A small but mighty group made the trip down to the Lake District for our camping meet, based at Seathwaite Farm Campsite, tucked away just south of Borrowdale near Keswick. It’s fair to say the campsite was on the Spartan side of things, but it was a cracking base for climbing, hiking, and even the odd attempt at fell running!
On Saturday 19th, we were joined by our good friend (and past-member) Kevin Burns, who met up with us for the wetter part of the day. With the clouds hanging low and the rain doing its best to settle in, we opted for a more sheltered wander out to Rydal Cave. A brilliant spot and well worth the visit.
Later on, with the forecast promising a drier window, we made the most of it and headed to Upper Shepherd’s Crag for some climbing. The crag was ideal for a focused session dialling in trad gear placements and getting comfortable practising building anchors on a friendly 10m-ish lump of rock. While a ninja shower dampened climbing for a moment, a beautiful sunny spell carried us into the evening.
Back at camp, the evenings were spent sharing stories around our small fire pit, keeping the midgies at bay, and learning a valuable lesson about the volume of boxed wine. A mistake we may or may not repeat, depending on how quickly we forget!
On Sunday, Alex and Jura squeezed in a run up Great Gable / Green Gable. It was a steep start straight from the campsite, but a brilliant way to wrap up the weekend before packing up and heading home.
All in all, a great weekend away. Good laughs, good skills practice, and a reminder that a ‘basic’ campsite doesn’t matter when the mountains are right on your doorstep!
Fri 18 Jul – Sun 20 Jul 2025
Alex, Thea, Tom, and Jura 🐾
Written by Alex Mitchell