Garrin French, a Geordie hiker, has built Lakes & Trails Pro, an app designed to encourage more people to explore the Lake District and the Wainwrights. He first took up hiking in the region during the Coronavirus pandemic and has kept up the hobby since, heading out to the Wainwrights whenever he is not working.
"I have always loved the outdoors. I grew up in New Hartley, an old coal mining village and have spent all my time outdoors," Garrin told ChronicleLive.
"In middle school and the cubs we used to go to the Lake District. During Covid my hobbies were DJing and all the things we couldn't do."
A way to cope
When pandemic restrictions were lifted, the 49-year-old kept spending time outdoors because it helped his mental health after his mother became seriously ill. She died in January 2023.
"It was a way of dealing with everything and getting outdoors and turning my mind off. I just remember it being beautiful, I like photography as well and there was a big element of that to go and take some photographs," he said.
From Instagram to app
Garrin shares his photography on Instagram as the.geordie.hiker, where his following has grown to more than 46,000 people. Many of those followers asked him for advice about exploring the Lakes, which led him to develop and launch Lakes & Trails Pro. The app is aimed at people new to the area or those wanting to explore it further.
As a data analyst, Garrin built in not only trails but also things to do and places to eat and drink.
"Pointing people to the app was a more efficient way of answering people's questions. Originally it was for people who hadn't explored and who are new to the area," he said.
"It's primarily to get people out or that are new to hiking and inspire them to find places best suited to them."
A North East version
Garrin has also made a similar app for the North East, although he said it is not at the same level yet.
"I think there's a smaller audience for it and I did that one for fun. But it helps me know my local area as well and it's interesting coming across things I wasn't aware of," he said.
