Wast Water Lake is a secluded spot in the Lake District, close to the starting point for climbing Scafell Pike.Have you everhad a happy place in your mind where no one else existed, and you were just surrounded by silence, blossoming flowers and soothing water? And when you imagine yourself in this happy place, your heart beats slow and steady, and you feel lush grass beneath your hands, and mountains provide a barrier from the troubles of the world, allowing you to slip into a state of full relaxation and contemplate life…. well, this is my happy place.

I have never before experienced such a calm, secluded and unspoiled landscape. This place is in it’s own little bubble, teetering on the edge of a secret world, and is breathtakingly stunning.

 

The only problem with Wast Water is the journey to get there. Me and Sam stayed in Ambleside on our holiday, and our Sat Nav planned a route which seemed to cut out a huge part of the trip, by saving us from driving underneath the Lake District in order to make our way back up, as you can see below:

So, of course we took the shorter option.  BIG Mistake.

Now, I’m not saying that the shorter route is a complete no-go, but unless you’ve got a pretty solid 4×4 or a Monster Truck, I wouldn’t recommend it. The first and last part of the drive is pretty pleasant, but in the middle, we had to take a route called Hard Knott Pass.

Essentially, the Romans built this road over a thousand years ago for military use, and you know how Romans have a love of straight roads… well, there are two large hills (more like mountains) through the pass, and of course the Romans did what they are great at, they built the road over the mountains instead of around the side. It cuts down journey time but it’s a struggle to driver through. The incline is 30%, which is pretty damn difficult on a tiny little road. I get really bad travel sickness, so I spent this whole part of the journey with my legs up and my eyes closed, but Sam did a great job at getting us up, and down.

We actually saw a cyclist on our way down the hill, on her way up it, and honestly I have never seen anything so mental in my life. How she managed it I will never know.

In short, sometimes the long way round can pay off.

*Fun Fact* Wast Water is the deepest Lake in the Lake District, with a maximum depth of 258 feet (79m). Let’s just say that you wouldn’t want to fall in here!

When we arrived, we parked up right at the top of the lake, in a national trust car park which also happens to be a popular base point for Scafell Pike.

From there we made the walk around the lake, here are some photos from the day. There are also a few of Sam’s photos in here, because I couldn’t not include them. If you want to check out more of his photography, head over to his Facebook Page: Sam Radford Photography, or visit his Instagram @radders94!

I love this time of year, because all of the berries begin to ripen and apples fall from the trees, and it’s great for feeding the fruit lover in me.

Can you get a better view than this?

I’m fussy with my hair, and it took less than half an hour for me to give up and take my braid out.

A pretty place to sit, but I did get a numb bum pretty quickly!

I will never know what possessed me to stand with my legs in that position…

This is my favourite photo of them all, and of course it was taken by Sam!

After a LONG walk, I gave up and decided to have a lie down. I could just stay here forever…

What’s your happy place? Does it look like this or is it a secluded Beach, Forest or Meadow?