BLOWN AWAY
JENNY BOZON RETURNS HOME FROM THE LAKE DISTRICT INSPIRED - AND A LITTLE WINDSWEPT - AFTER A BLUSTERY WEEKEND AT THE KESWICK MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL
KESWICK MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL
Quite the view: festival goers enjoy live music on the banks of Derwentwater
Brought up on a farm – and up North – I’ve always thought of myself as quite the outdoorsy type. Never afraid of cow muck and gale-force winds, I’ve quietly fancied my chances at trail running, too, but, admittedly, never felt compelled to follow the fell runners who brave the elements to go running up mountains at all hours.
Oh how my perceptions changed this weekend. On Sunday afternoon I left the Keswick Mountain Festival in awe of the hardy bunch of athletes I’d seen taking part there, and realised I was not quite the seasoned outdoorsy athlete I imagined.
The Keswick Mountain Festival is a three-day sporting and music festival, taking place in the Lake District National Park. This year, nine sporting events took place: a 70K sportive bike ride; Salomon-sponsored 5K, 10K, 25K and 50K trail runs; Blacksticks Blue long and short triathlons; a junior triathlon and a junior aquathlon. A range of outdoor activities also took place, including a 10- peak hiking challenge, dinghy sailing and navigation courses.