Wet Wet Wet. But for some the touch of moisture seeping through anorak seams and the squelchy feel of waterlogged boots is part of the essential Lake District Experience. At Whinlatter the newly opened mountain bike route attracted a small but exuberant clientele who started off soaked to the skin and returned a couple of hours later muddied up to the eyebrows, flashing white toothed adrenaline charged grins. It would seem this Severe Red route inspires enough fear to thoroughly commend it.

But without access to hot baths, warmth and a robust washing machine being wet and cold loses much of its charm. Animals and birds are having to find shelter where they can. The sheep plod across the fields shrouded in their soggy blankets, cows steam away their warmth steadily and chickens huddle under hedges. Only the slugs are happy, out in droves and flexing their jaws in garden munching joy.

2 fish in and 2 comfort flights was all that was dimly seen of our ospreys through the telescopes in intervals between cloud cover and tossing branches. Watching osprey DVDs on the Big Screen and swopping osprey lore and stories from around the country with our volunteer experts at the Whinlatter Visitor Centre was definitely the better place to be.