Lots of potatoes...

Our final hiking trip of the year was a whirlwind weekend full of long hikes, scrambles and you guessed it potatoes! From a few brave souls tackling striding edge, a delightful Christmas dinner and an angry pub owner we had a brilliant final trip to sum up the year in arguably one of the best national parks the UK has to offer…the lake district! Our weekend started with the long 4-and-a-half-hour journey from the depths of Churchill college and my first experience driving a very large automatic car, which had the privilege of listening to my extensive music playlist. The bunkhouse of choice was one of the more luxurious abodes we have resided in accommodating an ensuite bathroom for every shared room and possessing enough seats for everyone to sit down in the living area! However, the absolute climax of the weekend focused on the flavourful and exuberant Christmas dinner on the Saturday evening, prepared and cooked by our designated head chef, James Walsh (Walshie) sporting turkey, gravy, Yorkshire puddings, sprouts and enough potatoes to last until Lent term! It is at this point I pose a critical question to the reader: are sprouts essential in a Christmas dinner? This very topic proved a contentious conversation, and I will leave you to decide where I stand on this particular issue. My final memorable note of the weekend was the incapability of our local pub to close at their agreed and advertised closing times as it seems not all are friendly to rain-soaked and wind-beaten students.