Wingfoiling opens up new spots all over, Rou Chater foils a lake high in the Lake District

Rou Chater ends up at the shore of England's deepest lake in the shadow of Englands highest mountain with his wing.

In a world-first, I think, I was probably, (69% certain) the first person to wingfoil on Wastwater in the Lake District. So what's special about that? Well, it's England's deepest lake, and it sits under England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike.

Unlike some European countries where winging is a purely lake driven affair, the UK is more of a coastal destination. No matter where you are in England, you are only ever 50 miles from the coast. As such, most wingfoilers here prefer beaches to lakes; it's usually easier to drive to the sea than it is to a lake for most of us.

I hadn't really planned this trip; it was one of those things that just happened. Most people head to the Lake District with walking boots, a mountain bike or maybe a canoe. It's an area more famous for its climbing community than for its watersports.

In August, I took some time out of the office and was travelling around the UK looking for places to surf, kite and wing. I'd just been at the BKSA Championships in Ramsgate and decided that while that was the only place with any wind or waves in the UK at the time, it was high time I put some miles in away from my old hometown.

I hatched a plan to visit my friend Jo Wilson who lives near Kendall in the Lake District, I hadn't seen her since pre-Covid, and it felt like a good time to get out there and catch up. Before I had left on this trip, I'd packed just about everything in the van, kite gear, wing gear, MTB gear, the OneWheel, camping gear, a few pairs of pants, a couple of t-shirts and some jeans.

It was refreshing to have a fully loaded van for once; usually, I pick a spot and just take the equipment I need. However, this time I was planning on being on the road for a while and figured that having all the toys as many as I could fit in the van was a good move! I've spent a fair bit of time in the Lakes, it's a stunning part of the UK, but I honestly was planning on using the walking boots more than anything.

While there is incredible mountain biking there, you need to know the trails, and I was just going to catch up with Jo and her family. If I'm honest, winging in the Lake district was pretty far from my mind!

We decided to spend a couple of nights in the western Lake District, an hour or so from Jo's home. The plan was to camp out, cook some good food over a fire and do some walking and climbing. There was certainly no mention of a wing session at the outset.

We headed to the Duddon Valley, then up to the Hardknott Pass and down into Eskdale and finishing up at Wastwater. Jo's husband Chris grew up in the Duddon Valley; he's a proficient climber and knows the area very well, so we had a great guide for finding all the best spots along the way.

We had a fantastic BBQ and firepit by the River Duddon before driving deeper into the Lakes and up and over the Hardknott Pass. If you've never driven this route, I highly recommend it; it's mind-blowing. We arrived at Wastwater the next day, and there was a sight I wasn't expecting to see. Whitecaps on the lake…

Jo is an incredible kitesurfer and coach, and she'd been asking me about the wing as she hadn't tried it yet. I'd been waxing lyrical about it, and she asked if I'd be able to wing on the lake. Looking at the conditions, it was far from perfect, but that is what the wing is amazing for. The wind was gusting down the lake off the mountains, it looked doable, but there were fairly long windless periods between each puff.

I looked and thought about it for a while, weighed up the risk assessment that I always do. Worst case scenario, I end up on the other side of the lake, and the wind dies completely, and I paddle back, no real danger, but the wind was toying with me. The white caps disappeared, and it became a millpond once more.

I've been doing a LOT of surfing lately but hadn't paddled aboard for a while, so I decided as the wind was gone, I'd just paddle my 6'1" surfboard across the lake for exercise and for something to do. So I got suited, got in the water and started paddling. The wind gods were watching, I was in the middle, and the white caps returned, except now I had a fairly hefty paddle back to the van to get the ring gear.

In my mind, I knew the wind would drop as soon as I pumped up. I paddled back anyway; it was still blowing as I got the wing out of the van. I rigged up and raced back into the water, it was super flukey, and I got up and went on the foil only for the worst to happen; the wind died completely like it always does when I was on the other side of the lake.

I started swimming back. Of course, I made it almost back to the shore, and it picked up again. This time I had a solid twenty minutes of riding and carving around the lake. It was stunning, the mountains all around me, the blue sky and these incredible screes on the other side.

Then the wind died again, but instead of swimming, I just sat in the water and took in the stunning surroundings. The huge scree slopes on the far side seemed to tower over my head, and the view of the Great Gable mountain at the far end of the lake provided an incredible backdrop.

The wind returned after about ten minutes, but this time it stayed and didn't drop. I was treated to an incredible session cruising around the lake; I'm fairly sure I'm the first person to do so; after all, why would you drive all this way with wing gear anyway? It's not known for the wind here, and the coast is just a short distance away with far better wind conditions. 

It is easily one of the most beautiful spots to wing in England, surrounded by nature, no one else on the water and just a cowboy and a few walkers watching on the shore. It showcased just how good the wing is; it was gusty, going from 20 knots to zero frequently. Sometimes I was flying; sometimes, I was just sitting waiting.

In the end, as the sun started to set, I decided I had chanced my arm enough; I'd winged on the deepest lake in England, it's so deep the bottom of it is 50m below sea level, and all in the shadow of the highest mountains in England too! As a bonus, Jo Wilson was convinced that wing foiling is the way forward, so that's another convert to the cause!

By Rou Chater
Rou Chater has been kitesurfing for over twenty years, paddleboarding for the last six years, and was there testing the first wingsurfer from Naish in Tarifa when it arrived on the continent. He is passionate about riding waves and exploring new places. As the publishing editor, he oversees everything at Tonic but also our sister magazines IKSURFMAG and IMB. He's been on the water since he was born and has never looked back, in the winter you'll find him chasing swells in the Caribbean and during the summer he can be found all over Europe at various SUP, Kitesurf and Mountain Bike events getting features for the magazines.

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