Tucked away atop a winding narrow road you find yourself in awe of the cascading mountainsides as you stroll through the valley to a secret surprise at the end (this is for you to discover).

Of all the places in the Lake District to visit, Watendlath is one of my favourite. Its calming running waters, fell sides that seem to gently guide you toward a picturesque reward after each turn. The wildlife that gives life to landscapes on all sides. Each step into this place will hold a place in your memories forever.

Visiting Watendlath in the winter adds an almost fantasy feel to the air, as if you’re in some mysterious far away land untouched by man, to visit this place in the winter will often mean you’re the only person on the trail. A refreshing feeling of seclusion that is hard to find in most areas is easily had here and will make leaving difficult.

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Feeling like a scene taken from the Lord Of The Rings our next stop was Honister Pass, or more specifically Honister Slate Mine. A slate mine established in the early 1700’s and still in use today, well known for its production of Westmoreland Green Slate. After battling for an age to make it up the 1,167ft climb along the single lane road that leads to the mine itself and beyond into the small village of Gatesgarth, we found ourselves surrounded on all sides by blankets of white with shards of rock jutting out along the ridges of the surrounding peaks.

Due to the weather there were few people who dared to make the rather perilous trip to the mine, as such we were told that the tour of the mine that we had booked would be a “private” tour as the only people attending would be myself and my partner. This turned out to make the trip that much more special as we had a chance to ask any and all questions we like to our tour guide ‘Donald’. The tour of the mines gave us a real sense of what it must have been like to work in the tight spaces and almost no light. A real eye opener for those who have a taste for industrial history.

Unfortunately I was unable to capture any photographs inside the mine itself as we had the choice to view the mine much like the original miners would, that is to say in complete darkness (obviously this was the correct choice). So we were given helmets and torches and began our descent into the mine.

So instead here are some of the final images I captured on the narrow snow and ice covered walkway before we swapped daylight for torchlight.

The wanderings of a madman

Winter in the Lake District