But what a difference the weather makes!

This June a family holiday in the Lake District coincided with a week of fine weather, staying in Portinscale, just up the road from the HF Hotel where a group from OFS stayed last September. The contrasts were stark – no hail, rain or gale force winds but mountains clothed in sunshine, lakes sparkling and lush growth on the lakeshores. We didn’t climb Cats Bells, once was enough, instead we walked round Buttermere and Derwentwater, stretches of Crummock and Ullswater and saw osprey chicks nesting near Bassenthwaite and red squirrels and lots of Herdwick sheep. We also located the farm where we stayed ten years ago when it did rain every day, we were so lucky as the following week was very wet, I am told!

Elizabeth Adams