Nicky Beeson is one of a team of volunteers who lead free guided walks each year between Easter and October. She has been leading walks with the Lake District National Park Authority since 2019 and this year there are 140 walks to choose from. Here she talks of why she loves this important role.
Why I volunteer
Newly retired I went looking for volunteering opportunities that matched my interests. If you ask most volunteers why they do it the responses would generally be ‘to give something back’ or ‘to make a difference’ For me the role of volunteer guided walk leader amply fulfils both of those criteria.
Why the Lake District National Park Authority
I have been a passionate hill-walker since my teens and it is a real privilege to be able to share that with visitors to the Lakes. The guided walks provide a great platform to show off the very best of the national park’s amazing landscape and also to take people slightly outside their comfort zone in a safe environment to experience the possibilities that lie beyond the busier areas of Bowness, Ambleside and Keswick.
You don’t have to walk miles or scale great heights to find fabulous quiet locations even in the peak of summer.
I have led numerous different walks all of which are enjoyable and have different points of interest but I do have three particular favorites.
Lingmoor from Elterwater is a super walk.
There’s a real sense of being in the mountains as you walk through Great Langdale. The summit of Lingmoor is relatively easily reached after some fun gentle scrambling and the views of the Langdale Pikes are awesome. The descent back to Elterwater goes via the slate quarries which is a great example of the industrial heritage of the area.
The Black Crag and Yewdale walk has a bit of everything:
From waterfalls, woodland, tarns and an easy summit. For many of people joining this walk it is their very first Wainwright summit and it is lovely to be able to share their sense of achievement when we get to the top. The views are pretty good too! Hopefully it will inspire some of them to bag a few more Wainwrights in the future.
The Coniston Coppermines Valley walk really demonstrates how industry has played its part in shaping the landscape.
People on the walk are always really surprised when you explain the extent of the copper mines, the number of waterwheels that were operational and the number of people employed. You get to walk into one of the mine entrances and along one of the water leats as well which is very cool!
Why are guided walks special?
The Lake District really is for everyone and this is reflected in the range of folks joining the walks: visitors from abroad, single ladies, families and day trippers from the cities. The diversity always guarantees some interesting conversations along the way and makes for a great day out.
More information about the free guided walks available can be found here.
