By Stacey Smithson-Grey
Never one to shy away from a challenge/adventure I needed something to fill a gap created by Covid-19 after having 9 x 100km charity hikes for Mind cancelled.
Rather than cancelling some annual leave that I had already booked in for my final hiking event, I set about thinking of a new challenge to fill the void and treat myself to a little activity holiday. The Lake District is one of my favourite UK destinations so it wasn’t a difficult decision to make of where I wanted to spend some time.
The idea for ‘The Lake District 12’ came about as I was regularly seeing the question on social media groups/forums asking which lakes you can and can’t paddle in the Lake District.
For those of you who aren’t aware there are 16 lakes in the Lake District, the largest being Windermere. Only one, Bassenthwaite Lake, is officially a lake by name, the others are meres or waters. Of the 16 ‘lakes’ only 12 have permission for paddling see image below:
Image credit: lakedistrict.gov.uk
I thought if I was going to have a holiday I may as well see if I can paddle on all 12 ‘lakes’ whilst I was there and make use of 3 Campsites I have stayed at in the past, Low Wray National Trust Campsite, Waterside House Campsite and Wasdale National Trust Campsite that have access to 3 of the ‘lakes’, Windermere, Ullswater and WastWater, making getting 3 of the ‘lakes’ ticked off logistically quite easy. It was just the matter of planning how to get the other 9 in as well over 6 and half days. You’ll see the word plan a lot in this right up, but planning is needed on multi-day trips, you don’t need it to be a 100% set in stone but you do need a good rough idea of where you’re headed. To plan this trip I made use of Google Maps, OS maps, Lake District Gov UK website and local paddlers knowledge to plot a google map of the 12 ‘lakes’.
This is the link to the map created initially, and this is just what I have added, there are many more parks up points and accommodation options available; please feel free to contact me to add to this map for others to make use of for general paddling in the lakes.
Next up was looking at logistics, could it be done alone? Technically yes if you plan on doing, out and back, perimeters paddles or have someone travelling with you who is happy to play taxi, otherwise in just under a week you may struggle on your own unless you make use of summer daylight hours and maybe the solstice week. As I was heading away on my own I knew I would need some help, so I posted my rough plan/idea on social media and opened up the challenge for others to join me for the week, to make logistics a little easier and to share the adventure. Thankfully there were a few paddlers interested, Coralie Farren and Dave Chant opting to join me for the whole challenge, and John McFadzean (SUP the World who was also on his own challenge of paddling the perimeter of all 12 lakes this summer), Matt Mandrell, Matt Goddard and Joe Kibble joining us on the water for a number of ‘lakes’ each. We also had some land support from Nikki Doyle and Susie Amann (and John when he wasn’t paddling) which was a great help with shuttles.
My original plan was for us to work our way around the ‘lakes’ clockwise from WastWater finishing at Coniston.
However first spanner in the works, even with kids going back to school was that the campsites were still really busy as they were operating on lower capacities due to Covid restrictions meaning when I started looking into booking the plan had to be reversed to accommodate the dates I was available to travel. So the plan was decided for me.
The second spanner was the weather forecast ‘WIND’
Most pictures you see of people in the Lake District paddleboarding online are of beautiful stunning scenery and calm waters. But for us we had to work hard to achieve our goal. This meant daily weather checks; wind being our main concern and making decisions of how we planned to paddle each lake. This is where paddling with others comes in handy to share thoughts and ideas. We tried to make use of the winds and plan each paddle where possible as a downwinder on the bigger lakes and on the smaller lakes we played it safe on our out and backs and planned to paddle into the wind at the start, to make use of the wind on our way back. We definitely paid a Wind Tax on this trip. The strongest winds faced were on our Ullswater, Buttermere and Crummock paddles. Being in the lakes even with the use of the wind forecasts, we still had to battle a fair bit of headwind and side winds due to the layout of the land around us. That’s because in mountainous areas where there rocky surfaces, high ridges, sheer cliffs and steeps valleys unpredictable wind directions can be created.
Day 1:
Coniston We started the Lake District 12 officially at Coniston, an early start for us all, and arriving to weather that looked like we had seen the last of the summer. It was a little grey out and we were all dressed in a few more layers than the weeks gone by. Coniston has plenty of launch and landing options with good car parking and access around the lake. We met outside the Bluebird Café – if you haven’t been I highly recommend a visit. Having launched from here in the past it was a good meeting spot for Coralie, Dave and I before heading out for our first paddle and for Nikki to be based whilst we were on the water. With time on our side due to the early start we decided to opt for a one way paddle, rather just a paddle on the lake, leaving one car at Monk Coniston Car Park and heading to Brown Howe Car Park as our launch site – both car parks pay and display. (Be prepared to carry lots of change with you taking on this challenge and to pay out for parking). A grey but still picturesque paddle we had the lake pretty much to ourselves apart from the odd tourist ferry.
Getting off the water having completed the length of the lake, the thought of could we achieve paddling the length of all the lakes in the time we had did cross our minds and was talked about over a brunch in the Bluebird, whilst we discussed the week ahead and started what would be a lot of weather/wind checks and lake by lake planning.
Grasmere, From Coniston we headed to Grasmere and made use of White Moss Car Park, a privately owned car park with ANPR, pay before you leave, however you can pay online up to 48hrs after leaving the car park if you don’t have cash/card with you or for some reason the machine is playing up (see reviews online from others, we didn’t have any issues, quite straight forward). The car park itself is closer to Rydal Water which unfortunately you can’t paddle, but if you are making a day of it there are some nice walks in the area and Rydal Caves to check out. We opted to inflate our boards in the car park, not knowing exactly how far the lake was and what the path to the lake would be like. There are 2 paths and you can take either, both narrow and can be busy with walkers, in hindsight if I was to do it again I would keep the board in its bag and inflate at the shore – negotiating a 14ft board on a woodland path isn’t straight forward and we were unable to make use of the River Rothay between the two lakes. The lake itself was small enough for us to enjoy a perimeter paddle, with the only other company on the water being a solo swimmer. On completing the perimeter it was a return walk to the car park, this time using the other path to come back and again having the board in its bag on that path would be better too.
Back at the cars, parking paid for it was time to head to Low Wray Campsite for myself and Coralie to meet up with Nikki, who had kindly already pitched my tent, whilst Dave headed to his campsite in Coniston. Dinner out in Ambleside was on the cards after all we were on holiday. The evening was used wisely to refuel, rehydrate and plan the next day’s paddle. Thankful for mobile phones, group chats and pub Wi-Fi, as Dave was in Coniston along with John who was joining us to do Windermere the next day we managed to pull al plan together between us before heading back to camp for the night.
Day 2
Windermere The largest of the lakes, we opted for an early start to have less boat traffic on the lake to deal with and starting early also meant the boys could leave one of their cars in a layby in Newby Bridge before heading up to meet us at the campsite to launch. I wanted to make use of camping at Low Wray and launching there over using Ambleside as in my opinion it is the best entry on to a lake in the Lake District. You can launch using Blelham Beck which runs though the campsite out into the lake, doing this the view in front of you as you enter the lake is amazing and I wanted the others to experience it (be prepared to paddle this little bit finless in the summer). Once onto Windermere we opted to head straight towards Newby Bridge sticking to the West side of the lake, rather than battling a headwind to Ambleside. Took make the distance up for not starting at Ambleside we finished at Newby Bridge, paddling a small section of River Leven to the Swan Hotel and Spa where we landed and had Nikki pick us up (you need to ask permission to park and land here) whilst Dave took the short walk to collect his car. In return for using their car park/landing we stayed and had drinks from the bar/restaurant. I’m a big believer if you are using a launch site that belongs to a pub/bar/restaurant/café etc. that you at least buy a drink in return.
By having an early start we had the late afternoon to ourselves to pop to Ambleside for a wander round and to enjoy a pie from the Great North Pie Co that Nikki had found for us whilst we were out on the water. Another reason it’s handy to have someone on dryland on these kinds of trips.
Over Pie we discussed our day and you guessed it made plans for the following day. Thirlmere and Derwent Water, switching round from the original order to save driving backwards and forwards on ourselves, before heading back to camp for the night.
Day 3
Thirlmere Two days down and 3 Lakes ticked off, day 3 we said goodbye to Nikki in the morning before heading to Thirlmere owned by United Utilities for an out and back paddle. We parked at Armboth Car Park – normally pay and display, cash only but not in use whilst we were there. Also worth noting there are toilet facilities at this car park but they are closed in winter. The lake itself is surrounded by fells including Helvellyn. Once on the lake we headed down towards the Dam and then came back up and round Hawes How Island, we had decided to do the distance of the lake as an out and back but not the length of the lake this time, to give us plenty of time to head to Derwent Water and be able to find parking, knowing that the wind was going to pick up more in the afternoon. Whilst out on the water our peace was a little interrupted by a drone, however the drone pilot did manage to find our cars and leave a note for us to get the images from him if we wanted them. A popular spot for paddlers, as we were leaving a number of canoes and kayak turned up. Advisable to get to the car park early as its not very big to be sure to get a space.
Derwent Water Driving in to Keswick early afternoon; it was busy even with kids being back at school. We made use of the lakeside car park (pay and display, card/cash/app) parking at the back end of the car park, a little further to walk but plenty of space to sort our kit out and inflate boards before a short walk to the lake itself. It was my first trip to Derwent Water but it didn’t disappoint having seen many pictures of friends who paddle there you soon realise pictures never do the views true justice until you see the view first hand. We didn’t quite paddle the length of the lake but we did cover more than that in distance out on our paddle. A good headwind battle out to the Barrowdale end of the lake before turning and having the wind in our favour blowing us back to our launch spot.
Off the water and cars loaded we headed to Waterside House on the edge of Ullswater. Tents pitched, dinner made, we met up with Matt M and Susie A, we had hoped for a relaxing evening over looking the lake with a campfire. Unfortunately I don’t think any of us got a great night sleep before our windy Ullswater paddle and it wasn’t down to nerves….. tents and noisy neighbours don’t mix well. Neither does someone shouting ‘Fire Fire Fire’ around midnight after putting a throwaway BBQ on a plastic crate and that melted, and caught fire!
Day 4
Ullswater We took full advantage of a ‘downwinder on Ullswater and set off from Glenridding – Ullswater Ferry Launch back to our campsite landing the boards just metres from our tents. This was an opportunity to paddle some turbulent water, with winds blowing 19mph with gusts of 30, it didn’t go without some drama; thankfully we were all fine and well kitted out and prepared for the conditions. However we had to assist with the rescue of 2 kayakers after Matt M and Coralie noticed the kayaker’s on the shore but not looking quite right. Turns out one had capsized and between them they had managed to get both boats to the shore but with one of them swimming back, the swimmer was still in wet kit and neither of them had raised the alarm for help and they had been there for some time. We managed to get a message across to the ferry launch quickly as Matt G was working remotely from the car park, making the most of van life. The ferry sent over a RIB and all was well and a good reminder to have the right kit and first aid kit, if not for yourself to help others.
The early start meant we had the rest of the day to explore and enjoy some down time. We took a wander to Pooley Bridge and enjoyed some warmth in the pub, great food and a few boards games, as you can imagine it did get competitive.
Day 5
Bassenthwaite was our first call of the day. This lake requires a permit, which you purchase online.
Be aware there are restrictions and no boating zones on the lake that you need to familiarise yourself with before heading onto the water.
We got ourselves parked up in a layby on the A66 by Bassenthwaite Lake viewing point, which would be our landing exit, before heading up to our launch Ouse Bridge end. Not much parking this end of the Lake so get there early (this is a theme in the Lake District). Its a very short walk through the trees to the waters edge. We had set off with the wind on our backs but by the time we were in line with the sailing club the wind was no longer in our favour and we had to head towards the sailing club and pick up the shore line to get some shelter from the wind. The lake as many of the others has great views of the hills around it, including Skiddaw.
After Bassenthwaite we were due to meet John again for him to join us on Buttermere and Crummock but lack of signal meant this didn’t happen. But we did find a stunning lunch spot above the Access to Rannerdale car park. After lunch we made our way to the National Trust car park at Buttermere and went for a walk. The wind had been picking up and the 3 of us who had already paddled 7 lakes in 4.5 days including the 2 longest lakes were feeling the first few days of paddling when Matt G suggested may be we go and check out ‘The Dubs’ a very small river that connects Buttermere and Crummock Water and have a recovery walk saving these 2 lakes for the following day. Turned out to be a great idea, as well as finding out the Dubs was deep enough to paddle, we found a waterfall to dip our feet in and then enjoyed an ice cream. Whilst out walking we also spotted Sky Farm Campsite which would be an alternative campsite to Wasdale and probably better for logistics.
Missing a lake in the afternoon did me mean we were 2 lakes behind schedule.. However whilst enjoying our ice creams another check of the maps and seeing we would have to pass Loweswater on route to our next campsite we decided to go and paddle Loweswater, being such as small lake it made sense to divert there and get it out of the way as the wind wouldn’t impact us too much on this lake.
Loweswater Although this lake doesn’t need a permit it does have its own restrictions, boards/boats are to be under 4m long and only 4 craft should be on the water together. The car park is free of charge but very small; we got lucky to be able to park 4 vehicles there with a little bit of car park Tetris. It’s another walk to the water for this lake best done with boards in their bags. I had to borrow a shorter board off John as my Starboard 14ft airline is longer than 4m. Reaching the lake it was a good decision to have made, very peaceful and although drizzling it was very tranquil. There is a bothy on site that can be hired if you fancied a short stay in this idyllic location.
Stopping off to do Loweswater did mean getting to the campsite just as it was getting dark and just as the skies opened. It’s amazing how much quicker you can put a tent up when its dark and wet. This gave us the perfect excuse to head to the Wasdale Head Inn for dinner and some warmth to plan the next day and to finally find John to do a little more planning, which was definitely needed with the forecast we had in front of us.
Day 6
Buttermere/Crummock – knowing that we could paddle the Dubs this was our opportunity for a paddle one get one free lake. You require a permit for these lakes, which can be purchased at a couple of car parks. One at the top of Crummock Lake and Buttermere National Trust Car Park. If you have a National Trust Membership Card you can use this for your permit as well as parking, but bare in mind you can only use the card once in each car park, so will need to get your permit from the car park you are not parking in.
Due to the strength of the wind we had decided to strategically leave cars at different exit points in case we were unable to do the full length of both lakes, as we had to paddle into the wind to make use of the Dubs. We also had John on land following us on foot as support, covering all bases for our safety. We welcomed Joe to the group, whose car came in handy for the days logistics. All cars parked up we made our way on foot up Honister Pass to launch on Buttermere. Hugging the shoreline of Buttermere we were forced to hop off the boards whenever the gusts came through after being blown to shore on the first big passing gust. Paddling the length of the lake this way to reach the Dubs was probably my slowest ever 5km paddle, but it was worth it. The Dubs was beautiful, nice and sheltered and the flow was with us and gave us a chilled paddle to the entrance of Crummock. We had been optimistic and left one car at the top of the lake just in case we could manage the winds, but we were also cautious and being realistic we had placed another vehicle at the south beach as our back up plan, which proved the right thing to do. Once on to Crummock the wind was still in full force, so made the decision to head to the South Beach landing area.
Off the water we went and refuelled in a warm café. Taking the opportunity to look at the forecast again for the coming days and noticing nearly perfect paddling conditions to do the length of Wast Water if we wanted to paddle it on our way back to the campsite, helping us logistically with just 1 lake to do on our last morning – I was running out of time.
WastWater We decided to make our way to WastWater and not make a decision until we got to the lake itself to see local conditions. The forecast was right and the layout of the land meant the wind was blowing straight up the lake. It didn’t take us long on arrival to start getting kit out and re-inflating boards, the draw of the water was too much along with the back drop of the scree walls that gives the lake an eerie feeling. A short headwind paddle to reach the south west end of the lake, we regrouped and all enjoyed being pushed along by the wind to the north east shore, Smiles all round as we got off the water, followed by deflating the boards and walk back to the campsite to shuttle drivers back to their vehicles, 11 of 12 lakes paddled and time for a well deserved drink at the Wasdale Inn.
Day 7
Ennerdale The final lake in our 12 Lake Challenge and of course the weather had now decided to turn in our favour, blue skies and sunshine. No complaints from me a beautiful morning to finish off the adventure. This lake does not require permits for individuals and non commercial groups, but if you are planning to use this lake as paddling operator you will need to contact United Utilities who own the lake for permission. We met at Bleach Green Car Park, short on time I headed to the lake ahead of the rest. It’s another walk from the car park to launch but doable with your board inflated. Although I couldn’t stay and paddle the length of the lake I did achieve what I had set out to do and that was paddle on all 12 of the Lake District Lakes that paddlers have permission to paddle.
You will have read a few times that we were walking with the boards, inflatables are the way forward and if you are thinking of having a go at this challenge, you can do it with a rigid board, you could even do it keeping your board inflated if you want, but be prepared to do some walking to access the water on some of the lakes especially from where we parked, (if your lucky you may get layby parking closer at some but not all) – a handy little guide to the walking distances.
Grasmere 1km (each way) inflated (use your back pack)
Derwent Water 400m (each way) inflated
Loweswater 850m (each way) back pack
Buttermere 650m (one way) back pack
Wast Water 1km (one way) back pack
If you are interested in following my paddle strokes and giving this challenge a go here is a link for the parking, launching and landing we actually used:
The week was a great adventure and an opportunity to explore unknown waters to me and challenge myself. Without the help of those who joined me, this wouldn’t have been achievable so a big thank you to them and shows how paddling has a strong supportive community.