Sunday mornings are never about lie ins these days and the morning light on the drive away from Cautley, immediately proved the alarm call was going to be worth it. Yeah there is a, very quiet and empty, motorway drive up to Penrith, but then the lake side road that bends along the very edges of Ullswater is one of my favourite routes around the Lake District.

As we reach the Northern tip of Lake Ullswater, the car park there is already busy and I can see the early morning swimmers getting changed by their car boots. I see two ladies crossing the road from the lake in wetsuits and carrying a turquoise gardening trug, which must be the new stylish way to dump your wet stuff in to put in your car after a swim. Previously it was one of those blue Ikea bags, but I do like the idea of a bright coloured trug for those days when you are not very far from the car. Somebody just needs to invent a swimmers version that has an elasticated cover you can pull over it for when you are in the water incase it rains and you don’t want your dry clothes to get wet.

The road continues to bend around as we head further down the lake to one of my favourite places to swim. Yes it is by the road and you can hear the cars, but there is something about the rugged mountains around you when you swim further in to the lake that makes everything else disappear.

At our designated spot, a group of kayakers are just finishing their breakfast baps made on a camping stove and are getting ready to take their journey on the lake. As is quite usual in the morning, somebody is sat floating in the shallows on their paddleboard, surrounded by birds as they throw crumbs to them.

The thing I like about this swimming spot is that there is not much to walk across in the shallows before it drops off and you and your shoulders are plunged in to the water as you kick out towards those vast mountains. The wind is chilly so I am glad to be under the water, but today the temperature stings the backs of my arms, but I soon forget that, as I breathe in the stunning view ahead. It may not be sunny today and there is a gray light, but being a little dot in a vast lake makes everything just feel great. There are slight ripples of gentle bobbing waves today and eventually I look back to the shoreline to see how far across we have been blown by the water. A reminder that Mother Nature is never to be under estimated and maybe it is time to get out. As we turn to head back, several geese take flight and it feels as though they skim over Damian’s head making us both beam with smiles.

The second reason to swim in this location this morning was so I could visit the Great 8 Print exhibition at Rheged, which is an annual exhibition, this year featuring over 400 prints from 58 artists. Rheged is a fascinating building built in to the landscape and I never leave without browsing the lifestyle shops and deli.

If you get the chance, do take an hour to visit the exhibition. The artwork is just beautiful and such a range of styles that I think anyone who enters the gallery could find a print they love. I could have bought about 6 of them, as a narrowed down shortlist, but hey ho, there just aren’t that many pennies in my piggy bank. I did leave feeling very inspired though and what a wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning.

Get up early, swim, art and back for lunch before the guests check out.

January 22nd : Lake District, Ullswater & Rheged