Vanlife Road Trip - Part 1: Mini trip to Coniston and Ullswater 13 – 18 June 2021
After a number of delays, due to the ‘unmentionable’, it was finally time to wave goodbye to my family, friends, the farm, and work and hit the road on my next great adventure in Buttercup. That's right friends; I'm finally on the road.. whoop whoop!
To ease the transition from being based in sunny Devon, where I knew where to park and had the luxury of the farm and work’s carpark, I headed to one of my favourite places in the UK… The Lake District.
My first stop was to visit one of my amazeball friends, Lorna, at her pad in Barrow. The plan being to have a chilled evening at hers, before a bimble up to Beacon Tarn the next day for a swim, and then head to Ullswater for some lake fun, fire pits, food, drinky poos and laughs.
Beacon Tarn was stunning; it was a lovely walk up from Coniston through gentle undulating fells until you were rewarded by an amazing tarn stretching out in front of you. This was Lorna’s first dip of the year and she was a little nervous that it would be cold; however, the water was just perfect. It was warm, deep and pretty clear. We splashed around and fetched balls the dogs couldn’t be bothered to retrieve themselves, before chilling on the bank for a little snack whilst soaking in the views. A short clamber up a random sheep track rewarded us with a beautiful panorama across the Southern Lakes and Coniston below.
What a start to my new life…
The drive to Ullswater didn’t take long, and soon I was back in the Northern Lakes where I always feel at home. Ullswater was a new location for me; I had not yet had the opportunity to explore the second largest lake in the region. As we drove through Pooley Bridge I was all hyper like a puppy being shown a squeaky ball; the village was picturesque and the river inviting, as it flowed under the bridge that gives this quaint village its name. The lake was a dominant feature to my right, with pleasure boats departing from the small pontoon on the roadside, children paddling and dogs fetching balls, their coats shimmering with moisture under the glorious sunshine. We turned down a narrow lane to access Waterside Farm campsite and were not disappointed as we entered a beautiful, well maintained site and were directed to our home for the next few days.
After the ‘divorce in a bag’ windbreak had been assembled, we cracked open a cold beer and relaxed under the shelter of the trees that surrounded our pitch. Lorna was in full ‘mum’ mode for the trip, with pre prepared meals sorted and delicious scrummy bacon baps ready each morning as I rolled out of my pit, after a severe lack of sleep due to two naughty spaniels; she even had little packed lunches ready for me. I know; she is AWESOME!
On our first day we were adamant we would go for a SUP and kayak on the lake which was a whole 50m from our vans… as we launched, the wind picked up which made it pretty hard going, but we had a little explore of the top end of the lake and I went for my daily dip at a little bay not far from site. After battling the wind, we decided to return to shore and lounge on the warm grass under the sun with a cold drink. Well it would have been rude not to! After a beer and an iced latte, we walked the dogs up the lake for another swim in the warm clear water… The sun was sparkling on the water like diamonds, and the air was filled with laughter from the young lads leaping off the rocks in to the depths of Ullswater.
Day three we met up with an old friend of Lorna’s who lives in a nearby village and joined her for a gentle river stroll with LOTS of dogs! The route was peaceful, and the water looked very inviting… the dogs were in and out chasing balls and splashing in the water to cool off. After a little off-piste action, we found a pool for a dip, which I went in (obvs!) even though it was a little too shallow for swimming. Later in the evening, after a yummy stew and drinky poos, I was just climbing in to bed, when Lorna came running back to the vans excited shouting ‘the lake looks perfect’. Not one wishing to miss out on an adventure, I chucked some appropriate gear on and grabbed my SUP… shortly we were on the lake paddling through the glass like water, under a stunning setting sun, with the fells reflecting in the water.
Big lake day adventures loomed, and off we went to explore Kailpot Crag at the other end of the lake. The weather was perfect and the conditions on the water meant a lovely smooth paddle to our picnic and swim spot. I had read about Kailpot Crag in one of my many Wild Swimming books, and was keen to explore this stunning spot, which promised great rocks to jump and dive from, and little coves to dock and enjoy our picnic. It was a long old paddle, but it was worth it… the crag emerged from the water, with rocks of different heights to plunge into the deep dark water from. Behind the crag loomed Hallin Fell, and across the narrow stretch of lake you could see Gowbarrow Fell poking its head up above the woods. The paddle back was tough, and a pub stop would have been appreciated; but alas nothing was on the way, so we plodded on back in the knowledge a nice meal and cold beer would be at the end… pizza was collected, fire pit lit, coo leggings donned and beer open, and as we laughed and reflected on our little adventure, we deemed it a cracking end to an awesome day and the perfect way to end our road trip to Ullswater.
As Friday morning dawned, we packed up site and had our last meal together before hugs and ‘see you soon’ goodbyes were shared. It was now time for me to hit the road and explore the Lakes on my own, before meeting up with the gang in Keswick in four days time…
Let me know what you love about Ullswater, if you've been, and I'll catch up with you for adventures in Keswick and share the joys of living in a big yellow van!
Oh...Final note; watch out for swans whilst having a quiet beer; they may nick your dinner!
For those wanting to know...
- Swim suit by Bakoto
- Leggings by Rainbows and Sprinkles
- Campsite at Ullswater was Waterside Farm Campsite
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