Steve Backhouse, HF Holidays’ head of holidays, based in Penrith, reveals the story of the Holiday Fellowship, which has its roots in the Lakes.

The Holiday Fellowship, as HF Holidays was known then, was established 100 years ago in 1913 by Thomas Arthur Leonard, who became widely considered as one of the fathers of the outdoor movement in Britain.

Leonard chose Ambleside as the destination for his very first walks, back at the turn of the last century, when he took a group of pioneering Lancashire ramblers on a four-night excursion.

During ‘Wakes Week’, the mills closed for maintenance, providing mill workers with an opportunity to take a much-needed summer holiday.

Leonard wanted to offer these working class folk an alternative to the usual destinations of Blackpool, Morecambe, or for the more prosperous, the Isle of Man.

He felt workers would benefit from the fresh air, exercise and companionship a walking holiday offered.

So he formed a rambling club and in the June of 1891 took 30 people on a break to Ambleside, staying at cottages and farmsteads. This was the very first HF-style holiday.

His walks became an annual event and their popularity grew. In 1893, he took the group to Keswick and for the next few years they returned to this part of the Lake District, staying in small houses at the top of Sanger Street, then a cul-de-sac in Keswick.

In his book ‘Adventures in Holiday Making’ Leonard reflected that: “In those days we were content with primitive arrangements, so long as they gave us the joy and freedom of the fells. All we needed was food, beds and good fellowship.”

The price for a week’s holiday was 25/- plus 12/- train fare from Colne to Keswick.

Over the years there has been a strong connection with the Keswick area, with one of the first permanent centres opening at Portinscale in 1896, followed in 1905 by the purchase of Newlands Mill for £1,270, which provided accom-modation first for adults and then school groups.

This was sold by the society in 1987 but remains as an outdoor activity centre. In 1937, the Holiday Fellowship acquired Derwent Bank on the lake shore – this remains open, welcoming many hundreds of walkers each year.

I’m pleased to report our accommodation is more comfortable these days. Although we’ve moved with the times, I believe Leonard would approve of the holidays we now offer as the values he held so dear.

To enjoy the countryside in the company of others is still at the heart of everything we do today.

To find out more, visit www.hfholidays.co.uk or call 0845 470 8559 for a centenary brochure.