GRAYTHWAITE ADVENTURE

Muddy Madam and I recently received an invite to visit Graythwaite Adventure up in the Lake District, for a morning of activities of our choosing. Not having heard of them before, I did a quick Google search, and found that on the shores of Windermere, the Graythwaite Estate covers 5,000 acres of carefully managed estate land, woodland and parkland. Within the estate you can enjoy activities such as 4×4 Off Road Driving, ClayPigeon Shooting, Archery, Canoeing, Paddle Boarding, (pause for breath), Axe Throwing, Bushcraft, RIB Rides, Drive‘n’Dine Experiences, Estate Picnics and more.

The answer was obviously ‘yes please’, but the difficult bit was deciding which of the varied activities that Tim and Sara offer we’d like to experience. The obvious choice would have been to spend all morning driving around on their purpose-built off-road course with one of their BORDA trained off-road instructors, but after deliberating the options with Muddy Madam, we decided to go for off-road driving, archery and axe throwing.

Upon arrival we met up with James who would be our instructor for all the activities. I already knew James, not only have we been out laning together in the past, but he was the Cumbrian GLASS rep for a while, and all round good bloke. After catching up, and the obligatory safety briefing, we jumped in the Defender 110 and he drove us to the start of the off-road course a couple of hundred yards up the road. At this point, much to Muddy Madam’s shock, she was informed that it would be her who would be driving, as I wanted to take the photos.

Before vacating the driver's seat, James went through some of the safety basics to be aware of while driving off the beaten track - such things as keeping your thumbs away from the inside of the steering wheel, and not ‘riding’ the clutch.

With me out of the way finding decent vantage points for photos, James, in his calming yet authoritative voice, guided Muddy Madam to drive over and through a selection of fairly challenging sections.

One of the many good things about the tracks around the Graythwaite Estate is that due to the weather, and forestry trucks, they are ever changing.

What made the experience even better was that each section had it’s own variety of challenges to overcome.

As much as I enjoy taking Land Rovers around the Eastnor Castle estate, you’re basically driving along in ruts, slippery ruts maybe, but ruts all the same, without the option to deviate from them.

As Muddy Madam said afterwards, although James knows the tracks like the back of his hand, and knows exactly where the Defender will struggle, he let her make mistakes.

On the few sections in which the Defender struggled and lost forward motion, they jumped out to survey what was causing the loss of traction, and discussed the correct way forward.

This allowed her, with James' assistance when needed, to work out how to do it correctly, and to practise useful things such as failed hill climbs.

An hour in and it was my turn to get behind the wheel - no pressure then.

At this point I was rudely reminded of how snug a Defender’s cabin is, especially if you are an almost twenty stone, six foot plus bloke, wearing size twelve wellies!

Cramped and a bit uncomfortable as the old Defenders may be, they remain amazing off-road vehicles. With diff-lock engaged, I slotted it into first gear low-box, and with my feet firmly planted on the floor, the big old bus chugged around the challenging course with ease, with only the odd, gentle squeeze of the accelerator where necessary.

I think because James was aware that I knew what I was doing, he threw in a couple of tricky hill climbs into the mix where controlled momentum was required. I have to admit that I stalled the 110 a few times, but it was a good opportunity for me to practise failed hill climbs as well. You know the drill; splutter, splutter blur, foot hard on the brake, slot it into reverse, let your foot off the brake and start the engine.

The Graythwaite Estate has the only purpose-built off-road course in the Lake District, and even if you’re a seasoned 'offroader’ I’m confident you’ll not only be challenged by the steep inclines and descents, leans and water crossings, but you’ll come away with some new skills, as well as a huge smile on your face.

Time flies when you’re having fun, and after a couple of hours driving it was time to try our hand at axe throwing.

Again, after the all-important safety briefing, James went through some of the basics and showed us how to expertly throw the axe into a target.

After watching James, we were let loose. Lobbing axe after axe, both Muddy Madam and I tried our best to embrace our inner lumberjack, and tried in vain not to miss the target - which, of course, we both did (ermmm, I think you and I may recall this differently, but luckily I have the photographic evidence to prove that I did get an axe in the centre of the target! - M.M.)

It’s really good fun, and I can see why axe throwing has taken off (no pun intended) in the UK to become a popular pastime.

Next was archery, a hobby that Muddy Madam had enjoyed around a decade ago until she became old (oh the cheek!! - M.M.), and developed a frozen shoulder!

Again, after a safety briefing, James stood well back, and let us 'loose a few arrows' (archery lingo for take a few shots) before he decided it would be fun to pit Muddy Madam and I against each other with a target points competition - 3 rounds of 3 arrows, and whoever had the highest score wins. Let’s just say Muddy Madam was rusty, and I had beginner's luck on my side (hmmm, not how I remember it - M.M.).

Then just for fun we had a go at a William Tell style shooting of an apple (fortunately not off anyone's head).

Despite the weather, Muddy Madam and I had a great time, which is hardly surprising as Tim and Sara have been designing, organising and delivering activities and experiences since the 1990s, and way back when the world had a bit of normality about it, they won the Cumbria Tourism 2019 ‘Experience of the Year’ award, so you’re pretty well guaranteed a good time.

If you are planning a trip up to the Lake District and want to have a go at a variety of new experiences, make sure you head to Graythwaite Adventure, you won't regret it.

more at » www.graythwaiteadventure.co.uk