Lake District, September, Day 6.

A damp start today, but undaunted we headed to Staveley to visit the excellent Cumbria Stoves to pick up a new baffle plate for our Morso Squirrel wood burner before continuing to Brockholes Lake District Visitor Centre.  It was incredibly busy with young families out for a day of outdoor adventure activities on and off the water.  It was somewhere our children would have loved 20 years ago for the exciting looking Go Ape style high ropes courses and long zip wire.  We had braved the crowds, however, to visit a photography exhibition in the much quieter hall.  Rosamund and John MacFarlane, parents of nature writer, Robert.  Unable to travel during the last 18 months due to covid, the MacFarlanes were exhibiting their lockdown project where all of the images were taken close to their Loweswater home.  Rather than general views of The Lakes, their theme was water in the Lakes: over it, in it, under it and frozen during the incredible cold spell of Januray 2021.  They had also collaborated with painter Julian Cooper who had produced a large canvas based on one of John's images of a swimmer underwater in a deep mountain pool,  Apart from enjoying the photography it yet again made me hanker after doing some wild swimming - maybe next year.