goskimming iphone game...
Cooped-up office workers are being encouraged to get rid of executive stress this autumn by skimming a stone across some of the Lake District's most famed and picturesque lakes.
Stone skimming is a worldwide pastime known by many names, some more peculiar than others, depending on where you come from it could be called...
Skipping rocks
Baking pancakes
Ducks and drakes
Letting the frogs out
Letting the ducks out
Making white-caps
Whatever you choose to call it, the rules and fun factor are the same wherever you play and now thanks to Cumbria Tourism you can play it literally anywhere at all...
The brand new "GoSkimming" iPhone application is now available for you to try your hand at skimming stones in the stunning Lake District even if you're not actually in Cumbria.
This new game allows you to choose which lake you'd like to skim stones across providing you with a choice of Derwentwater, Ullswater, Wastwater and Windermere...
Derwentwater: Circled by high peaks and rugged fells this is a wild beauty spot frequented by walkers who can hike round the Eastern Shore.
Ullswater: The second largest of Cumbria's lakes at 7 miles and is circled by high peaks on one side and a gently curving shoreline of green fields and woodlands on the other.
Wastwater: England's deepest lake at 258 feet and dominated by moody screes and a clutch of towering peaks including England's highest, Scafell Pike at 3210 feet. This was recently voted Britain's Favourite View.
Windermere: England's largest lake at 10.5 miles and runs from Waterhead in the north to Lakeside in the South. It is surrounded by rolling hills with pretty towns and villages along the shore.
Once you've chosen your favourite Lakes beauty spot, you then need to choose which stone you'd like to throw, with information provided on diameter, weight, roundness and smoothness which can have a significant bearing on your final throw.
Your iPhone or iPod Touch then becomes your virtual stone and you flick your wrist to throw it across the water. The more hops you get, the more points you achieve - Simple!
To help you get off to the best start on "GoSkimming" we called in an expert for their advice. We asked the All England Stone Skimming Record Holder, with a record of 76 metres Phil ‘The Spin' McChesney for his top tips on stone skimming and you can hear what he had to say here...
So now you're ready to go! If you can't come here and try the real thing then click here, download the new "GoSkimming" app and enjoy our stunning lake backdrops from the comfort of your office or home. You can also check out our brand new mobile site www.golakes.mobi which lets you plan your trip to Cumbria from your mobile phone so you can come and try stone skimming for real!
Oh and make sure you keep hold of your iPhone, you don't get any points for throwing that!
Download GoSkimming
Disclaimer: BE CAREFUL! People do get carried away - Cumbria Tourism is not responsible if you damage your phone!
With thanks to the NWDA for funding the new GoSkimming application and the new golakes mobile site.
Tip 1: Choosing your stone:
• A very serious business as your stone is key to the success of your throw and those all-important points!
• It needs to be smooth as it will cause less friction on the water and go further.
• A top tip is that the best skimming stones are often found in river beds as they are generally smooth and even, so don't just turn up at your lake expecting a great skimming stone to be there!
• The stone should be less than three inches in diameter and around the size of the palm of your hand.
• Your stone needs to carry a reasonable amount of weight so it can get plenty of momentum for distance, but don't go choosing a great big boulder as you won't actually be able to lift it!
Tip 2: Throwing your stone:
• Lift up your arm to shoulder height, bring down and across in a nice arc shape.
• Just before you release your stone, give a flick of your wrist, which will help spin the stone and make it travel further.
Tip 3: Hitting the water:
• When you release the stone, aim for it to hit the water at a 10-20 degree angle.
• You want the stone to bounce across the water not land and sink to the bottom, so don't just chuck it at the water, throw it across the water.
