Ellie and Edd spread their wings in the Lake District where they reconnected with the magic of the mountains and the small ecosystems they harbour.

'I have been coming to the Lake District with my family for holidays for as long as I can remember. In particular, we have rented one of two cottages in Loweswater, in the north-west side of the Lake District. My parents found this area when coming from Lincoln with family friends over the years and liked it as it felt less discovered.

This year, Edd and I found ourselves a little cottage just outside of Keswick, in the centre of the Lake District. It was Edd’s first time and I wanted him to get a taste of everything the Lakes has to offer, reinforcing how lucky we are to live on an island with so much diversity of landscape. Living on the border of Devon and Cornwall, in the Tamar Valley, we are lucky to be able to hop onto Bodmin moor and Dartmoor but, for me, nothing quite compares to the Lake District.

We decided (helpfully enabled by the weather!) to tackle three big mountain walks with rest days in-between. The first was Haystacks, along to High Crag and High Style, where we found ourselves on a questionable path down the mountain, looking onto a beautiful tarn before the climb up to the summit of Red Pike. The second was Helvelyn via Striding Edge: this was an experience like no other! Setting off from Glenridding at 7:20am we were up on Striding Edge by 9:10am, seeing out to the coast and into the Eden valley. Finally, Scafell Pike which we approached through the corridor after Lingmell Beck, with Great Gabel looking over us and descended down Brown Tongue.

Climbing England’s highest mountain has to be the ultimate test for a pair of socks and, I can safely say, the Silverstick pair were snug, comfy and, after all that climbing and descending, miraculously I had no blisters! Similarly, the t-shirt was super comfy and light with the jumper being the perfect addition when the wind picked up and we found ourselves in the clouds. I love the colours of the clothes too - they compliment the surrounding colours in nature perfectly, from the purple carpets of heather which surrounded us up high to the dark grey, rippling water in the lakes at the bottom of the mountains.

It’s amazing what untouched landscapes you stumble upon in the Lake District, little ecosystems with so much richness of colour and life. Being up in the clouds and feeling like you’re on a beach by the surrounding pebbles and calm, yet being as far from sea level as possible... such a magical feeling.

On our final day, Edd and I went for a dip in Loweswater lake, experiencing the new rope swing which replaced a slightly lower and less terrifying one! Walking back up to the village we were both warm and cosy in our Silverstick jumpers, feeling content and already looking forward to coming back.'