We arrived in the Lake District to a wet drizzle and grey skies which didn’t bode well for our hike the following day. Despite this, the whole team was thrumming with enthusiasm to get out there and explore.
We were a mix of people, a real melting pot of different experiences and backgrounds, but we had two crucial things in common: we were all women and we all had a shared love of the outdoors.
The occasion had been arranged by Swedish outdoor brand Haglöfs as a way of marking International Women’s Day 2020. Our plan was to walk to Aira Force waterfall and then up to the summit of Gowbarrow Fell before circling back round.
As we got out of the cars in the morning the wind was blowing a hooley and the rain was tipping down, but spirits weren’t deterred. As is often the case in Cumbria, the weather was unpredictable during our circuit, but this gave us the best mix of conditions to really put the L.I.M clothing and equipment Haglöfs had equipped us with through its paces.
Along the way we all swapped stories, span yarns and made friends with likeminded people. As we approached the 481 m summit of Gowbarrow Fell, the ground was littered with patches of snow and the wind started getting stronger. At the top, we had an incredible view of Ullswater with the Eastern Fells, including High Dod, Place Fell and Loadpot Hill, all looming over it
