Lake District Fitness Retreat: CrossFit, Wild Swimming & Fell Hikes

Day one is arrival, settling into the Castle Green Hotel in Kendal and a first coached session at Fell Training Collective, followed by dinner. From there the pattern sets in: breakfast at the hotel, a morning gym block, an outdoor block in the afternoon or early evening, then dinner. The gym work is split into distinct workshops rather than one long generic class — a weightlifting workshop covering the technical lifts, a gymnastics workshop working on skill progressions, a dedicated bodybuilding session (Jess's addition, and the reason it's on the schedule), multiple metcons and daily mobility sessions. Coaches scale every piece, so a beginner working on their first push-up and someone loading a heavy clean get different prescriptions in the same room.

Outdoors, you'll run Cumbrian trails, do an iconic Lakeland hike, paddleboard, and take a guided wild swim paired with a cold water therapy workshop — how to breathe, how to enter cold water safely, how to warm up properly afterwards. The point is to use the Lake District as the training ground, not as a backdrop you look at through a window.

What separates this from a generic UK fitness weekend is the coaching pair and the venue. Chelsea founded Fell CrossFit and is a gymnastics specialist who has coached and competed internationally; Jess has 15 years in artistic gymnastics and CrossFit and heads up coach education at Sleven. You get private use of Fell Training Collective, so the gym is yours and not shared with regular members.

Food is handled properly: hot breakfast at the hotel each morning, two three-course dinners organised for the group, and coffee from Fold Coffee, the sister company. Lunches, snacks, alcoholic and soft drinks aren't included, so budget for those — Kendal town centre is a short walk from the hotel if you'd rather eat out. A professional photographer shoots the weekend, and you leave with a goodie bag worth £50+. Previous editions have added extras like a sip-and-paint evening, restorative yoga and s'mores by the lake, and the organisers add similar flourishes depending on the season.

The location helps: Kendal is the gateway to the Lake District, so the trailheads, swim spots and paddleboard launches are all short drives from the hotel, and the hotel itself is centrally placed for both the gym and town.

What's included

- Weightlifting workshop - Gymnastics workshop - Bodybuilding session - Multiple metcons (conditioning sessions) - Guided day hike in the Lake District - Guided trail run - Wild swimming and cold water therapy workshop - Mobility sessions - Private use of Fell Training Collective gym - 3 nights' accommodation at Castle Green Hotel, Kendal - Hot breakfast each morning at the hotel - 2 x three-course evening meals - Professional photography of the weekend - Goodie bag worth £50+ - Optional extra activities depending on season (previous editions included sip & paint, restorative yoga, s'mores by the lake) - Collection from local train/bus stations on request

What's not included

- Lunches - Alcoholic and soft drinks - Additional snacks - Travel to and from Cumbria - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Optional extras not listed in the retreat schedule