![\"Garrin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1_IMG_8012jpeg.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGarrin French has built the Lakes & Trails Pro app in the hope of inspiring people out onto the Wainwrights<\/p>\n
Garrin French, who has launched an app encouraging people to explore the Lake District(Image: Garrin French)<\/p>\n
A Geordie hiker has created an app which he hopes will inspire people to explore the great outdoors. Garrin French started hiking in the Lake District during the Coronavirus<\/a> pandemic and has continued his passion ever since.<\/p>\n He’s out in the Wainwrights whenever he’s not working, and hopes to persuade more people to do the same. Garrin told ChronicleLive: “I have always loved the outdoors. I grew up in New Hartley, an old coal mining village and have spent all my time outdoors.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n When restrictions from the pandemic lifted, the 49-year-old continued to spend time outdoors as it helped with his mental health when his mum became seriously ill. Sadly, she passed away in January 2023.<\/p>\n Garrin continued: “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.”<\/p>\n Garrin French, who has launched an app encouraging people to explore the Lake District(Image: Garrin French)<\/p>\n Sharing his photography on Instagram through his account the.geordie.hiker, his following has grown to more than 46,000 people; many of whom have asked him for advice on exploring the Lakes through the social network.<\/p>\n This led to him developing and launching Lakes & Trails Pro, a hiking app aimed at people who are new to the area or want to explore it further. Data analyst Garrin built in not only the trails themselves, but things to do and places to eat and drink.<\/p>\n He said: “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.<\/p>\n “It’s primarily to get people out or that are new to hiking and inspire them to find places best suited to them.”<\/p>\n Garrin has also developed a similar app for the North East, but says that one isn’t quite at the same level. He finished: “I think there’s a smaller audience for it and I did that one for fun.<\/p>\n “But it helps me know my local area as well and it’s interesting coming across things I wasn’t aware of.”<\/p>\n Did you know you can make ChronicleLive a preferred source of North East news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information<\/a> about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Garrin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0_IMG_8009jpeg.jpg\")
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