Cumbria Tourism's PR section recently linked up with our good friends Country Walking magazine and Irish comedian Ed Byrne.
With the kind hospitality of Dan Visser from the Langdale Hotel and Spa at Elterwater, Ed and Nick Hallissey, Deputy Editor of Country Walking, chewed the fat about why this fast-talking Dubliner is the latest celebrity fan of the Lakes.
Comedian Ed Byrne sets himself a Lake District challenge...
He's known to TV audiences as a razor-sharp wit on shows such as ‘Have I Got News For You' and ‘Mock the Week', and he's filling theatres all over the UK on his current tour - but Ed Byrne's secret life is out: he's a passionate walker and he's falling in love with the Lake District.
After experiencing the ‘Adventure Capital' for the first time, Ed has started bagging ‘The Wainwrights' - the famous tick-list of hills listed by guide-writer Alfred Wainwright in his ‘Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'.
So what brought him to Cumbria?
"I'm normally a Munro-bagger - 63 and counting - but I'm now living down south and we've just had a baby, so I'm looking for a challenge that's a little easier to get to than Scotland," explains Ed, 38.
"The Lake District seems to present that challenge and I've been really impressed by what I've seen so far."
He began his Wainwrights adventure in the company of Country Walking Magazine and Cumbria Tourism, with the magazine's deputy editor Nick Hallissey taking him to the sensational valley of Great Langdale and up onto the famed Langdale Pikes.
"This place is enormously impressive," said Ed. "I've been spoilt by Scotland, so I expected the Lake District to feel smaller, more populous, with less of a sense of wilderness. But it has its own sense of drama. And you get a sense of how it all fits together pretty quickly, which is cool."
Ed explored the Langdale Pikes by walking up Stickle Ghyll to Stickle Tarn, climbing North Rake and reaching the summit of Pavey Ark, before continuing to the summits of Thunacar Knott, Harrison Stickle, Pike o' Stickle, Loft Crag and Thorn Crag, descending over the flank of Mark Gate. From the tops he got superb views of Bowfell, Scafell Pike and Great Gable, plus the Crinkle Crags and Windermere.
This one walk bagged six ‘Wainwright' fells, meaning he only has 208 left!
"I love a list," says Ed. "I have a compulsive need to tick things off, and the Wainwrights offer me that. Some people frown on the idea of ticking a list, insisting that it's somehow against the principle of walking for the love of it, as if I'm not interested in the scenery, only ticking my little chart. That's nonsense - I get an enormous amount of pleasure out of it, I really do. And I've loved it today."
Ed Byrne stayed at the 4-star Langdale Estate Hotel in Elterwater, which offers beautiful rooms in the heart of a wooded dell, with its own spa and health club. For luxury, the hotel has a splendid restaurant with a taster menu in the style of BBC2's ‘The Trip'. If you're on a budget, the hotel also owns The Wainwrights Inn, just up the road. www.langdale.co.uk
Find out more at http://www.golakes.co.uk or call Cumbria Tourism on 01539 822222.
Ed Byrne is on tour across the UK now. www.edbyrne.com
Visit the Country Walking website at www.livefortheoutdoors.com
Q&A
Why has he never been before?
"Just geography, really. I studied in Edinburgh and became aware of the Munros, and the fact that they were something you did if you lived in Scotland and enjoyed the outdoors. So I kind of got hooked and thought there weren't other places like it. But with the baby, and living close to London, I need a target that is easier to get to."
First impressions?
"I'm impressed, I really am. I've been spoilt by Scotland, so I expected the Lake District to feel smaller, more populous, with less of a sense of wilderness. But it has its own sense of drama. And you get a sense of how it all fits together pretty quickly, which is cool. And the mountains are more rugged and distinctive than I thought they would be."
What did he think of the accommodation/Langdale Valley/the walk? Will he come back?
"The hotel was great. Excellent taster menu and a fine collection of whiskies, which is always important. I'll definitely be coming back to the Lakes now I've had my preconceptions changed. "
Does walking inspire his comedy?
"I can never really switch off, especially when I'm pounding up a hill; it's good to have something in your head to keep your mind off it. So I do have ideas, but I find it hard to write jokes when I'm walking. I find it easier to write jokes when I'm in a slightly bad mood. A lot of the stuff I write comes from frustration with things, and it's hard to feel frustrated when you're surrounded by incredible beauty."
How does it compare to Essex?
"Pleasingly vertical."
What will he tell his friends about the area? Did the area have any kind of effect on him?
"I still feel it's early days to make a judgement. I don't really know how my ideas will shape themselves after so short a time here. Suffice to say, it has exceeded my expectations and I feel excited about the idea of coming back to find out more."
