to be a cheerful in itself and days like yesterday in Grasmere make it even more cheerful.

A Day Out to Grasmere

I posted on Twitter a couple of days ago that I was looking for ideas as to where to take my children next after our day at Sizergh Castle to make use of our National Trust membership.  One of my Twitter friends just happens to do the official NT tweets for Grasmere and she suggested the newly opened Allan Bank. The thought of free arts activities for the children and free coffee for me was a real draw! So just before lunch time today we packed a picnic and headed off to Grasmere...


Due to being distracted by back seat drivers I took a wrong turn at Ambleside so we took the scenic route to Grasmere via Langdale up and over a very narrow, twisty and steep road - great fun! With it being Easter the village was busy but we managed to find a place in car park for £5 for 4 hours. A stroll through the village showed lots of touristy temptations in the form of shops until we reached the National Trust information centre and shop to meet my friend. She gave us directions to find the house (with it being newly opened it isn't on the official maps yet).


The house is up a long winding drive with access only for cars with disabled badges. It is visible from quite a distance due to its position on the hill. You can see why the original owners chose to build it there back in the early 1800s.

#TheGallery: Landscapes

Love this week's challenge from Kate. Living in Cumbria I am surrounded by marvellous landscapes like these:

Rydal Water

Grasmere

Kent Estuary

Reasons to be Cheerful XXXIV ( #R2BC )

I am feeling very positive at the moment so looking forward to sharing everyone else's R2BC this week!

1) Getting on my soap box

I had a chance to talk live on BBC Radio Cumbria about the impact of toxocarra on my daughter's life as part of a debate on dog fouling. Anything I can do to make people aware of the potential devastating impact of not clearing up after their dog is a good thing. There is more about this on yesterday's post.

2) The great Lake District countryside

It was a marvellous weekend to get out hiking up the fells. I wrote a long piece about Loughrigg on Saturday and being able to be out of doors enjoying the wonderful landscape and stunning views whilst hiking with the family is definitely a top reason to be cheerful.

OK I just can't resist re-using this one again!

I don't anyone could fail to get a smile on their face walking along the banks of Grasmere on a perfect winter's day.

3) Family

My granny has moved to Kendal from Appleby to she is now really close by and I can visit her much more easily. Hopefully my children will also have more time to get to know their last remaining great granny.

4) Me

I've been good again this week and lost another 2 lbs making a total of 7 lb this year and an overall 1 stone 10 lb since I started at Rosemary Conley. This time I am determined to stay focussed and continue losing weight steadily and not have the yo-yo effect I had last year! The carrot of a 2 stone certificate for losing the next 4 lbs is a great incentive to look forward to.

Please go and see the other lovely people on the linky:

#SilentSunday: 15th January 2012

Family Fun: A Frosty Hike Up Loughrigg

I just love living on the doorstep of one of the most beautiful corners of the United Kingdom. On a day like today when the sun shone, the sky was blue and the temperature never got above 5C it was a marvellous place for a hike. We wrapped up warm with plenty of layers, tied up the hiking boots, grabbed the walking poles and headed off to Rydal Water, Loughrigg Fell, Grasmere and the Rydal coffin trail:

Rydal Water

On our way we saw lots of beautiful things:

Icicles over waterfall