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Rising music star Sam Gray recently visited the iconic Lake District to shoot part of the video for his brand new single ‘All Of My Life’ – due to be released on 5^th of March.

Sam decided to shoot the video in the Lakes as he wanted somewhere that resonated with the song and conveyed what he was trying to say in the lyrics. The brand new video was filmed in Bowness Bay and at the Langdale Chase Hotel, overlooking majestic Windermere.

Sam said: ‘’the Lakes was the obvious choice for the shoot, a stunning location, which has romantic memories for lots of people. For the promo video we wanted to focus on the lyrics and set them against a beautiful backdrop, Windermere was perfect place for what we wanted.’’

Sam is definitely one to watch, after a blistering 2011 that saw him play listed on Radio 2, become one of the faces of Café Nero Music as well as touring with The Overtones and Charlie Simpson, he is kicking off 2012 with the brand new single, ‘All Of My Life’. The single was produced by the legendary Brendan Lynch and features Steve White (Paul Weller, Style Council, The Who, Oasis) and is the single is taken from Sam’s album ‘Brighter Day’ (released in October 2011). His album has won him a legion of new fans and as a result 2012 is already promising to be a very exciting year with a high profile tour in early spring and a new album to record.

Greg Stephenson Cumbria Tourism spokesman said: “Video shoots like Sam’s only further enhance Cumbria’s reputation as a great place to film. The video set amongst a backdrop of stunning scenery is a perfect advert for what Cumbria is about. After all our amazing and varied landscape has and continues to inspire the romantic in many of us. The Lake District, Cumbria, is the perfect backdrop for a whole host of filming opportunities, something that staff at Cumbria Tourism continually promote and assist with through our partners at Creative England.”

To watch the video, please visit www.golakes.co.uk/samgray.

If your New Year’s Resolution is to be more active; to get out there and enjoy nature while getting yourself fit, you’re not alone. As one of the most popular self-improvement aims of the New Year, a more active lifestyle can have many knock-on benefits. This is when we’ll see the greatest number of gym memberships taken out, new trainers being bought and people deciding to take up that hobby that they’ve always put off. Why have they always put it off? Well, it’s hard work. At least, it is most of the time.

However, what better way to get your new, healthier, more active life up and running than by visiting one of the biggest and best adventure playgrounds in the world; the Lake District. There truly are a host of amazing activities, guaranteed to suit anyone with an outdoorsy interest; whatever your budget and no-matter what your ability. If you’re looking to take up an adventurous, active hobby, there is no better place to fall in love with it than in this majestic, natural wonderland.

If you’ve always wanted to climb, the Lake District is home to England’s five tallest mountains. If water’s your thing, the clue is in the name. The Lake District is also home to England’s longest and deepest lakes. We’re sure that Cumbria’s rich natural environment will get you hooked on the great British outdoors. It’s not just the stunning array of activities that are on offer but also the stunning backdrop of the UK’s most beautiful scenery.

Kindle a passion for nature and fire your sense of adventure to such a degree that your New Year enthusiasm will last all year round, not just the usual, half-hearted promise that you’ll walk to work more often. Let the breathtaking scenery, beautiful flora and enchanting fauna draw you in. Take your first steps towards a pastime that will last a lifetime.

Continuously a favourite destination for walkers in the UK, the Lake District is home to a huge variety of fabulous walks for those looking to take their first steps of a new hobby or to provide the vital spark that rekindles the love of a life-long pursuit. The other wonderful thing about the range of walks in the Lake District is the accessibility. There are many low-level routes that are suitable for wheelchairs or buggies; there are also challenging fell walks over longer distances and there are short walks on quiet pathways that the whole family can enjoy. If you’re determined to make more time for the family, to spend more quality time doing things together, there is no better place. Get your children enthusiastic about the great outdoors. Go on adventures together that will capture their imagination so when you go home to the same old routine, the memories inspire you all to get off the couch and seek out adventure.

There’s far more than just great walks though. Fall in love with climbing, mountain biking, kayaking and a host of other fantastic adventure sports. Find your own piece of adventure or take the whole family on a dramatic mountain biking trail over the Lake District’s breathtaking peaks and gently rolling valley trails. Renowned for being the birthplace of climbing, the Lake District is the ideal place to kick-start your climbing career. Likewise, if you’re looking to dabble with a paddle, the canoeing and kayaking in the Lake District is truly exceptional. There are all manner of adventures to be found here; try your hand at canoe orienteering; tour the rivers, lakes and coastline by majestic kayak or give yourself a sure footed start with a five day Advanced Open Boat course.

If you are resolute about a life less mundane, if you’re determined to get active in the great outdoors or you just want to rouse the family for a bit of quality time, motivate your New Year’s Resolution by visiting the Lake District.

Famous as the birthplace of modern rock climbing, few locations in the UK can match the Lake District. The variety of crags and the beauty of the surroundings make Cumbria the perfect place to try this great outdoor sport. Climbing is also a great way to keep fit – not to mention the challenges and enormous sense of achievement. The Lake District is the ultimate climbers’ playground.

The abundance of gear shops in Ambleside certainly gives you the feeling that you’re in the home of climbing. Even better, once you’ve decked yourself out in the latest must-have climbing attire, the majestic fells of the Langdales are on your doorstep.  It’s home to some of the very finest crags in the Lake District. Generations of climbers have flocked to the region to enjoy Bowfell, Gimmer and Pavey Ark for their outstanding rock, fabulous position and a truly first rate selection of pubs.

Buttermere rewards the more adventurous climber, willing to venture off the beaten track and explore. This isn’t to say that the famous crags that have consistently drawn countless visitors to the area aren’t obvious. Grey Crag, Eagle Crag and High Crag each tower majestically over the valley. They are well worth the time it takes to reach them as they have that special blend of tradition, outstanding rock and thrilling exposure that’s a true test of your route-finding and offers you the best of British mountaineering.

Coniston is an area of breathtaking natural beauty and home to a vast number of interesting and varied routes guaranteed to entertain the visiting climber. At one end of the scale it nurtures less experienced climbers with highly accessible, single-pitch slate routes and at the other, challenges and enchants the most experienced climbers with wonderfully atmospheric, high-mountain crags; like the classic, multi-pitch Dow Crag and the unspoilt Duddon Valley.

Around the picturesque upper reaches of Ullswater, in the eastern Lake District, the more adventurous climbers will be rewarded with some of the best hidden gems around. You’ll normally have to put in more than a half hour walk to the routes but it is well worth it. For the more experienced climber, a visit to Dove Crag and Raven Crag simply should not be missed.

Climbing in the Keswick area is centred around Borrowdale. Many feel that the real strength of the area is in the abundance of easily-accessible valley crags. There’s also plenty for the dedicated rock athlete. There are some routes with lots of broody, awe-inspiring character. Test yourself on the sombre Eagle Crag or Gillercombe; climb in the shade on Goat Crag or join a buoyant climbing community on Shepherds, it’s up to you.

Wasdale, the birthplace of rock climbing. With the ascent of Napes Needle in 1886 by WP Haskett Smith, climbing became a means to its own end. The history of the area is inspiring in itself, these seminal routes honing the skills of generations of climbers. Don’t be over-awed though, you’ll find a classic route sure to surpass your expectations. Then there’s always the Wasdale Head Inn if you want to kick off your boots, sit by a roaring log fire and tuck into tasty Lakeland food and drink.