Inspirational Blog about...the weather!

14th February 2008.

Some people might have thought that a blog starting on 14th February would contain some reference to Valentine’s Day, but Knobbly Stick is nothing if not a very English organisation, so we’ll start with…the weather.

As we all know, the weather is an important consideration for walkers. For the casual walker, deciding whether he/ she will go out today, or redecorate the bathroom, it will influence our decision as to whether to go at all. Those who come on Knobbly Stick holidays seem to want to go out whatever the weather, taking the attitude that since they’ve come on a walking holiday, they’re b!*%”* well going to do some walking!

What really matters, though, is making the most of the day – as the folk song says, “For there's many a dark and a cloudy morning/ turns out to be a sun shining day.” (“Banks of Primroses,” if you’re really interested.) On the other hand, there’s many a sun shining morning that turns out to be a dark and cloudy day (and worse!) And finally, on some days it starts bright and stays bright, and sometimes starts dull and stays dull. Of course, we’re lucky that weather forecasts are getting more and more reliable, although they are not infallible, and we at Knobbly Stick think that they generally veer on the side of the pessimistic – in other words, the weather is often better than forecast. We do always have to remember the old adage, though, “The weather can change quickly in the hills.” We remember it by repeating it interminably…

The point of this rambling is threefold. One to celebrate the fantastic February we’ve had so far. Bright, clear days, and even quite warm at times. We were out yesterday, and did some high quality lounging on Humphrey Head, looking out over Morecambe Bay. Real T-shirt weather it was, although we were mistakenly wearing thermals, because it was February.

Secondly, it’s to point out that there’s no real substitute for local knowledge if you want to make the best of whatever the weather throws at you – it’s not only about safety, but also about enjoying yourself. Thirdly, people ask us if we ever get fed up with doing the same routes. Well, the answer is no, not really, and anyway, we rarely do the same routes over and over again. Most importantly, though the views are always different, because the weather is always (or nearly always) different.

Finally, let’s hope 2008’ s weather continues like this, and we see lots of you soaking up the sun and enjoying the views.