The Mudpackers had ventured further a field this weekend, and they treated their wives to a Tour of Skiddaw.   Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake DistrictNational Park. With a summit at 931 m (3,054 feet) above sea level it is the fourth highest mountain in England and the lowest above 3,000 feet (910 m). It lies just north of the town of Keswick, where I might add the ladies enjoyed a nice relaxing day shuffling around this lovely market town, they also had the fantastic view of Skiddaw as this dominated the skyline and as they looked from a distance comments were said that it looked as thought it had a thick velvet blanket had been draped over a supporting frame….. Nicely put.

On our travels we came across Skiddaw House, a stone building which has variously served as a shooting lodge, shepherd's bothy and Youth Hostel. Its windbreak comprises of the only trees in SkiddawForest, and it is reached via a long access track up the DashValley.

On the Sunday we cheered on our young ‘tups’ as they took part in the Whinlatter Bike Challenge. Whinlatter is England's only true mountain forest rising to 790m with a large variety of terrain and boasting fantastic views of the Lake District and the surrounding mountains, making it the ideal location for such an event. Approx 450 riders took part in a grueling 30mile race.