Kayaking on Derwent Waters

The words that I can use to explain the views I saw on the lake will not do it near enough justice, but I will do my best to paint a picture of my few hours out on the lake...

The sun was shining brightly down as I opened my bedroom curtains. I had been hoping for a sunny day as my foray into Keswick the day before had revealed no sun but some sweeties from Ye Olde Sweete Shoppe and a hot mocha made with Belgian chocolate. But this day, with the sun already warming up the air, I drove to the Derwent Water Marina with a dry change of clothes in the car just in case things went belly up, so to speak.

The kayak was cheap enough to hire for two hours at 16 pounds and I just knew that once I got on

 
the lake I the views would be worth it. I paid up and threw on my waterproof pants (best buy ever) and I was ready. I clipped the lifejacket on, grabbed the oar and with no fear (I am proud to say) I jumped into the kayak. I was pushed out from the pier by an attendant and then began to paddle out to the lake itself, making my way around the buoys. It was quite fun but in my head kayaking was a lot easier than it turned out to be. I haven’t been kayaking in years, but I do recall it not being that difficult to go in a straight line. Apparently I was wrong. Within two minutes of pushing off, I was heading towards some buoys – not around them, but at them. It took much manoeuvring not to hit the boats parked in the marina too. Not sure my insurance covers that.

I made my way around the marina opening and out into the lake and it was from there that I had my first views. Of course, I wasn’t able to fully appreciate them as I was trying my best not to paddle in circles. I was also reminding myself not to look down into the water. The water was shallow and clear. I could see right down to the mud and pebbles and bits of trees which made me a bit uneasy. However, I am proud to say that I ignored it and kept right on paddling.

As soon as I was a bit further out from the shore I stopped and using my superior, and obviously natural, skills of being able to paddle in circles did a great 360 degree turn.

The waters were like glass with barely a ripple and very few boats. The sun shone down and the skies were bare of all but a few clouds. The blue of the sky was reflected down onto the water giving it a vibrant colour and the stillness of the lake acted as a mirror, the mountains looking as if they grew out of the waters and climbed up to the heavens. It was quiet and with barely a whisper of wind, it was incredibly tranquil. The waters were cold but that didn’t bother me as I was warming up under the persistence of the sun and my poor kayaking skills (which meant I had to do twice as much work as I should have).

I kayaked out and around part of the lake for the first hour before making my way back. I had booked for two hours but I knew it would take me a while to make my way back to the marina given my awesome paddle-in-circles skills. I was also starting to feel like my legs had seized up. The kayak had knee-restraints that you basically tucked your knee under and then foot plates. By the time I had been out there for 3o minutes my legs were cramping; after an hour they were agony. For the paddle back to the marina I pulled them out of the restraints, to try and release some of the tension.

I got back to the marina and got awkwardly out of the kayak, partially because of still being in the water, but mostly because my hips and upper leg muscles had fully shut down. I shuffled up the steps with a limp, returned the paddle and lifejacket then tried to stretch out my legs. It was so painful that I gave up and slowly made my way to the car.

I got back to Cockermouth just after 1230 then went for a walk into town, desperate to stretch my legs. I headed into a charity shop in the off chance that they would have cassettes and I found BBC’s Black Adder the Third on tape – almost three hours of quality listening for the car. I was stoked.

 
Jill, Andrew and the kids arrived around 2.30pm. That was really special. The kids, Joe and Ethan, are as gorgeous as ever and Joseph is really growing into his own with the cheekiest grin and calculating eyes I have ever seen. Once the kids were in bed, Jill, Andrew and I went out for Indian as it was Jill’s birthday. I always feel so relaxed around Jill. She is such a calming influence and I really find the time I get to spend with her incredibly special. The three of us spent a few hours eating, drinking and sharing stories before heading back to the house.

Today was a relaxed day. The kids made playdough in the morning, we went to a farm for ice cream and to look at the cows that make the milk, before heading to the park. Jill left with the kids in the afternoon. Andrew having left in the morning for a footy match.

Tomorrow we are heading to the Beatrix Potter house. I am looking forward to that quite a bit.