After taking our first baby on a plane to Austria at only 10 weeks old, and then again at 6 months old, it took us astonishingly long to venture into the Lake District for the first time. What anxious young parents we were, just look at the enormous backpack we lugged around with us! I can't remember how many changes of clothes, nappies, blankets etc. I had stuffed into it prior to our departure.
Martin was 7 months old, and a dear friend of mine from Austria was visiting us at the time. We were heading for Patterdale/Glenridding and hiked along the eastern shore of Ullswater. Having found a lovely spot for our picnic, we discovered for the first time the universal law of nature that children clearly have a much larger appetite when they are outdoors...
And we learned something else: While a baby is being lulled into a comfortable sleep, being carried through the lovely countryside, walking definitely tires the grown-ups. Then back in the car, the baby realises that he has slept enough and needs to stay awake for the boring car journey. I fondly remember my friend and I digging out our full repertoire of Austrian folk songs, while Ben was concentrating on driving us home safely despite all the action that was going on in the car. Believe me - it needed a lot of singing, waving, peek-a-booing etc to keep Martin happy and smiling on the way home...
Photographs courtesy of H. Gartner
