Visit England’s fan in the van sees Ullswater from the skies

One of England’s most unusual travellers visited Ullswater recently when they exchanged one unusual mode of transport for another.Rachel Kershaw has been travelling the length and breadth of the British Isles following the route of Olympic Torch Relay in a special VW Camper Van on behalf of Visit England, the country’s national tourism agency. On her travels she has been warmly welcomed wherever she has been and has been amazed at the sheer range of tourism attractions and experiences that the country offers.

Her specially painted VW Camper Van, affectionately  named “ Rosie “, has been spotted in many different locations and has been seen in many Caravanning and Camping Club sites which have been provided places for her to stay overnight.

When Rachel arrived in Cumbria, following the Torch along the A66 through Eden, she took time out to experience one the district’s most unusual airborne experiences. Teaming up with Roger Savage, who is based at Berrier near Penrith, she had a once in a lifetime chance to fly in a state of the art Italian Magni M16C gyrocopter.  Roger is one of the UK’s most experienced gyrocopter pilot / instructors.

During the 20 minute flight she was flown the length of Ullswater from Patterdale to Pooley Bridge and was able to marvel at the stunning scenery that this area of Eden commands.  The gyrocopter is designed with dual controls and this allowed Rachel to experience the thrills of flying whilst taking in the breathtaking beauty all around her.

“Flying over Ullswater in a gyrocopter was one of the most exciting things I have ever done,” said Rachel.  “Cumbria is a stunning part of the country but I was left spellbound by the sheer beauty that Ullswater and the Eden area offers.  Flying in a gyrocopter is the ultimate of adventure experiences and I will remember this for the rest of my life.”

Rachel’s gyrocopter experience is one of many offered by Roger to both tourists and ‘locals’. He also trains students to gain their own gyrocopter pilots licence and offers people a range of packages that allow adventure seekers the chance to see this beautiful corner of Cumbria, as well as further afield, from a totally different perspective.

“It was a great pleasure to work with Visit England and Rachel to make this gyrocopter experience a reality “said Roger. “ Rachel’s work is really helping to highlight what a great tourism industry this country has and I was especially delighted to show her from the air what Eden and Ullswater have to offer.”

Rachel won Visit England’s Fan in the Van nationwide contest as a result of her infectious passion for England and her zest for life. She was chosen from a shortlist of 12 other potential Fan in a Vans by a judging panel comprised of Lady Cobham, VisitEngland’s chairman, Martin Dorey, author of The Camper Van Coast Book and Sally Shalam, brit-centric travel journalist, based on her entry video, photograph and enticing writing style.

Visit England’s Chairman, Lady Cobham said: “What Rachel doesn’t know about England by the end of the trip won’t be worth knowing! Rachel will be England’s official number-one fan, and chief inspiration officer for the country. This is a brilliant opportunity to explore England to the full and will, I’m sure, inspire the Great British Public to take a holiday at home this year and enjoy what we have on offer during this very special year.”

Rachel’s ongoing journey can be followed on Twitter @faninavan or reading Rachel’s travel blog on http://www.visitenglandblog.com/faninavan/  For more information on gyrocopter experiences in Cumbria please look at http://www.rogersavage.co.uk/index.htm or telephone: 017684 83859. For more details on tourism opportunities in Eden visit www.visiteden.co.uk or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Picture shows Visit England’s Rachel Kershaw with Gyrocopter pilot Roger Savage, after her flight around the Northern Lakes from Berrier.