It’s no secret from the title of this article that the weather in the Lake District this half term was less than desirable. We spent 5 nights wild camping in what has to be one of the most beautiful spots in England, a stone’s throw from famous Scafell Pike, we were nestled in amongst the trees alongside Buttermere. Buttermere is one of many lakes in Cumbria and is currently owned by the National Trust, which prohibits camping at all times – except, for one week of the year.
Every half term the National Trust allows the ‘Buttermere Free Flyers Festival’ to take place, allowing paragliders and speed-flyers to make the most of the incredible landscape and to stay alongside the lake. Apart from the presence of a few portaloos, this is a wild-camping experience and there are no real facilities. Although, there is a food van and coffee truck towards the latter of the week, but otherwise the local village of Buttermere has a pub serving hot food and a small convenience store, however limited in stock. The nearest town of Keswick is your best bet for any real supplies, with 1 large (but expensive) supermarket, a smaller Co-op store, and some high street shops with great outdoor gear for all your hiking and sporting needs. There’s also several book stores, a cinema and local swimming pool for when the bad weather is relentless.
The best thing about all of this (for some) is that you are totally off the grid. No internet. No signal. Nothing. Now, following a tough week where my car was stolen I needed to get away and welcomed the lack of communications. I switched off my phone and embraced the lack of Instagram by starting a new book – remember those? Made of paper, a couple hundred pages, sometimes have that musty smell?! It was heaven reading a book for the first time in a few years, and actually using my imagination for a change.
Despite the weather there was still so much to do and it didn’t take away from the stunning scenery. We were able to cycle around the entire lake, walk on one of the many paths out of the valley, kayak, paddle or canoe on the lake and of course the numerous air sports taking place when the weather permitted. The festival organisers were great at making sure the area was preserved, being an area of ‘special scientific interest’. There was a strict onsite ‘Bio-Security’ plan and all articles used on the lake needed to be cleaned and then inspected by on-site staff. Only items which had passed those procedures were then allowed on the lake and were identified with a ‘lake permit’ sticker.
For the mere sum of £40 you have your Festival pass, camping fees, access to the music tents and bar for the duration. If you choose to camp a few days early then it’s an extra £5 per night. This is a charity event where the majority of profits are going towards local charities that vary year on year. The important point is that you don’t need to be an avid free flyer to go to this event, if you enjoy the big outdoors in one of England’s most bewitching landscapes, good local bands and a few drinks – then this is the event for you! Watch out for The Buttermere Bash 2020 for dates and tickets coming soon.
Also check out our short video here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cK6aPZZd5c
Looks like you had a gorgeous time despite the weather. I love being able to go totally off grid – heaven!
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It was such stunning scenery, and the lack of communications was a bonus!
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That’s somewhere I would love to visit. The scenery is gorgeous although I think I’d stay in a hotel rather than camp with the weather we’ve been having.
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It was absolutley gorgeous and has been on ‘the list’ for a long time, but the weather definitely took its toll!
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I have never heard of it. I would love paragliding during the Festival. What a fun event!
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Its a great place to meet people and then learn or get involved with the sport for sure!
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What an adventure. I can feel the fun!
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Thanks – it certainly was an adventure in all the rain! haha
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Looks like you had a fabulous time. I love the Lake District but remember getting drenched during a walk there
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It certainly makes a difference when the suns out but I still couldn’t get over how beautiful it was regardless – I’ll planning on giving it another chance soon haha
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Oh wow despite the rain it sounds like you had a blast and that mini-festival sound ace, perfect for camping cheaply but also having all the fun of a festival
Laura x
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The mini-festival was ideal, a great intro to festivals for all the family!
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Your adventure looked awesome! We love getting out and about in nature, my husband is not a lover of camping but everything else outdoors gets a tick.
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It was thank you 🙂 Camping isn’t for everyone but there’s so much you can do in the outdoors in the UK, lucky to live here!
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