It’s my birthday this week and as a surprise my OH and Helen organised a weekend in the Lakes to see the Festival of Light. I’ve wanted to see it for years, it’s usually held in the spring, but this year it was postponed due to bad weather. When Helen saw it had been moved to August she dropped a hint to my OH!
The Festival of Light was started a few years ago as a fund-raiser following a bad earthquake in Nepal when several sherpas were killed. As the mountains in the Lake District are used as practise for those wishing to attempt Everest, quite a few of the walking community in the Lakes knew them. The first Festival of Light raised money for their families. I think since then money raised goes to a relevant charity. This year the money raised went to the Michelle Jurd Trust who help both disadvantaged young people and veterans to have adventures in the Lakes.
Anyone who is reasonably fit can take part in the Festival of Light. Basically lots of walkers head up Catbells at dusk, about half an hour after sunset they turn their head torches on and face the lake, the result is beautiful when the outline of catbells is lit up.
Sunset was at 20.30, so by 19.30 we had our camping chairs positioned in a prime spot on Friars Crag. We were just watching, by the way, I’d love to climb Catbells for the event, but with my balance issues it’s a definite no no. I’d already worked out that Friars Crag would be a good spot, easy to get to and from and a perfect view.
We watched the twinkling torch lights making their way up the fell, I think they probably had someone checking for gaps along the path so it looked good photographically. There’s hundreds of walkers who take part, they walk from Keswick, meet at Portinscale, then walk up Catbells. There must be an amazing atmosphere on Catbells.
By the time it got to sunset, there was quite a crowd along the lakeside and Friars Crag. There were some children behind us with infectious giggles, they sounded about 7 or 8. We were well wrapped up with a flask of coffee to share.
At 21.00 the head torches were turned on, for me it was a bit of a Wow! moment…
I thought it was lovely, the kids behind us were not impressed however, in a loud voice one of them proclaimed ‘Is that it? Well that wasn’t worth waiting for!’ It caused a ripple of amusement from everyone 🙂
We were staying in a very nice barn conversion out in Lamplugh, near Loweswater. The following day we had a walk up the fells, not as far as Helen intended, as the route she had chosen involved a lot of what I call off piste walking, i.e.there wasn’t necessarily a pth, so it was hard going in places. We did however get high enough for some lovely views across Loweswater and over to Crummockwater.
All in all it was a lovely weekend, I think Helen fancies climbing Catbells in the Festival of Light another year, she’s definitely got the bug for the Lakes 🙂
thecraftycreek 
Wow! How wonderful. Happy Birthday.
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Thank you!
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what a lovely birthday outing. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks Mary
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Happy Birthday and that looks like a wonderful way to celebrate!
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Thanks, it was a lovely evening.
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Happy birthday, Margaret! The girls may not be impressed, but I am! 🙂
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Thanks Laura, it did look beautiful.
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Lovely way to celebrate your birthday!
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Thank you, it was a special day.
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Wow indeed, it looks fabulous. Happy Birthday great way to spend it looking at your favourite mountain in a different light.
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Thanks, it looked amazing, although I don’t think we can ever beat that sunrise we had on Catbells, we were so lucky that day!
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Happy Birthday! And what a lovely present. The children might not have been impressed but I think it looks fantastic. And such a lovely, imaginative way to raise money.
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Thanks, it was a lovely evening.
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Fabulous effect, and well worth waiting for. I remember attending a skiing event that achieved something similar many years ago, in France. Everyone raced up the mountain on chairlifts, and then when it turned dark, they all skied down with headlamps on. It was like watching a waterfall of fireflies. Yours is more impressive because of the distances and numbers! I like your ‘off-piste walking’ description. I’ve been ordered to do more of that in order to train my inner ear to accept uncertain footing better. I do NOT find it comfortable or fun!
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It was lovely to see, a real Wow! moment! It’s hard work walking on uneven surfaces with no balance, if I’m doing ‘proper’ walking I always use poles, but now I’ve also started using one for dog walks or when it’s dark, my physio is trying to tell me I should use it more and not see it as a backward step as it might make my walking better and thereby improve my balance…I still feel like an old lady using a stick!
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Interesting… My specialist has just recommended I try to ‘train’ my inner ear by walking (carefully!) on more uneven surfaces, and I’m being sent for vestibular rehabilitation once I’ve got my knee sorted out. I should maybe consider poles going forward, or at least one when I’m walking Higgins.
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