'I always take my socks off': Floella Benjamin follows the invigorating trail to a waterfall in Cumbria

I love going to Cumbria. It's my spiritual home and a great place to go to feel connected to nature. The first town I stayed in, maybe 20 years ago, was Ambleside, at the top of Windermere. It is a pleasant resting place and you can go in almost any direction and have wonderful walks with beautiful landscapes. Sometimes we'll walk for seven or eight hours to Grasmere or Lake Rydal, and have a picnic overlooking the valleys and lakes.

Go in the spring and you see the snow capped hills with blue skies behind them and fields of daffodils. Go in autumn and you'll see golden leaves, which reminds me of the Windrush generation when they came to Britain, saying the streets were paved with gold - when the earth is golden like that, you really get the meaning.

The walk from Ambleside to Stock Ghyll Force is quite short, but it is a very exciting walk, especially for children, as your destination is a waterfall of 70 feet crashing through the trees. It is rare to have a waterfall at the edge of a city; normally you have to go quite far into the countryside to see one. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the top, if you don't stop, and it's a fairly uphill hike, but not too steep, so it's good for older people too. If you have kids, this is a walk you can take with them for many years to come - and they'll take their own kids on it too.

Starting from Lake Road to from the center of Ambleside, turn left onto Stockghyll Lane, pass the public toilets and follow the signs to the waterfall. Go up the hill and turn right and in about 500m you will see a left turn with a sign for Stock Ghyll Force. And There you go! Open the gate and go through, but be careful: it's quite muddy here because of all the water. Follow the path through the woods, keeping the river to your left and looking for the red markers.

You'll get a sense of history taking this walk - the Visitors have been doing it since Victorian times, when in fact you had to pay. Stock Ghyll is a tributary of the River Rothay and for centuries the water that tumbles over these falls has been used to power water mills, to process wool, make bobbins and grind corn. The river enters the town via the famous Bridge House, which dates from the 17th century.

As you start to climb, you see the bottom of the waterfall. You can tell it's powerful because it makes a lot of noise. There are several steps to the falls and as you go up there are plenty of places you can stop and take in the view. It's also a friendly walk, and you'll probably end up chatting with people on the way.

If it's spring, there's a smell of onions - this comes from daffodils, related to the onion family. You see moss, ivy, and trees that have been there for hundreds of years. It looks a bit like The Lord of the Rings, and you wonder: if this tree could talk, what would it say to you?

As you climb higher, you begin to see the waterfall in all its glory, cascading towards you. It has that loud, pounding call that really invites excitement. There is also always the laughter of the children, caught up in the thrill of seeing and hearing the rushing water.

As you approach the top, you see the whole thing spring up, with all the greenery that surrounds it. There is a small walkway to your left where you can stand while looking at the waterfall. Over the years we have amassed loads and loads of photos of ourselves laying on this bridge. I always take my shoes and socks off and put my feet in freezing water. Love doing this.