The Lakes in winter

For the past couple of weekends we've been making a point of getting up wayyy before the crack of dawn and heading out to the Lakes for a weekend of wandering on the fells. We usually stay in one of the Travelodges around there for £29 a night and get a hearty meal at a pub near Kendal or Penrith on Saturday evening, but the real star of the show is the walks.

The Lakes will always be busy, but there's a local feel to the Lakes in January and February: kids are at school, the weather's usually hostile, and the hills and crags are populated by dog walkers and fell runners keen to chat and get the beta on the surrounding summits: where you've been, where you're going. It's no North Pennines, where you can go a day without seeing a soul nearer than 3 miles away, but it sure is a fun way to spend a couple of days off.