I didn’t do any writing last week.
And, for once, I’m very happy about that.
I spent the week in the Lake District on an adventure week with Galloway’s, a charity supporting blind and visually impaired people.
We were based around Coniston, and the week was packed with activities. It was a chance to get outdoors, try some new things, meet other visually impaired people, and learn how they approach activities that I’d either never tried before or hadn’t thought much about doing without sight.
One of the first adventures was canoeing out on the lake.
We used a tethered raft made from two three-person canoes tied together, which gave us a stable platform for getting out onto the water. The lake itself was surprisingly warm, certainly warmer than I’d expected.
There was plenty of walking too.
We climbed Loughrigg Fell and visited Rydal Cave, which made for a fantastic day out. We also walked around Tarn Hows and did another walk out towards Beacon Tarn.
Being in the Lake District in good weather is always impressive, but spending so much of the week outside, moving through the landscape rather than simply visiting somewhere, gave me a very different experience of it.
The highlight, though, was sailing.
We went out on a Dart catamaran in some very windy conditions.
And it was brilliant.
At one point, we apparently hit around 32 knots. I can’t verify that personally because I was rather occupied with hanging on, but it certainly felt fast.
Really fast.
The combination of the wind, the movement of the boat and the water rushing past was exhilarating. Of everything we did during the week, sailing was the thing that immediately made me think: I need to do more of this.
So I’m now going to have a look at what sailing opportunities there are closer to home.
One of the best parts of the week wasn’t any particular activity, though. It was getting to know the other people there.
It was interesting hearing about how other blind and visually impaired people do things, what activities they’re involved with, and the opportunities that are out there if you know where to look.
I came away with quite a few ideas for things I’d like to try.
And, inevitably, plenty of story fuel.
There’s something useful about getting away from the desk and having completely different experiences. The physical sensations of being on a catamaran in high winds, scrambling up a fell, entering a cave or paddling across a lake are the sort of details that eventually find their way into stories, even when you’re not consciously looking for them.
So, no words written last week.
But after a fantastic week in the Lakes, I think the break was probably worth far more than another few chapters.
Now it’s back to the writing.
Jon
