After all the snow we had around new year I was hoping there'd still be some left by the time we got to the Lake District at the end of January. Alex and I caught the train up to Carlisle after work on Friday night, picked up a rental car, and found our way to the Elder Grove Bed and Breakfast at Ambleside shortly after midnight.

On Saturday morning, after a quick breakfast and trip to the local shop to grab some food for the day, Iain Gallagher of Kendal Mountaineering Services picked us up from the B&B and we set off for the Langdale Valley and a day in the hills. Thanks go to Iain for a brilliant day out. He designed a day for us based on our request of navigation, scrambling, and general winter skills. We packed a lot into the day and I can certainly say I got a lot out of it. I found the navigation work we did especially useful and the skills I learned will be put to use every time I venture into the hills. The ascent of Jack's Rake was great fun and thanks to the excellent weather we had the views were stunning.