Let the Business Flood In

In the fields adjacent to Lake Windermere the water shifts in wide unseen courses beneath the turf - like a large sub-cutaneous injection or an abscess on a horse’s knee. If the analogy sounds revolting, it is meant to: the instability of the ground is unnaturally creepy and disconcerting. 

Elsewhere, people have had to move out of flooded homes, while unfortunate businesses have been forced to close temporarily. The Swan Hotel & Spa, situated in a beautiful location close to the south end of Lake Windermere, was just one of several properties that found the water too close for comfort last weekend. It is one of the most popular local hotels, produces excellent food and also happens to sponsor generously at Cartmel Racecourse each season; for many good reasons, we wish the managers the best of fortune and hope they’ll be able to reopen very soon. 

But Cumbria is not closed. In fact the weather on Monday, as I strolled around Cartmel in my shirtsleeves, was almost balmy. The shops were open, the pubs were open and the Christmas lights were on, despite messages from North West Electric to use their power sparingly.

Sadly, as Cartmel’s shopkeepers optimistically tended their tills, customers there were few. The reason was obvious: According to the e-mails in my inbox and the texts on my phone, we must be drowned, depressed and drummed into submission: everyone has seen it on the news. 

Except the camera lies. Secretly, all Cumbrians have been quietly counting their winnings from Jimmy Moffatt’s famous win in the Becher Chase at a rain-sodden Aintree last Saturday (except for me of course, because I’m not really a Cumbrian and I tipped Pineau De Re). Don’t tell anyone, but we’re all wondering how to get enough money on Highland Lodge for the Grand National next April, without wrecking the odds. Did you hear about the £50 million pledged by the Government to help Cumbrian flood victims? It’s all going on Highland Lodge.

And just to prove that the racing industry is thriving in Cumbria, the team at Carlisle Racecourse has decided to open the gates for free for racing this Sunday. Which is especially nice if you want to go and watch Jimmy’s next winner: Quel Elite in the Pertemps Hurdle Qualifier.  

So, if you’ve been thinking about coming to Cartmel for a spot of Christmas shopping, backing a winner at Carlisle or simply enjoying a lunch in one of those incomparable Cumbrian pubs, forget the news: Cumbria is open for business.