Ambleside – the English Lakes to get Goat Fit and try a Wainwright

SUMMARY

Dates: Friday 4th August to Monday 7th August.

If you only have a weekend do get in touch as we can discount the price for a 2 day break to £492

Guide: Anita Grey

Walking Grade: Get Goat Fit – a chance to spend time with a WalkingWomen guide and test out your walking legs , build confidence and do activities to build fitness and have fun. All in the company of other like minded women. We will be specifically focussing on how you get from Goat 2 to 3 and testing out one of the Wainwright mountains together.

Base: Brathay Hall, Ambleside in the Lake District. Close to the town and a relaxing place for a get away weekend .

Arrival : Check in from 15.00 to settle in and have a 17.00 pm briefing with your guide and an activity before dinner.

Departure : Check out is 10am on Monday so plan travel for after 10am.

How to get there:  By train, the nearest station is Windemere and then a bus on to Ambleside.  Or to Oxenholme direct from London and on by bus or taxi to Ambleside. Once we know travel arrangements we will link people together for travelling together or sharing taxis.

The postcode is LA11 OHP for those travelling by car.

Departure is after an optional morning walk/ activities on the last day.

Price: £592 per person for this all-inclusive holiday to include:

• Ensuite solo occupancy Bed and a Buffet continental Breakfast each morning.
• Packed lunch on 1 day and 1 hot buffet lunch
• All evening meals in the hotel buffet restaurant
• Guided walks, activities, and fitness advice with your local guide.

Not included: return travel to Brathay Hall , drinks and anything not mentioned in the itinerary.

If you bring a friend or partner there is a discount of  £100 pp. Total price for holiday = £492 per person. We will revise and reduce your invoice once you have booked.

DETAILS

If you would like to do some lovely walks in the lakes and try some activities to build confidence and fitness – all in the company of other women and our guide Anita. Then this is the weekend for you.

We will also look at how we can maintain our motivation to “Get Goat fit” by setting realistic fitness goals, and paying attention to warming up and maintaining our flexibility, all year round.

For those wanting  to ease into taking on more challenging walks there will be the opportunity to see how you close the gap between 2 goat to 3 goat walks. We will use the local amenable summits, including, hopefully, weather permitting, a classic “Wainwright” summit.

Alfred Wainwrights remarkable illustrated summit guides in the Lake District, like the “Munros” of Scotland, can inspire and lead up to the top of 214 fells, including the classic Coast to Coast walk across England. Not all the walks are difficult, and can be a great introduction to getting “Goat Fit” for more challenging walking holidays.

Ambleside is a typical Lake District town with many cafes, cosy pubs and a wealth of outdoor clothing shops if you need any kit. Brathay Hall is just a 20 minute walk away and close to Lake Windemere.

This is the perfect location to be active – to walk , to try some new activities that are available at Brathay and if the weather is good maybe even swim.

ITINERARY

The itinerary will be flexed depending on the group and their needs. The idea is to focus on fitness and give you the time with a guide to find out more about our goat levels and experience them. There will be a chance to stretch yourselves safely with our experienced guide Anita to move from Goat 2 to 3.

Friday: Arrival around 15.00 meet your guide and settle in. You will be briefed about the weekend at 17.00 ish and there will be time for a short walk before your evening meal.

Saturday : Loughrigg Fell: Distance: 13kms. Height ascent/descent: 500m

From our base at Brathay Hall, we can make our way gently into Ambleside, along ancient ways to Rydal, and the famous “coffin Trail”, before dropping down to the lapping lake, to make our way up the gentle, yet mighty Loughrigg. At 336metres, she sports a fine panoramic view. The return journey, across open fell and tiny tarns (small lakes), is a scenic joy. This walk is borderline between goat level 2 and 3, with options to avoid the summit, if the weather isn’t too favorable.

Sunday : Old Man of Coniston: Distance 10.6kms Group and weather permitting.

We will have  discussed the fitness aims and aspirations of the group, we can either choose another classic Wainwright of a similar height, possibly Goat Level 2, up Holme Fell, from the west side. At 317metres, we have time to explore Hodge Close Quarry, and the magnificent Cathedral Cave, before heading up, or, if the group is up for the next level of challenge, weather permitting, we can attempt The Old Man of Coniston. Considered a good introduction into climbing the higher Lake District Fells, at 803metres, the climb starts gently up the Walna Scar Road, then begins to make its way up through fascinating disused quarry works, to a well earned rest and paddle/swimat Low Water Tarn.

The final effort to the mighty summit can allow us the interest of a fine descent to Goat’s Water, to make this a classic circular walk, and a great achievement. The Old Man would be classed as a Goat 3, although we would only go to the summit if everyone is happy, and the conditions allow. Bear in mind that we always only go the pace of the slowest, enjoying taking our time, and encouraging each other.

With the luxury of plenty of daylight hours, simply to be out in the wonderful fells of the South Lake District is time well spent. What’s the hurry!