Back in the Lake District
And it's book launch week! An update, of sorts.
My new book Walk Britain comes out this week, on February 6th. It’s a collection of 90 walking/running routes all of which are public transport friendly, taking you on car-free adventures all over England, Wales and Scotland. You still have a few days to pre-order and be entered into a prize draw to win some Darn Tough socks (the best!) and a Komoot subscription.
It’s early on Monday morning and I’m eating a slice of toast (the end bit) with marmalade we bought from an honesty hut yesterday evening. When it’s Sunday night and you’re in the depths of South Cumbria and no shops are open, you can always rely on an honesty hut. Or you can on this one, at least, which is less of a hut and more of a full self-service shop. Homemade jams and nice sausages from the butcher and freshly grown veg. Carrots with actual tops on! Cheese, butter, coffee, fruit, yoghurt, milk, bread.
There’s something about the honesty hut that feels extremely comforting to me. We constantly hear about all the awful things going on in the world and it makes you feel like you should be frightened all the time. Yet here’s an unlocked hut full of treats and to pay you just write down a list of what you’ve had in a little notebook, and either put cash in the money box or input your own details into the card reader. And that system can’t get abused too much, can it, or they simply wouldn’t keep running the hut?