Families made the most of a rare weather event by ice skating on a beauty spot lake after finding it frozen solid.
Stunning aerial footage recalling an Alpine scene shows the locals gliding over the slick, crystalline surface.
Skaters got stuck in after recent sub-zero temperatures caused the body of water to solidify completely.
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Climate change means frozen-over lakes are now a lesser-spotted sight than they were in the 20th century for many Brits.
The Tewet Tarn – “tarn” meaning lake – is located near Keswick, in the Cumbrian Lake District.
Local Alasdair Boden said families could not wait to make the most of the natural ice skating rink.
“Skating on Tewet Tarn is a tradition going back over hundreds of years,” he told What’s The Jam.
“It used to regularly freeze over, but sadly it’s much less frequent now.
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“We have stories of people skating on it hundreds of years ago.
“It used to be a regular thing – some people even did curling on it.
“In the summer we swim and fish in the tarn.
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“The setting is stunning.
“Blencathra, one of the highest mountains in the lake district, is near.
“From the tarn, you’re surrounded by views of the highest mountains in England, including Helvellyn.
“We live on a farm across the valley from the tarn and when word gets out that it’s frozen, a group of family and friends head over. All just word of mouth.”
Insisting that the practice is safe, Alasdair went on: “Some people raise eyebrows about ice skating, but to locals this is life in the Lakes.
“We calculate the risk, we know the tarn is thick enough as we test it and only skate in groups with safety equipment and a flask of hot water to keep us warm.
“For our kids, it’s a real social event and they learn how to calculate safety of life.
“We relish, and live for, moments like this when we can breath and enjoy the most beautiful part of the world, the Lake District.
“We know what we’re doing and skate with very experienced people on a small tarn that is very well known to us.”
He added: “We moved up in 2019, but I am from the area originally.
“We have a small farm with Highland cows and offer accommodation in a range of converted farm buildings.”
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