A joyous non-residential weekend gathering of singers in the Borrowdale Valley, with Dave Camlin, Helen Chadwick and Roxane Smith.

With the Borrowdale Institute in the heart of the valley for our base, we will have two days of morning singing workshops led by Dave, Helen and Roxane, followed by some low-level wild singing around the valley (or in / near the institute if wet!) each afternoon.

Our collective approach to singing is very inclusive, with a shared belief in singing as a birth-right, whatever your previous experience might happen to be. We’ll mainly teach songs by ear, so no need to be able to read music, although scores may be available for some things if you find them helpful. The focus of the weekend will be about using our voices to HAVE FUN in nature! We want everyone who shows up to feel part of a strong (albeit temporary) singing community, and to use the experience of singing together in nature as a resource to sustain and nurture us in the busy-ness of our everday lives.

We have limited capacity for these weekend, as most of the tickets go to folks who enjoyed the previous year so much, they snap them up before they go on general sale. However, there are some left for May 2025 if you’re quick, £85 per person, or contact Dave if price is an issue and we can explore discounted rates with you:

Here’s what we got up to last year…

Made with Padlet

The weekend is non-residential in the sense of sorting yourself out with somewhere to stay. Borrowdale has lots of lovely campsites, two youth hostels, plenty of BnBs and some majestic hotels - choose your own level of comfort! Hot drinks and snacks will be provided, but make your own arrangements for meals, or bring food to share with others, Jacob’s Join style.

How much hiking is involved?

We’re not planning any strenuous summit hikes, but the afternoon wild singing walks are likely to be between 3 and 6 miles with some ascents, so you need to be reasonably fit. We'll travel like a wolf pack, with our strongest walkers leading from the back, so no-one gets left behind!

We’re delighted to be joined by mountain leader / photographer Nick Landells and his team to look after us while out hiking, with trips planned to sing at some amazing spots in the Borrowdale valley, we’re not short of amazing places to visit!

On the Saturday evening, you are free to do what you want, but there will also be a public singing picnic somewhere nearby that you’re welcome to join us for.

Schedule

Saturday May 10th

  • 09:30 arrival, registration

  • 10:00 warm-up, singing

  • 12:30 Hike to somewhere lovely for lunch

  • 16:00 Finish at Borrowdale Centre

  • 18:00 (optional) singing picnic in Johnny Wood - either make your own way there or walk up as a group from Seatoller from 17:15

 
 

Sunday May 26th

  • 10:00 warm-up, singing

  • 12:30 Hike to Bowder Stone for lunch

  • 16:00 Finish at Borrowdale Centre

Meet the Leaders

Dave Camlin

is a singer / composer / educator / researcher who leads community choirs in west Cumbria including Sing Owt!, Wild Chorus and the Sing for Fun Recovery Choir. He leads lots of outdoor singing events and projects, including the award-winning Fellowship of Hill and Wind and Sunshine project (2018), Communitas (2021) and Earthsong (2022). He's a native west Cumbrian who loves introducing people to songs from the local area and which celebrate our relationship to the natural world.

Helen Chadwick

has run community choirs and singing workshops all her adult life. "I love the Lake District, so to combine these passions with two friends and colleagues is a joy. I’m a songwriter who creates song-theatre shows. I’ve toured internationally and composed shows for the Royal Opera House (Dave was in one!) and created a site-specific choral work for Salisbury Cathedral. I started the London Georgian choir and co-founded Sing for Water (thank you Roxane for now being its Queen!). I also love recording albums."

Roxane Smith

runs community choirs on the Welsh borders (Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Welshpool). She has a fun and upbeat teaching style and everything will be learnt by ear, so no need to read music. She is co-musical director of Sing for Water London (which raises money for Water Aid through singing), and Chair of the Natural Voice Network. She is passionate about singing, and believes that singing in harmony creates friendship, community and can make the world a better place.

What to Bring?

  • your voice in whatever state you find it

  • sense of fun

  • waterproofs and suitable footwear (we won’t be going anywhere particularly high, but it can still get soggy in the valley…)

  • camping seat

  • water bottle

  • personal snacks

  • packed lunches or food to share

  • midge repellant

  • suntan lotion

Where to Stay?

The Borrowdale valley is full of lovely places to stay. Our favourite campsite is nearby Stonethwaite, which is basic, doesn’t do advance bookings and usually has spaces. There are other nearby campsite including Chapel House Farm, as well as hotels in Rosthwaite, Seatoller, and of course in Keswick, which is about 6 miles away.

Keeping Everyone Safe

Please don’t attend if you have COVID or have untested symptoms which could be COVID. We’ll refund your ticket, but no-one will thank you for bringing the lurgy into our midst, so please stay away!

Please also keep any medical details that would be helpful in an emergency easily accessible. For example, if you have a folder for any song lyrics, put any medical information a page of A4 at the front of the folder. If you have a smartphone, you can add medical information to your ‘lock screen’ - anything about yourself which you think might be important to know by people who give you emergency treatment:

  • On an iPhone use the ‘Health’ app to do this.

  • On an Android device, open Settings and select Safety and emergency. Select “Medical info” to add