People, places and businesses in Keswick and the surrounding area have been recognised in The Great Outdoors Reader Awards.
The magazine’s awards have been running for 11 years and are recognised as a celebration of the best of outdoor culture. Readers voted for the nominees from a shortlist.
The 3 Dads Walking won the Campaign or Campaigner of the Year category for their efforts to raise thousands for the suicide charity Papyrus.
Among the trio is Threlkeld-born Andy Airey who was a long-standing director of George Fisher in Keswick.
In 2021 he teamed up with Mike Palmer, of Greater Manchester and Tim Owen, of Norfolk, to walk 300-miles between each other’s homes in memory of their daughters, whom they each lost to suicide. And last year the three dads successfully completed a walk taking in much of the UK. Starting in Northern Ireland, they strode through Scotland, Cumbria and Wales before finishing at the gates of the Houses of Parliament in London.
One reader shared their moving reason for voting for 3 Dads Walking, saying: “My brother took his own life six years ago and I know he would have supported everything these dads do to help young people struggling with their mental health. To keep putting one foot in front of the other, and do it for other people, is truly amazing.”
The Wainwright pub in Keswick was commended in the Walkers’ Pub of the Year Award category which was won by the Clachaig Inn, Glen Coe.
The citation to The Wainwright read: “With local ales flowing, good food, and a town-centre location, the flow of muddy-booted folk through this Keswick local is constant all-year-round.
“Committed Wain-wright-baggers, hikers and holiday visitors to the area – as well as their dogs, of course – are all welcomed with a warm smile.”
The YHA at Borrowdale won the Hostel or Bunkhouse of the Year award and was described as being “perfectly positioned for the Borrowdale pub crawl!”
One reader described it as a place to lay your head as particularly “homely after a wander to some Wainwrights” and others liked the family-friendly approach where “nothing is too much trouble”.
One voter summed it up with this observation: “Because it always rains in Borrowdale and you stay dry in the YHA.”
Hostel manager Aaron Jones said: “Our little hostel was built here in one of the Lake District’s most beautiful locations 90 years ago, and today it still fulfils YHA’s original mission: to help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside.
“Everyone at YHA knows this is more important than ever in current times – promoting good physical and mental health, recreation and education for all. The team here in our little corner of the Borrowdale Valley work hard to achieve this.”
In the same category, the YHA at Helvellyn was commended for its friendly staff, welcoming atmosphere and buzzing social spaces. It also has on its doorstep some of the finest starter scrambling in Striding Edge and Swirral Edge.
Needle Sports in Keswick was commended in the independent retailer award category. Named after Napes Needle, that iconic rocky pinnacle on the side of Great Gable, the store has been catering to climbers, mountaineers and hikers since 1990. Impressed readers consistently cited the customer service and friendly advice on offer. One voter said: “It is a little treasure trove of outdoor gear – for a very small shop there’s an awful lot of stock and the staff are so helpful and knowledgeable.”
The Outdoor Book of the Year winner was Fell Asleep by Russ Moorhouse and charts his mission to bivvy on every single Wainwright fell in the Lake District.
