Last weekend my grandparents went away to their caravan in the Lake District for a long weekend. When they offered to take me with them, desperate to get away from home for a few days, I jumped at the chance. I decided to turn my phone off and leave my laptop at home, partly because there’s no wi-fi and the signal’s pretty temperamental at best up there and partly because I didn’t exactly expect to get any messages anyway, at least not urgent ones.
On the Saturday it was Lowther Show, which was the main reason my grandparents were heading up there that weekend. Now Lowther Show wasn’t like any show I’ve ever been to before, and I’ve been to a couple over the past few years of varying size. Instead of the usual show jumping, ridden horse classes and livestock classes that I’m used to there were carriage driving classes and gun dog trials. I’ve never seen carriage driving competitions or gun dog trials before but both were fascinating, the gun dogs were (mostly) incredibly well-trained and it was impressive to watch them work with the dummies and after watching the carriage driving made me keen to at least give it ago at some point. There were also Pony Club games heats, which looked great fun, though whilst watching them I decided that Pony Club kids are definitely slightly mad and, if I’m honest, I was more than a little jealous of how easily they were able to vault back onto their ponies at canter.
Sunday morning, slightly hung over and not used to getting out of bed before 11 each day, I got dragged to church, I haven’t been for at least 3 years and a part of me is still amazed that I didn’t spontaneously combust as I walked through the doors. Though I did manage to get to get adopted by a toddler who decided I was his new best friend and happened to be staying at the same campsite as us.
Monday was possibly the best day of the whole weekend. It was sunny and warm and I’d managed to book and hour and a half’s pony trek for the afternoon. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly describe the feeling of being on the back of a horse, but for me it’s possibly the best feeling in the world, especially when the weathers as good as it was. The only damper was the flies. The views were absolutely incredible and I will admit to being slightly jealous of those who worked there and got to ride there all the time.
All in all it was a fabulous weekend and I’d definitely do it again. Though maybe next time I’ll leave my phone on, the number of unexpected texts and calls I had when I turned it back on was actually quite alarming.
Sophie x
A Place of Mine 