X-treme Sports

Okay, so give me a break. I couldn't track down any xylophones in the Lake District, and although there may be Xerox machines and X-rays, I doubt I could write a blog about them. I don't think Cumbrians are xenophobic to strangers either (even though someone who may have lived there for 30 or more years may still be considered an 'off-comer' i.e. non-native).

I hope it's not cheating, but I decided on X-treme sports because the Lake District is, of course, a paradise for outdoor pursuits of many kinds. The less intrepid (and those of us who are not as young as we were!) may prefer a gentle hike on the lower fells, or a walk in the forest or along the shores of one of the lakes. In my younger days, I did do some fell-climbing – albeit on well-marked paths.

However, there are also opportunities for more X-treme pursuits (none of which I have ever done, I hasten to add).

Rock-climbing, of course is popular and there are plenty of crags to tempt the most daring – and those with a head for heights. This is probably the most famous rock-climb in the Lake District – Napes Needle on Great Gable. Gives me vertigo just looking at it!

There’s also Gorge Scrambling, where participants make their way along the hidden mountain streams of Lakeland, jump into deep pools and climb up (or down) waterfalls with the help of ropes. It’s challenging – and often very wet! Canyoning is the opposite of Gorge Scrambling. In this case, people follow the water downwards, through pools, down chutes and sometimes involving abseiling down vertical drops.

If you prefer an aerial view of the landscape, you can try paragliding, maybe starting off as a ‘passenger’ with an experienced  instructor before venturing into the air on your own, first from gentle slopes and the from higher hills. There’s also skydiving, again harnessed to an instructor for your first dive, but there are courses available for those who want to become experience skydivers. Not for the faint-hearted!

Back on the ground again, there is off-road driving, with opportunities for everyone from beginners to advanced, in specially adapted land rovers. Mountain biking and quad-biking are also available, over terrain ranging from easy to difficult.

Me? I prefer to sit with my large ice cream on the shores of Coniston or on the terrace of a pub in Langdale and watch others take part in these kinds of sports!