SOTA Lake District Weekend Date: 17-18 Sept 2022 (Part 1)

If we make it we’ll be on a campsite somewhere in our campervan.

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It’s an age thing Andy :wink:. You’ll be saying that they don’t make television shows like they used to next!

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They don’t Andy! :slight_smile:

I have just had my credit card brutally assaulted for a room for this event. Well at least I found somewhere that didn’t want me to stay two nights and is in easy walking distance of the proposed venues even if it doesn’t serve breakfast! As I will be a semi-pensioner I should have asked for a discount for the elderly!

It’s coming to something when renowned “cheap” country Switzerland can do quality mid-summer hotel rooms for 2/3rd price of England :wink:

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It is the same for every type of accommodation in the UK. I paid 50% more for our family camping holiday this year compared to 2019. The staycation boom has a lot to answer for!

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Thanks for organising this Mark. Liz and I will be coming along and look forward to meeting some more SOTA folks. I really enjoyed last year’s LD get together and don’t know how this topic missed my attention on the reflector for so long.

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All booked now. Fri-Mon. I’ve paid extra for good weather. Thanks Mark

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Let’s hope you won’t need to demand a refund for that extra.

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Where did you find that hotel that offers good wx for a tad extra dollar??? Will they franchise into wales?? :rofl::rofl::rofl:

I’m sure they do Ben, because they insisted on charging me in Welsh pounds :wink:

It’s (nearly) always nice when I camp :rofl:. Just need to pull my finger out and I can celebrate my Goathood in the pub with you all.

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Hahaaa, there worth more than those English notes :rofl:

Your nearly there, deffo look forward to celebrating and having a pint with you buddy! Keep up the good work :+1:

Beware of Andy - he lies like a cheap watch! :rofl:

Will be up for this one…

Martin

It’s a little early for accuracy but I thought I’d research on the web.

Weather25 seem to have found a comfortable seat on one of the many fences in the area:
“You can expect rain for roughly half of the month of September in Lake District. We’re expecting roughly 8 to 15 days of rain, so your rubber boots and umbrella are going to see plenty of use this month if you’re keen on staying dry.”

Responsibletravel are a little more optimistic:
“From September it gets milder, you can expect temperatures around 9°C, but it’s a wonderful season for walking.”

Weathertab however seem happy to put their reputation on the line with a daily prediction!

The wise visitor to the Lakes will be prepared for anything and bring a smile!

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I wouldn’t trust a site that gives strange temperatures.

And big wallet stuffed with cash. I had a business class hotel in Switzerland with a comfortable room, 300mbps internet connection (it was faster than the old wifi in my travel laptop could go), 2 zillion channels on the TV AND a delicious breakfast with more variations on ham/cheese and fresh breads than I have seen in years for £20 less than my Windermere hotel which has NO BREAKFAST.

It comes to something when Switzerland is cheaper than the UK :confounded:

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Hah! Predicting a daily G/LD forecast 11 weeks out is daft. We just had a heavy rain shower here in south Cumbria. This morning‘s forecast said there was a 6% chance of precipitation. I decide what to wear on the morning of activation

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On a serious note about LD weather, it can vary a lot over a small distance and time interval. We have our own micro climate on the River Kent estuary and it often stays dry here when Kendal (only 8 miles away) and places further north get the rain.

So [albeit not wanting to teach your grandmother how to suck eggs] check the wx forecast for the local area you’re walking, preferring at the summit where the ‘feels like’ temperature is often much lower than at the base. The Met Office does forecasts for most of the bigger summits.

It’s a shame that seems to be the case. But then when you are following one of the local property owners up the high street in his brand new Porsche you can see where all that money goes.

I would hope that prices become more reasonable as air travel opens up again, but as always I’m sure there will be significant lag or it will require a signifiicant drop in demand for accomodation before that happens.

Mark.

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Somewhat OT: Having just flown Edinburgh<>Geneva with Easyjet for the rally I saw no issues really in either Edinburgh or Geneva. Edinburgh didn’t look busy or quiet, just sort of average as I remembered it pre-lockdowns when I’d typically do 3 flights a year. I arrived too early for check-in at both ends but when I could self check -in of my luggage was simple. Security at Edinburgh took 15mins, yes lots of people but the only time I was standing still was when I waited for them to manually look in my bag, the 817’s rubber duck being the issue. Airside seemed quieter but not much. Flight was 5 mins later leaving. At Geneva it took about 15mins for luggage to arrive and it took me longer to find car hire than to hire the car. So zero problems.

Geneva return flight was delayed. I knew it would be as it was the last flight that plane makes and it had been getting 10mins delay here and there during the day. 1h20mins or so delay. But it was £28 instead of £90 for the earlier flight. I’d have drunk more but it was £7.67 for 0.5L of nice beer and the bar shut 50mins before my gate opened! Swiss security was good. At Edinburgh I had to put all the electronics in the tray not in the bag (laptop, 2x phones, camera, 817) but in Geneva the guard was uninterested in me emptying my bag, “we don’t do that any more”. It was pulled for a closer look on the screen where the X-ray image was 3d and could be rotated on screen. No real issues through Edinburgh and for once, the first time I recall, the Border Force guy on passport control was pleasant and smiling despite the electronic gates failing for most passports! Bags were quick.

So my experience was it was no better or worse than the last flights I made in November 2019. Having heard so much about terrible delays at airports, it was just as crap as I remember flying always is. My second ever flight was in 1984 when I flew 1st Class with Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong (someone else paid). That was when flying was glamorous even cattle class. Contrast how flying has become the pits in those 38 years does make me wonder why we put up with the rubbish service. But there were no huge queues or issues. Just not enough A/C and silly prices and staff who never smile. I don’t know why Edinburgh is free (apparently) of problems when English airports are allegedly collapsing under strain and having so many problems.

Just for fun, airline ticket felt about what I’d expect, car hire was unbelievable, fuel prices are fuel prices, hotels are more expensive, people were asking daft prices at the FN rally, reminds me of early 90s. So 6 days in Switzerland/Germany (and 5 mins in France, don’t ask!) cost me about £1100. Which is a lot for 2 days at a rally and 4 completes but I got to meet up with my friends I haven’t seen since June 2019 and meet people for the 1st that I’d only met online/on-air. There’s no price you can put on that especially when I have lost friends in that period.

I’ll moan about Windermere prices but in the end I’ll get to meet up with friends again. Cheap really :wink:

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We’ve flown out of Manchester three times in the past three months and whilst security queues were large the delay was never more than 30 mins. The media have a frenzy over this sort of thing. I do know folk who’ve been caught up in it worst, but it isn’t inevitable and last time they did appear to be getting a good grip on it.

Flight delays appear to be more common at the moment. We missed a train connection and had to re-purchase tickets. That’s as bad as it has got, and I pretty much consider that normal.

Mark.

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