What a lovely view of the snow in them there hills.
This is the snowy scene that we met when we arrived at Wastwater on the Sunday morning to dive.
Thankfully the water temperature was a lovely 7degC but it was rather cold when putting the kit away.

Lakes Trip April 2008

The Lakes trip has a simple format, cheap youth hostel/backpacker accomodation, eat out in the local pubs, cook our own breakfast and diving in the local lakes. This is the 6th year that York Sub-Aqua Club has visited the Lakes and I think we will be coming here again next year. But maybe with a slight change to the plan. The objective is to get members of the club to socialise and to give some of the newer members the chance to get a bit of diving experience just before the diving season starts.

Friday 4th April 2008
We leave York on the Friday afternoon, and the first wave, meet up at the Cockermouth Youth Hostel (YHA) and arrange the accomodation. However this trip seems to be a bit confused, are there 9 or 10 on the trip. Patrick the trip organiser eventually sorts the problem out with the hostel manager. Bags into the rooms and off we go to Cockermouth town centre for a few beers and an evening meal. We land on the Tithe Barn pub, and order the evening meal. Not everyone has turned up but they are not far behind. 10.30 and we have to make tracks to the hostel. Back at the hostel there is still confusion about the numbers of people we have. Beware, this hostel runs a curfew.

Saturday 5th April
Russ's alarm goes off at 6.45am and up for breakfast at 7.30 Russ is the chef and produces a fantastic breakfast. Patrick is walking about with his clip board, muttering 5.3 minutes ahead of schedule.
The alert goes out, Red Squirrel on the tree. Apparently Cockermouth youth hostel is a haven for Red Squirrels. Yes they are there. (Check out the photos)
After breakfast we pack up and off to the first dive site.
We assemble at the usual place on the edge of Crummock Water. Crummock Water is dive one. The weather is good and quite sunny and there are no problems with parking.
We all complete the dive and pack up ready for the short trip to Buttermere. We have dived Crummock Water on a previous trips but this is a first for Buttermere. We make our way to the and of Buttermere and park in the small layby. Buttermere has viz about 6 - 8metres, but essentially a very boring bottom. It is also quite silty. We pack up and off to Cockermouth again.
Next task is to visit the West Lakes Sub-Aqua Club for air fills. Big thanks to Kevin for helping us here. West Lakes Sub-Aqua Club have always been very helpful to us when we have asked for air fills. They have very good facilities at Cockermouth. Beware Market Street is closed at the town end. Bottles filled and off we head off to Wasdale.
We arrive at Wasdale Youth Hostel (YHA) at about 5pm. Some of us chose to take some pictures of the hall and the daffodils. Then ready for a shower. We are booked in at the Screes pub for evening meal. It is a couple of miles from the youth hostel to the pub and it is a walk in darkness so we all have a torch to see on the way back. Screes is good value for money and good beer. Plenty of Jennings and Yates beers. Evening meal finished and they roll out a folk band. We have a feeling the folk people are trying to take over the pub. Then we walk back to the hostel in the darkness.

Sunday 6th April 2008
Again the alarm goes off at 6.45 and off to the shower before breakfast. Russ is again chef and one or two people are out taking pictures of the peaks at the Wasdale head end, as they are now covered in snow. 7.30am breakfast. The kitchen facilities at the Wasdale Youth Hostel are somewhat disappointing this year. The hostel now has its own catering and restaurant and the utensils in the guest kitchen are minimal to say the least. A few years ago the kitchen had lots of pans and cooking trays. This time we had to go and borrow stuff from the main kitchen. Get the feeling they are trying to discourage us from self catering. 8.30 and we are finished breakfast and off to the Wastwater dive site. Patrick still waving his clip board. Yes we are still on schedule.
Dive 3 at Wastwater. Well it is very cold this morning but we at least are the only ones so far.
I saw a 5" fish which looked a bit like a trout. So there must be bigger stuff in there somewhere.
Wastwater is normally cold but today it seems warm compared to the near freezing land temperature. Well everyone enjoyes diving Wastwater. It is difficult packing up due to the cold. Off back to Neither Wasdale for Sunday Lunch of Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding. We all decided to keep away from the high passes on the way back to York due to the snow.

Nice weekend was had by all.

Thanks to Patrick for organising.