A Hen Do Weekend in Keswick

A few weeks ago, I headed up to the Lake District for my lovely friend Laura’s hen do.

As Laura is a big fan of all things outdoorsy, the Lakes – Keswick specifically – was the perfect location for a hen do that was less L plates and shots, more hard hats and rock climbing. Although we did tear up Keswick’s one and only nightclub and stumble home at 2.30am, as is hen do tradition.

We stayed in an absolutely beautiful house just outside Keswick’s town centre which was the perfect base for exploring. I’d never been to Keswick before, so I took 30 minutes to wander round and snap some shots of our surroundings. Those rolling hills give everything such an amazing, dramatic feel!

Our main activity for the weekend was the Via Ferrata mountain climbing experience. Yep – we climbed a mountain. Fleetwith Pike, to be exact. Via Ferrata is Latin for ‘iron way’, and the mountain is punctuated with iron railings to help you along. We made our way up first, then after a quick lesson in caribiner etiquette (never, ever unclip them both together or you may fall to your death… reassuring), we headed down, around a corner suspended hundreds of feet above the ground (terrifying), across and then up an overhanding ladder which was a real workout for my puny upper arms.

After a quick and horrifying walk across a rusty steel bridge with no handrail and a clamber up a mountainside covered in loose slate, we took a shortcut through a pitch black cave and emerged at the top of the world.

I’m not much of an outdoor adventurer and tend to only do these kind of things when chivvied on by this particular group of friends, but despite being absolutely terrified during the climb the feeling of exhilaration at the top was overwhelming. The views went on for miles and the scenery was just spectacular. As a group we carried each other, sharing words of support and yelling encouraging cheers every time someone made it to the top. It was such an amazing experience, especially for a hen do where not everyone knows each other – we all bonded especially quickly after helping each other up and down a mountain!

Of course, we did some rather more glamorous activities too – like a Roaring Twenties dance class (represented in gif form above), a French-themed Murder Mystery and drinking pitchers of Pimm’s in the sunshine. There was also a Brownies theme, a rousing game of miniature golf, plenty of dancing and a willy cake. What a great weekend!

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