Pork Pies and Paddle Boards

We both slept like logs and so were in fine fettle as we rose in good time, packed a massive picnic, threw the paddle boards and accompanying fodder into the car and headed off to Coniston.
 
I was excited because we were going paddle boarding and because I got to drive LadyV’s car again, which is much better, nicer and more powerful than mine. We were able to get parked up by the lakeside quite easily and thought we had taken the last available spot where we were, but were amazed to see another four or five cars park up in front of us as the day wore on. This thoughtlessness would later cause a traffic jam. Idiots.
 
The beauty of paddle boards is that they are easy to transport and easy to inflate – albeit with a little heavy pumping – so before very much longer, we were out in the middle of the lake and basking in yet another day of absolutely glorious sunshine.
 
By chance we were very close to Peel Island (aka. Wild Cat Island), which featured in the book and subsequent film; Swallows and Amazons. LadyV and I made a beeline for it immediately, eventually landing on there and exploring the island. It was immediately obvious why Mr Ransome put it in his novel as there are a few spots perfect for overnight camping and bringing in a boat. As we paddled away from the island we couldn’t help but laugh at the armada of inflatable vessels coming towards us. I think we timed it about right!

We got back to the shore and stuffed our waterproof bags with our picnic. It was getting busy on the shoreline and one party had felt the need to have some music blaring out. It was quieter in the middle of the lake as we linked our boards together and tucked into our lunch (hence pork pies) whilst we gently bobbed about. Having a tinned cocktail felt especially decadent.

LadyV spent a good part of the day lying in the sun and reading her book whilst I paddled aimlessly about, looking for fish, watching the sun create star bursts as the light refracted through the water and just generally enjoying the sensation of floating. It was lovely. We rounded the day off with a trip to a very reasonably-priced ice cream parlour in Greenodd.

I’ll add this to the very good day list.