Hi and thanks for making me feel old!

I got sent a link to some pictures from an old friend in Workington. It’s the Workington to Keswick Charity Walk.

Back in the day I was one of the nutters who used to run it and I’m the second in from the right of the first photo with the dodgy haircut, Michael Palmer.

I think that was the second or third time I’d completed that run and I remember it was always cold but never really bad weather. Until one time when it just rained the whole day (I think that was the last time I did it!).

The weather was atrocious and I remember finally reaching Buttermere (was that 19 mile?) completely wet through and thinking “What am I doing?”.

My father-in-law-to-be caught up with me in his car at the bottom of Honister, got his wife to drive and ran with me the remaining 10 miles or so into Keswick.

I could have murdered him the last four to five miles into Keswick. The road is so twisty and goes on forever. He kept say “Keep going, just around the next corner”.

Of course I’d get around the next corner and there was another straight with another bend. It has to be the longest five miles from Grange into Keswick when you’re running it and already done a marathon!

I only have great memories of running that course, and the scenery and beauty of the Lake District is what I believe makes it one of the best in the world.

From the sprawling farmers' fields between Workington and Mockerkin to the fells starting at Fangs Brow to Keswick and who could forget Honister Pass.

I never understood when someone said it’s harder to run (really it was a walk trying to stop yourself from running) down Honister than it is to go up it until I tried it. Boy were they right.

I’d be telling fibs if I said I hadn’t put on any weight or lost a hair or two but hey it was 33 years ago.

In 2004 we left Cumbria and hopped across to Perth, Western Australia.

I still miss the Lake District and although we have Aussie kids, Cumbria will always be home.

It’s a shame we can’t move back to Cumbria and bring the weather with us. It would be heaven!

Does the walk still happen? I hope so.

Mike Palmer