In spring 2026, I ended up spending time in the Lake District after years of quietly researching the area and hearing countless people insist I should go. Even at a wedding in London, yet another guest was enthusiastically extolling its beauty, which somehow tipped the scales.

That said, the trip wasn’t exactly planned in the traditional sense. I was actually on my way up to Scotland, with a campsite already booked for the night near Killin. But somewhere around Kendal, tiredness caught up with me, and I pulled over intending to stay one night.

One night became two weeks, and two weeks became six. Six weeks in the Lakes: a rather good way to spend the changing of the seasons.

I spent those weeks hiking the fells, visiting picturesque villages, and spending time along lakesides.