On a particularly dismal Northumberland autumn day I set off early to cross the North Pennine hills on the A686 for an appointment near the Westmoreland county town of Appleby. Appleby nestles between the mountains and lakes of the Lake District and the sharp rise of the North Pennines to the west. My route had taken me across blasted heathland, via England's highest town, Alston (aka Royston Vasey, Alston stood in for the fictional town in 1990's anarchic comedy The League of Gentlemen) before passing the magnificent view from Hartside Pass and dropping down the hairpins into the ancient county Westmoreland (now part of Cumbria). Appleby is a pretty town, famous for its annual horse fair and it has been a few years since I had visited. This is a part of the world I usually zoom through on the main Glasgow-Birmingham motorway, the M6 or pass en route to the lakes of the Lake District. It's a remarkably pretty part of the world, combining upland moors and nestling green vales of stone houses, ancient villages and market towns.
We visit...
Overwater Boats
As the rain got even more torrential I pulled into the grounds of a neat early Georgian Manor house and followed Mark’s instructions to the barn at the back which serves as his workshop.
Mark is a tall, athletic man in his early 50’s, I was struck by his direct manner and his no nonsense approach. So often you find companies in our sector which are run by people who have spent their lives in the sailing sector and have that slightly ‘reformed-surfer-dude-never-grew-up’ manner. Mark wasn’t what I was expecting he has a communication style redolent of a man who has a corporate career behind him and at a senior level at that. Indeed, Overwater boats is a second career for Mark. He has many years behind him troubleshooting and controlling costs on engineering and construction projects. Tackling some exceptionally tricky large scale projects and getting them back on track when they had come off the rails. Ten years ago Mark relocated to Cumbria. Overwater Boats grew out of a passion for canoeing and from a desire to build his own canoe. When he spread the word about the canoe build others began to express an interest in either having him build them a canoe or joining him to build a canoe. For the last five years Mark has run canoe and sea kayak building courses either on a group or a one-to-one basis. There is lots of accommodation in the area where his customers can stay.
Ever wanted to improve your boat building skills? Ever fancied building a canoe or a coracle? Well read on, because on the edge of the Lake District in England, Mark Aplin, of Overwater Boats runs a variety of courses and can help you build a beautiful boat.
www.facebook.com/overwaterboats
Rob (left) and Mark, having their first paddle in 2 Night Heron sea kayaks built at Overwater Boats, Rob has since used the skills he learnt with Mark to build another wooden sea kayak - a Shearwater - for his wife Daphne
Words: Richard Palmer
Pictures: Mark Aplin
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