TV star Judge Rinder and Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford have been staying in a Penrith bed and breakfast this week as they spent time exploring the Lake District.
Rob Rinder, who presides over the popular “real-life” eponymous courtroom ITV daytime show, and the long-jumper and Celebrity MasterChef champion of 2019 Rutherford, have been undertaking a personal walking challenge in the Lake District, climbing Blencathra, Little Calva and Scafell Pike, as well as exploring Borrowdale.
Mr Rinder also helped clean up litter left by people in the hills.
He has been tweeting about his holiday on social media platform Twitter, including a picture of him litter picking with the comment: “Don’t worry, someone else will pick it up.”
The famous pair were led on their travels by Stuart Smith, of Penrith-based NAV 4 Adventure.
Mr Rinder met Mr Smith while he was taking part in the Sport Relief Namibia Challenge earlier this year. Mr Smith was one of the expedition’s leaders.
Mr Rinder said: “Stuart was one of the most inspiring people I met and he led us across the desert.
“When I decided I wanted to do another walking challenge, there was only one person to do it with, and that was Stuart.”
Penrith’s Alhambra Cinema to watch the cult classic <If”ATNewsNumberTwo”>Withnail & I<If$>, which is partly set in Eden. Mr Rinder, posing by <If”ATNewsNumberTwo”>Withnail & I<If$> memorabilia, tweeted: “We’ve come on holiday by mistake … Penrith! Withnail and I at the Alhambra!”<If”ATNewsNumberTwo”>
Mr Smith added: “I was wit<If$>h them at the Alhambra and would like to thank the staff at the Alhambra for their consideration and for being thorough in following the current COVID-19 guidelines.”<\!p>
Mr Rinder also visited Windermere and had a private visit to the Lake District Holocaust Project’s Windermere Boys exhibition at Windermere Library.
His grandfather was among the 300 Holocaust survivors who were brought to the Lake District in 1945.
Mr Rinder said: “It was emotional. It was the first glimpse my grandfather had of England. Cumbria can be proud of the part it played — this is what we are at our very best and it was a small rural community in Cumbria.”
He said his Penrith town centre B&B was lovely and the highlight of his holiday was climbing Scafell Pike. “It was perfect weather on the day we climbed it,” he commented.
Although it was a private visit, the pair met fans and posed for socially distanced selfies.
