Windermere Meet
Kevan: “Well, I nearly missed this one! In scanning the Meets list, I had not spotted that Windermere was a midweek Meet, meaning that I could go on it. I have church and scouting commitments that usually prevent me from going camping at weekends, though I always make an effort to get to the AGM Meet, and it was at Kingsbury that Susan helpfully pointed out the upcoming Windermere Meet to me, just in time for me to book on it! Windermere is also well placed for me, being just a good day's cycle ride from Huddersfield, including a stop at the very picturesque bridge at Kirby Lonsdale, complete with a tea van and an ice cream van next to each other. Win, win!
Windermere Club site is well appointed, with a good backpacker cabin on a nice tent field, and more famously (or infamously) an on-site pub. Oh, and a supply of picnic tables which you can borrow to place beside your tent!"
"The site is some miles to the east of the lake from which it takes its name, but there is a cycle route going all the way there - well actually a tarmac path alongside the main road. Having got to the lakeside in the busy tourist town of Bowness, I turned south down the lake shore, this time on a nice quiet cycle path, until I reached the ferry to get across to the west shore. I had intended to go up to Hawkshead, but my head was turned by a sign indicating a cycle route going north following the west shore of the lake. Well, it would be rude to refuse such an invitation, wouldn't it? The route starts on a narrow tarmac road, though one with pretty much no traffic as it is a dead end for cars. Then it becomes a stony track, which is fairly wide to begin with, but towards the northern head of the lake it becomes singletrack. At the same time it turns away from hugging the lake shore and becomes somewhat undulating! The route eventually comes out in Ambleside, from where it is main roads all the way back to site, fortunately with a cycle path alongside."
"The second day I spent a gentle afternoon cycling around the countryside to the north of the site (having spent the morning deputy stewarding for Susan). My memory of the morning is being holed up in my tent as the showers blew over, but all the time out on my bike was dry and bright, which counts as pretty fortunate considering the lake district reputation for rainy weather (there's a reason why there are lakes...).
All in all a very good Meet, and thanks to Susan for organising it midweek (though I believe that was encouraged by the site which is too busy at weekends). I, of course, would like to see more midweek Meets in the future, but is there sufficient interest among the membership to go that way? (Susan: there might be enough interest, several of our members extend the Meets anyway, and Jo and Martin built a week's holiday around this Meet.)
One downside of the Meet was that Paul's Roofbunk had to be pitched some distance from the tents, which was partly compensated for by having a backpackers' hut. And disappointment was that Deana's search for a fish and chip shop proved fruitless...and chip-less!"