Explore every episode of the podcast Countrystride

...in which we celebrate the satisfaction of long days on the fells in a ‘rock and stroll’ ascent of enigmatic Carrock Fell in the northeast corner of Lakeland.

In a ‘Mark and Dave’ pod, we set out from Carrock Beck on a northerly pasture line onto the Back a’ Skidda’ massif, discussing what ‘great mountain days’ mean to us – long journeys, ever-changing scenery, a mix of natural and human interest, a sense of adventure… and the post-walk pint.

Climbing past tumbledown bields and chatting with fellow walkers, we swap favourite great mountain days – a high-level circuit of Great Gable, a greater Langdale traverse, the Kentmere Round – and reflect on the difference between bagging and wider journeys through the Lakeland landscape.

Arriving on Carrock Fell’s rocky summit, we discuss the enigmatic ‘hill fort’, the remarkable view (Cheviot visible on the northeastern horizon) and the fell’s unlikely place in one of English literature’s most celebrated travelogues.

Traversing the fell’s squelchy western ridge, we give mountain-day love to a Derwent Water circular, a Wetherlam wander and a Newlands round.

Descending the old sledway of Red Gate, we discuss the Caldbeck Fells’ extensive mining history – not least the remarkable Carrock tungsten mine – and close the pod by reflecting on the mounting stand-offs between walking ambitions and ageing limbs.

• Mark’s new book, Best Walks in the Lake District, can be ordered direct from Cicerone here, or from all good Cumbrian bookshops.

• Dave’s new book, Forty Fells, can be ordered direct from Inspired by Lakeland here, or from all good Cumbrian bookshops.

...in which we head east to one of Lakeland’s loneliest dales, and tell the story of a once-thriving valley lost beneath the dammed waters of Haweswater.

In the company of local historian and dialect champion Jean Scott-Smith, we set the historic scene on Mardale, cradled in the Far Eastern Fells and overlooked by a British fort, a Roman Road and Scandinavian shielings.

Proceeding into the 18th century, Jean paints a picture of a bustling farmed valley, with rich dairy pastures and a steady flow of traders and packmen making their way over the passes of Nan Bield and Gatesgarth and down past High and Low Water.

Recounting tales of the Kendal Archers, boisterous nights at the Old Dun Bull (where buckets of ale were passed around) and the legendary week-long Mardale Shepherds Meet (originally held on High Street, latterly at the Dunnie), we introduce a range of local characters, from the Kings of Mardale to eccentric ‘Old Barham’ the vicar, who bled parishioners using a tortoise-shell lancet.

With the waters of Thirlmere insufficient to meet the growing thirst of Manchester, we learn about Manchester Corporation’s acquisition of the valley – with barely a whisper of protest – and, following the Haweswater Act of 1919, the subsequent abandonment of the hamlets of Measand, Mardale Green and Whelter before the grammar school was relocated, the church taken down and Royal Engineers arrived with explosives to raze the remaining farms and homesteads.

Heading up-dale to rain-drenched Mardale Head, Jean points out landmarks uncovered by the summer’s drought – including foundations of the Dun Bull, and the old valley road (its walls as they were 90 years after the terminal flood) – before noting nearabouts landmarks – the corpse road to Shap, the grandstand-view peatcutters’ huts, the former navvie settlement of Burnbanks.

Closing the pod in Shap’s upper graveyard – where many of Mardale’s dead were reinterred – we reflect on the passing of a community; on the media circus that unfolds in dry years; and on the surprise discovery of Mardale’s long lost church organ.

• Shap Local History Society holds an extensive archive, including artefacts and images relating to Mardale, at their Heritage Centre, Market Cross, Shap. The archive is open by arrangement – please contact either 01931 716671 or 01931 716386.

…in which we tour south Lakeland to tell the remarkable story of an industry that expanded from one-man bloomeries set deep in the woods to blast furnaces powering the industrial age.

In the company of industrial history enthusiast Mark Hatton we begin our journey at Glen Mary below Tarn Hows, where we are introduced to the three ingredients that allowed Furness monks to first produce iron: expansive woodlands, fast-flowing rivers and rich deposits of local hematite.

Noting clues of iron in the landscape – Red Screes, Red Pike, Red Tarn – we visit an oak-shaded glade that was once a charcoal-burners’ platform, where coppiced timber was piled high then baked to create the ‘rocket fuel’ charcoal required to generate temperatures of 1,000+ degrees centigrade.

Moving upstream, we come upon an ancient bloomery, where hematite from Orgrave (literally ‘ore pit’) was transported, by boat then pony, to ‘bloom’ in the charcoal hearth before being forged into weapons and farming tools to help Cumbria’s medieval farmers eke out a marginal living.

Heading south, we visit the site of a 17th century bloom-smithy in the heart of Coniston, learn about the laws introduced to ban timber extraction as Lakeland’s woods were fed to the furnaces, and the journey of Cumbrian entrepreneurs into Scotland as home-grown forests were denuded.

Ending our trip in Furnace Wood (the clue’s in the name) above Duddon Bridge, we explore a network of ancient holloways and moss-reclaimed cobbled trails, remnants of a thriving woodland industry feeding Britain’s largest surviving blast furnace, where a huge waterwheel powered bellows heating a next-generation hearth to fulfil the insatiable iron needs of the industrial age.

Taking a long view of a lost, and neglected, industry, we seek out a slate wall melted by fire before reflecting on the zenith, then decline, of Cumbria’s iron age, when Barrow alone produced more steel than anywhere else on earth.

• The Duddon Furnace (with parking alongside) is located at Grid Reference SD 197 883, immediately north-west of Duddon Bridge. More details can be found at https://lakedistrict.gov.uk/explore/things-to-do/historical-places/industrial-heritage-sites/

• The first site we visited was in Lane head Coppice beside Tom Gill below Tarn Hows (SD 3221, 9989). It is around a two minute walk uphill from Glen Mary car park (National Trust).

...in which we ramble up remote Liddesdale in the extreme north-east of Cumbria to uncover the remarkable history of a unique independent territory transformed into a bloody borderland.

In the company of author and academic Graham Robb we set out from Kershopefoot along the trackbed of the historic Waverley Line, taking in the landscape of the once-unique enclave between England and Scotland; an uninhabited ‘batable’ grazing land bounded by the rivers Liddel, Esk and Sark that formed a buffer zone between often warring nations.

Stepping into the Scottish Borders, we discuss the popular perception of the ‘reiving’ families who lived around this anomalous territory – the Elliots, Armstrongs and Grahams – and the raids that saw cattle rustled and fortified peel towers set ablaze.

Surveying moorland and scattered woods to rising Tinnis Hill, Graham outlines a parallel history; one of stability, in which a raid was not thuggery, but a coming-of-age ritual/form of trade in an advanced pastoral society with strict Border laws that kept the peace for 1,500 years.

Passing meadows with folds and dips that made ideal hiding places for rogues and raiders, we move into the mid-1500s, when the English and Scots crowns orchestrated a plan to carve up the Debatable Land by making lawlessness legal, preparing the ground for characters like ballad outlaw Kinmont Willie and the sadistic Duke of Buccleuch to conduct reigns of terror.

Closing in on Liddel Water, we learn about the end of the Debatable Land, and the “astonishingly beautiful and accurate map” (below) that recorded the establishment of what Graham argues is “the oldest detectable territorial division in Great Britain”.

Reflecting on the violent excesses that wiped the one-time grazing lands from the map, Graham discusses the long shadow cast by imperial colonialism, the persistent discomfort over cross-border marriage and the independent spirit that lingers in border folk.

We close with our quickfire questions, where Graham recalls a relationship-testing ascent of Swirral Edge, waxes lyrical about the definitive descriptions of Cumbrian rain in Rogue Herries and notes the advice he was given before moving into the borderlands – to “leave the pub by 9.30 at the latest”.

• The Debatable Land: The Lost World Between Scotland and England is published by Picador.

…in which we take a midsummer stroll through Hawkshead to learn about the village's deep history and its tiny school that had a big impact – not just locally, but on the world stage.

Accompanied by Joanne Heather, director of the Hawkshead Grammar School Foundation, we set out from the meadows above the village to explore Hawkshead’s long history – its Norse roots, the chapelry that served Furness Abbey, and the wool trade that put the market town on the map, long before neighbouring Ambleside, Coniston and Windermere.

Visiting the church of St Michael & All Angels, Joanne introduces us to the Sandys family of Graythwaite, and Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York during the reign of Elizabeth I, who founded the school to train new generations of clergy.

Arriving at the Grammar School, museum assistant manager Hollie Barker talks us through life at the school: the hours of Latin and scripture; the cock fights and sword fights; the strict rules that allowed boys (no girls) to smoke and drink, but never gamble.

In the confines of the school library, we learn about old boy and London vintner Daniel Rawlinson – great grandson of Daniel Hechstetter, the patriarch of Keswick mining – who founded the school's collection of priceless books, which includes a guide to dissecting elephants.

Finally, we turn our attention to the school’s most famous alumnus, William Wordsworth, enrolled into the school after his mother’s death, who excelled at maths and who led a seemingly idyllic school life ’midst the family trauma, with days off spent ice skating, visiting the Duddon sands and eating strawberries and cream.

• Hawkshead Grammar School Museum is open 1 April–31 October, Thursday–Monday 11am–4pm during term time, and daily 11am–4pm during school holidays. 2026 exhibitions are ‘Friends Before Fame’, about Wordsworth’s school friends, and ‘America 250’, highlighting the school’s links with America.

• More information about the museum and library conservation project can be found on Bloomberg Connects and at www.hawksheadgrammar.org.uk. New volunteers are always welcome; contact Joanne at hgsmuseum@gmail.com.

• The museum is hosting a series of evening talks, usually on the last Monday of the month. The talk on Monday 29 June is Mark Hatton (see Countrystrides past) discussing the history of Coniston Copper Mines and its links to the school. For details and tickets go to EventBrite and search for ‘A Talk at the School’, or see www.hawksheadgrammar.org.uk.

...in which we return to 19th-century Maryport in the company of author Simon Francis Brown to explore the world of regional shipbuilding through the exquisite illustrated journals of master shipbuilder Kelsick Wood.

Starting our walk at the Shipping Brow Gallery overlooking the River Ellen, we set the historic context for Kelsick’s arrival in Maryport in around 1818 – Britain as a maritime superpower, the age of empire, the political endgame of slavery – and paint a picture of the town’s bustling harbour, its numerous taverns, the lavish dinners held for Lord Senhouse, the squalor of many residents.

Battling weather on the harbour wall, we introduce Kelsick Wood, the Workington-born shipbuilder who travelled the world before acquiring the family yard at Maryport and starting the illustrated journals (excerpts below) that Simon discovered in a Greenwich archive.

Sheltering from the gale in a harbourside ginnel, we discuss the business of shipbuilding: the crafts required to bring together a finished brig; the unforgiving economics of timber imports; the impact of Cumbrian weather on operations; and the insurance stranglehold held for a time by London shipbuilders.

Retiring to the Golden Lion – where Kelsick spent many of his working hours entertaining potential customers and networking with the Maryport elite – we learn about the politically progressive family man who grieved the loss of a wife and six children, before winding down the podcast considering the numerous pressures which built on domestic shipbuilders – from overseas competition to the introduction of iron hulls – signalling the end of the age of sail.

• The Vanishing Age of Sail can be bought from Bookends in Carlisle and Keswick, and other local bookshops. It is also available from Amazon and Waterstones.

...in which we climb Walla Crag in the company of academic and Back o’ Skidda’ resident Dr Liz Woodham for a deep dive into the history of guidebooks dedicated to fell-walking in Lakeland.

Striding out from Surprise View, we set the historic context for the emergence of the walking guidebook – the earliest travellers seeking low-level views from Thomas West’s formative Guide to the Lakes (1778), and the use of paid mountain guides, often shepherds, taking well-heeled visitors on mountain adventures.

‘Roving Laker’ Harriet Martineau’s Complete Guide to the English Lakes(1855) was among the first to speak to fell-walkers, Liz tells us, with an ascent description of Fairfield that was – like the woman herself – quietly revolutionary.

On the long climb of Cat Gill we discuss the forgotten Victorian colossus of Keswick, Henry Irwin Jenkinson, who compiled the most authoritative guide of its era, his Practical Guide to the English Lake District (1872), in just seven winter months (he would go on to consult on mountain rescues, and organise the Latrigg Fell Mass Trespass of 1887).

Entering the age of M. J. B. Baddeley, we turn to his evergreen (tiny type) Thorough Guide to The English Lake District – first published in 1880 and still selling nearly a century later. We consider the democratisation of travel, and walking, in the age of rail, and the changing nature of the guidebook, as fells received dedicated chapters and publishers augmented directions with maps.

Atop breezy Walla Crag we talk about the contribution of The Rev. H. H. Symonds – committed to “rescuing scraps of natural beauty” – who published a kind of ‘campaigning guidebook’ in his classic highbrow Walking in the Lake District (1933), and the very different books of his contemporary, outdoors advocate W. T. Palmer, who urged readers to get off the beaten track and take walking tours between youth hostels in his Penguin Guide, The Lake District (1939).

Finally, on Falcon Crag, after a discussion of Walter Poucher’s photographic guides, we arrive at the master himself, Alfred Wainwright, whose uniquely artisanal take on the format turned the guidebook into companionable pocket art.

Back at Ashness Bridge, we reflect on the factors that make for the perfect guidebook – portable, easy to use, with an intuitive blend of text and imagery – and ask Liz to name her favourite guidebook; to consider where guidebooks go in the post-AW digital age; and to tell us why Steeple remains aloof in her 214 completer’s list.

...in which we visit springtime Allan Bank to explore the forgotten phenomena of the Grasmere dialect plays – celebrations of Westmorland dialect and life that put Lakeland on the national cultural map for nearly 40 years – and the woman behind them, Eleanor Rawnsley (née Simpson), second wife of Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley.

In the company of Eleanor's great-niece, Harriet Spence, and academic Sue Wilkinson, who has resurrected the plays for a modern audience, we discuss the emergence of the turn-of-the-century village drama movement and Eleanor's relocation from London to Grasmere, where she acquired a passion for local dialect.

A series of clips from the plays featuring members of the Lakeland Dialect Society illustrate recurring themes: local traditions like rushbearing and pace egging; marriage proposals (and refusals); vignettes of everyday life including sheep-clipping and children's games.

As Sue describes the plays' extraordinary rise in national fame – which brought queues over Dunmail Raise and reviews in papers worldwide – Harriet details the developing three-way relationship between Eleanor, Canon Rawnsley and his increasingly frail first wife, Edith.

Emerging from World War II, we consider the demise of the plays, the death of Edith, and the short-lived marriage between Rawnsley and "True Help Meet" Eleanor.

Harriet closes the podcast reflecting on the life of her "quiet, pious and kind" great aunt, whose achievements have been overshadowed by her husband, but who was not only a remarkable author and producer of plays, but also a formidable painter, campaigner and champion of all things Lakeland.

• The featured dialect play recordings feature the voices of John Campbell and Jean Scott-Smith.

• The plays will be 'coming home' to Grasmere on 10 October, 2026 in an evening of readings, music and song in Grasmere Village Hall. If you'd like to be involved – either performing or helping behind the scenes – please contact Sue Wilkinson (sue_wilkinson_2000@yahoo.com). Tickets will be advertised in advance and also available at the door.

• Sue's YouTube channel featuring short excerpts from the plays: youtube.com/channel/UC6wZ2EMH-UIG20Fa3SnXogw

• For more about the Lakeland Dialect Society: lakelanddialectsociety.co.uk

...in which we return to the golden age of speed records in the company of Dr Keith Mitchell, who was a teen when Bluebird K7 made its tragic final record attempt on Coniston in January 1967, and who has researched all things Campbell ever since.

Setting out from the heart of Coniston, we introduce risk-taking Sir Malcolm Campbell – the 'national hero' record-breaker of the inter-war years – and the frenetic home life into which son Donald was born.

Approaching Coniston Water, we consider young Donald's emergence from his capricious father's shadow, and his lifelong desire to seek paternal approval – even after Malcolm's death. Arriving on the lakeshore, we learn about the historic context of post-War speed records and the meeting of man and jet-powered machine that allowed Donald to set seven world water speed records between 1955 and 1964, inching him ever closer to the holy grail 300mph.

As waves lap the Water's gravelly shore, Keith describes the jet-powered hydroplane's final voyage, the somersault that ended Donald's life, and the speed king's final words, which offer insights into what went wrong as the craft surpassed 320mph.

Closing the pod at Donald's grave, we hear the postscript tale of the craft's recovery and rebuild, and reflect on a remarkable man piloting a remarkable craft in a remarkable place.

• Bluebird K7 The Festival is taking place 11–17 May, 2026: https://bluebirdk7thefestival.co.uk

• Keith is speaking as part of the Festival on the 11 May: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid05tuxwjaVVncdp7HQBtJJhPQDscvzP1kc8kPKQS7hYn41wtq5cRqe9CQPBXfJUF2yl&id=100064908631980

• Keith and Neil Sheppard's book 'Donald Campbell Bluebird and the Final Record Attempt' can be bought from the Ruskin Museum.

• To support Countrystride, you can buy our Lake District walking guidebooks at countrystride.co.uk/our-books or gift us as little as £3 a month via Patron at patreon.com/c/countrystride

...in which we pull up a pew at St Oswald’s Church, Grasmere, for a wide-ranging chat about faith in the hills, fell-running and the day-to-day life of the rural vicar.

Opening the podcast, we reflect on the personal and faith journeys that have led Lawrence Basham (rector of the Parish of Grasmere and Rydal), Charlie Day (curate of the Binsey Mission Community) and Sam Bentham (intern at Grasmere and Rydal) to the Lakes and consider the ‘no two days the same’ reality of life as a vicar in rural Cumbria.

Turning our attention to St Oswald’s, we delve into the history of a wood-carved pulpit that links Sam Read Bookseller, a near-tragedy in the church and Greenup Edge; and consider why Grasmere Rushbearing plays such a key role in the life of the village.

Disappearing down a fell-running rabbit hole, we discuss the inaugural ‘Rector’s Run’; the remarkable community of those who run in the fells and the spiritual ‘settling’ that happens when moving through wild places, before Charlie describes a heart-stopping moment in Wasdale (’Swing Low, Sweet Chariot!’) at the head of Joss Naylor’s funeral cortège.

Closing our conversation, we play Cumbrian church Top Trumps (and are spoiled for choice); consider our guests’ favourite time in the church year; and brainstorm a new event for the Lakeland calendar – a drive-in midnight mass (or should that be moss) at White Moss... You heard it here first...

• More information on St Oswald's can be found here: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/12407/

• More information on the Binsey Mission Community can be found here: https://www.binsey.org.uk

...in which we head south over a snowy Dunmail Raise to immerse ourselves in the world of Arts and Crafts at Blackwell.

In the company of Niall Hodson, Keeper of Collections at Lakeland Arts, we start our conversation taking a long view over wintry Windermere and the context in which the Arts & Crafts movement emerged – the rise of mass production in the Victorian age.

Paying homage to John Ruskin – over the hill in Coniston – we consider the polymath visionary’s founding contribution to a movement that encompassed social justice, art and architecture, and the impact of his iconic treatise The Stones of Venice that called for traditional craftsmanship, simplicity and the use of natural materials in everything from furniture to buildings.

Entering Blackwell, we are immersed in the movement made real, with immaculately detailed stonework, wood carvings, floor tiles, stained glass and wallpaper showcasing the creative talents of dozens of local craftspeople, all designed into a coherent rural retreat for the wealthy Holt family of Manchester.

Wandering through room after enchanting room, we meet two more key figures whose lives are intertwined with the house: William Morris – the revolutionary designer, craftsman, social activist, and founder of Morris & Co – and Blackwell architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott, whose extraordinary vision gave rise to one of Lakeland’s finest, and most eccentric, houses.

In divers quickfire ramblings that take in pubs, breweries and stag do’s, we proceed into Blackwell’s recent past, and its second life as an evacuees’ boarding school, before closing by considering the legacy of one of the country’s most important arts movements – as relevant as ever in the age of AI.

• Blackwell is open from now until 31 March: Monday – Saturday 10am – 4pm, then 1 April – 31 October: Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm. The house is currently exhibiting 'Frances Priest Motif | Line | Colour' until 11 April, 2026. Explore the ceramic work of celebrated Edinburgh-based artist Frances Priest in an exhibition tracing 25 years of her artistic work.

• More about Blackwell can be found at: lakelandarts.org.uk/blackwell/

...in which we embark on a memorial walk to Innominate Tarn on Haystacks to ask the question: How did fell-walker Alfred Wainwright impact on so many lives?

Closing a year of AW anniversaries – including the 70th anniversary of the publication of his first Pictorial Guide – we set out from Honister in the company of a string of guests whose lives have been touched or changed by the Blackburn-born rambler, artist and guidebook writer.

Chatting as we wander – through dense clag and worsening rain – we meet walker Richard Jennings, who completed his 214 at 2:14 on the 21st of the fourth, 2014 (definitely not an obsessive!), and who credits AW with his move to the Lakes.

We catch up with geographer-legend Chris Jesty – the only person authorised by AW to update his Guides – who chats about camping on Scafell Pike for six months "waiting for clear weather", about the 10-year three-month update odyssey, and why the Howgills and Outlying Fells are his backwater favourites.

Arriving at Dubs Hut, we are joined by brothers Mike and Paul Duff from Kendal. who accompanied dad Percy and Betty Wainwright onto Haystacks in March '91 to scatter AW's ashes, and who recall their old family friend – the "foreigner from Blackburn" who sunk roots deep in Westmorland.

Anna Nolan from Keswick is our next guest – a bagging record-breaker currently on her 11th round of the Wainwrights by bus, with a cumulative tally of 6,000+ fells and counting.

Sculptor Clive Barnard recounts his experience of working with AW on the bronze bust now resident in Kendal Museum, remembering the 'big, amiable bear' with a commercially savvy mind who made "awful" cups of tea.

In thickening clag, we meet Chris and Lorena Linke from Florida, who fell in love with long distance walking, after completing AW's Coast to Coast Walk, and discuss the under-acknowledged community created by the C2C, life lessons taught by through-walks, and the unique storytelling artistry of the Guides.

Arriving at our pilgrimage end-point of Innominate Tarn, we pay our respects to former Westmorland Gazette print manager Andrew Nichol – one of the unsung heroes of the AW story, who did so much for the ex-fellwanderer, his book sales and his profile. Beside the hallowed 'gravely shore' of the misty tarn, Chris and his wife Priscilla reflect on Andrew's legacy, and the poignant 'guard of honour' final trip he made onto Haystacks to say farewell to his old friend.

Happy New Year to all, from Mark and Dave!

• Chris's extensive archive of articles about AW's books and memorabilia can be found at alfredwainwright.co.uk/

• Anna Nolan's books about fell-bagging and walking in the Lakes can be found at bookguild.co.uk/our-authors/anna-nolan

• Richard Jennings has created The Lakeland Way – a 144 mile walk through the valleys and mountain passes of the Lake District. See here for more.

• Inspired by the Coast to Coast Walk, Chris and Lorena Linke made a film about the Herriot Way. The story behind it can be found at alfredwainwright.co.uk/the-herriot-way/

• The film of Andrew Nichol's journey to Innominate Tarn can be found at youtube.com/watch?v=UpLVp20qIJE&t=330s

• Chris Jesty's beautiful summit panoramas can be enjoyed here: viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/ChrisJestyPanoramas.html

• With many thanks to Chris for making the day and recording happen.

• And with thanks to the team at Honister for driving some of our guests to Dubs Hut, and for Tom McNally for arranging the transport.

...in which we select the best bits from our second Cumbrian Christmas Cracker, a celebration of all things festive in the historic counties of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire north-of-the-Sands.

In the company of historian and author Alan Cleaver; broadcaster and food historian John Crouch; journalist and historian Sue Allan; and musicians Carolyn Francis (fiddle and vocals) and Mike Willoughby (vocals, bouzouki and melodeon), we enjoy a miscellany of nostalgic readings, letters, poems, music and dialect – all recorded live at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick.

Join Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley skating on Derwent Water; 'Hunsup through the wood' with the Christmas waits; take a gastronomic journey through Cumbrian culinary history starting with the Romans and their winter Satarnalia; and enter the weird world of wholesome lectures and gymnastics (no rice! no sugar!) at Blennerhasset.

Advancing in time, we hear letters from the 1914 Christmas Truce; attempt to make a turkey from breadcrumbs; head 'Down t'Lonnin'' with Sue; then descend on Keswick for the Old Folk's Christmas Do before playing out with the raucous 'Bleckel' Merry Neet'.

...All this and more in the penultimate Countrystride of 2025, before Mark signs off revealing the toys of his childhood, and why Santa won't be downing any bitter this year.

Mark and Dave extend to all listeners a very Happy Christmas.

• If you'd like to be kept informed about future events, simply sign up to our newsletter midway down this page: ountrystride.co.uk

• You can buy Alan's A Lake District Christmas, which includes various of the readings and poems from the Cumbrian Christmas Cracker – including 'Down't Lonning' here.

• Sue's book on The Cumberland Bard – Robert Anderson of Carlisle can be found here.

• Mike and Carolyn play in Striding Edge. More from them can be found here.

...in which dazzling autumn light illuminates a breezy walk between Ambleside and Elterwater in the company of art historian Dr Lizzie Fisher, where we discuss the remarkable life of the groundbreaking 20th-century German artist Kurt Schwitters, who died in exile in the Lake District.

Born in 1887 in Hanover, Lizzie introduces us to the pioneering modern artist, and the wandervogel ‘back to nature’ youth movement that was a reaction against capitalism and industrialisation. Pausing to enjoy views over Fairfield and Wansfell, we consider the scientific and social revolution of the ‘fizzing’ inter-war years and artists’ subversive responses to the rise of national socialism.

Finding himself on the Nazi’s list of degenerate artists, we follow Schwitters as he abandons his first immersive ‘Merzbau’ in flight to Norway and thence to internment on the Isle of Man, where the gregarious creative entertained inmates by crafting porridge towers and howling at the moon.

Introducing Edith ‘Wantee’ Thomas – Schwitters’ latter-day support and companion – we enter the artist’s Lakeland years, highlighting the confident, prolific and underacknowledged second artistic life (540 works in three years) that started when he settled in Ambleside, and the oft-epic walks he undertook as Westmorland became home.

Finally, we learn about the chance encounter that led Schwitters to the Cylinders Estate in Great Langdale, opposite the Langdale Estate – a one-time hangout of intellectuals – bohemians and artists, and his last great, unfinished work, the Merzbarn, in the woods north of Elterwater.

• Dr Lizzie Fisher is a curator and art historian, and principal of Higham Hall College – an educational trust supporting lifelong learning in the arts and humanities through a year-round programme of lectures, events, short residential courses and retreats in the Lake District. www.highamhall.com

• For more about the Cylinders Estate and the Merzbarn as it now is – in the care of the Factum Foundation – see here.

• Part of the Merzbarn’s wall was relocated for preservation to the Hatton Gallery, Newcastle in 1966, where it is on permanent display. For more information visit merzbarn.co.uk

...in which we spend a perfect autumn day 'gone fishing' on Derwent Water with angler-author Eric Hope.

Setting out from Lodore, we cast our minds – and line – back to Eric's Lancashire childhood, and the day trips he made to Windermere, where he fell in love with angling and the Lakes.

With waves lapping against the boat, Eric introduces us to the pastime that has given him a career and lifelong passion; to game and coarse fishing; to lines, bait and olives.

Delving deep into the 'mangroves' of Manesty, we talk salmon on the world-class River Eden and introduce the 'holy trinity' glacial relics of Cumbria: the Arctic Charr, Schelly and Vendace. 

After diversions aplenty (why ice made Keswick; the 'floating island' of Derwent Water; the monster Pike of Windermere), we consider the zen of fishing – immersion in nature, mysteries beneath the waves, a chance to properly talk.

Closing with our quickfire questions, Eric reveals his love for High Pike, the ODG, Wainwright's Eastern Fells... and Cranstons.

• Eric's book, Tales of a Lakeland Angler, is available here: medlarpress.com/Authors/eric-hope.html

• Eric's guiding business, Hemmingways Fishing is here: hemmingwaysfish.co.uk/

...in which we are joined by broadcaster, author, long-distance walker and former MP for Penrith and the Border, Rory Stewart, to discuss his new book, Middleland – Dispatches from the Borders.

In a wide-ranging discussion about the 'lost kingdom of Middleland', Dave chats with Rory about long walks through the Lake District and Borderlands, about the joys of post-walk pub stays (warm socks, a book by the fire), and the meditative pace of multi-day rambles.

Moving to farming, Rory raises the alarm over a new era of small farm 'clearance', urges caution over rewilding a heritage landscape, and argues that binary thinking is impeding a subsidy regime that would champion nature-based farming.

Grappling with a 'Middleland' identity, we consider why the reality of Cumbria – sparsely populated, mountainous, complex – questions so many assumptions at the heart of modern politics, and learn why we should not lose confidence in our National Parks.

Facing our quickfire questions, Rory describes his earliest Cumbrian memory (rescue from a snow-blocked A6 aged four), his fondness for Penrith fudge and his love of Striding Edge.

Closing on a note of positivity; Rory reflects on the fact that – despite its challenges – Cumbria remains a place in which tens of thousands of people contribute to a place that brings "a type of joy, meaning and happiness that is elusive elsewhere".

• Rory's new book, Middleland, is out today.

...in which we congregate in autumnal Upper Borrowdale to explore the history of Seatoller. 

In the company of Steve Uglow – author of Seatoller: History of a Hamlet – we ascend the flanks of High Doat and return to the last Ice Age, when two glaciers carved out a cloistered valley.

Reflecting on the likely in-roads made by Norse incomers (did they settle in the valley? maybe), we move into the age of the Monasteries, when lay bothers from Fountains and Furness Abbeys made Borrowdale productive.

It was the Dissolution that set Upper Borrowdale on a unique course, the Great Deed of Borrowdale securing the freeholds of farmers, transforming their dwellings and safeguarding the ancient valley-side woods.

While the wealthy wad mines of Seathwaite impacted little on back-road Seatoller, the green slate of Honister bought money, miners and cottages to the growing village, and a new private road that opened the pass to motor vehicles.

Before subjecting Steve to our quickfire questions (favourite fell – Fleetwith Pike; favourite pub – The Yew Tree; favourite Lakeland season - spring, summer, autumn and winter), we follow Seatoller into the tourist age, and discuss the ‘Cambridge’ link with Seatoller House, which gave rise to the remarkable Trinity and Trevelyan ‘Manhunts’.

• Steve’s books are published by Bookcase. You can find volume 1 here: bookscumbria.com/product/uk-books/countryside-and-nature/seatoller-1-monks-monarchs-farmers/ and volume 2 here: bookscumbria.com/product/uk-books/countryside-and-nature/seatoller-2/

• You can read more about the Manhunts at medium.com/@Real_XC/pursuit-what-can-be-learned-from-a-manhunt-on-the-fells-0ad18f6cd4f7

...in which we're joined by Jack Cornish, author, long-distance walker and Head of Paths at The Ramblers to talk about his book The Lost Paths, and the deep history of England and Wales' extensive path network.

Recorded live at June's Countrystride Live, we step back in time to learn about Britain's first paths – forged by wandering animals through the post-Ice Age Greatwood – then proceed into the era of the drovers, when food was transported through the landscape over great distances, creating many of the trails we tread today.

Turning to some of the least-known chapters in British walking history, Jack discusses the tramping networks of the dispossessed, the revolution of the turnpikes (and the bizarre protests they prompted), and the era of Enclosures, which diminished and fragmented many ancient routeways. He then turns to the post-War legislation that granted us world-class rights of way – a network that needs constant protection, including, locally, at Hayton Woods, east of Carlisle.

Diverting briefly to muse upon competitive walking (weird) and train-era rambling mania (wonderful), Jack reveals that one of his all-time favourite paths is along the Cumbrian Solway Coast and explains why paths – as the oldest parts of our heritage still used for their original purpose – are as important as St Paul's Cathedral and Stonehenge.

• Jack, and The Lost Paths, can be found in various locations online; his Linktree is here.

• Jack's website is here: jackfcornish.com

...in which we open Series 2 of Countrystride by exploring Eycott Hill in the northeast corner of the Lake District National Park – a landscape in recovery. In the company of Kevin Scott, Northern Reserves Manager at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, we learn about the reserve's extraordinary transformation – from near-monocultural sheep pasture to a thriving upland patchwork of wildflower meadows, species-rich acid grassland, marshes and mires.

Setting out from the botanically-rich hay meadows – in late summer bloom – we consider whether traditional management techniques might be augmented for wildlife by swapping the mower for cattle. Pausing at a badger sett and heather stands – that bloomed again the moment sheep made way for Belties – we learn about the hill's unusual geology, and how that has shaped its diverse range of habitats.

Summiting the lowly Birkett of Eycott Hill, we marvel at the 270 degree panorama, get soaked in an unforecast shower, then get reflective, asking whether the concept of the shifting baseline is still relevant in conservation, why the economics of traditional sheep farming no longer work, and why 'rewilding' is a term Kevin avoids. We close by reflecting on what the transformation of the hill can teach us about approaches to land management elsewhere in the Lakes.

• More about Eycott Hill from CWT: cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/eycott-hill

...in which we take a stroll – just Mark and Dave – from Seatoller to Sty Head Tarn to announce the end of Countrystride (for now) and reflect on 149 episodes and 6.5 years of the podcast.

Under perfect Spring skies, we catch the bus from Keswick to Seatoller, where we cast our minds back to our tech- and expertise-lacking trial run above Seathwaite and share favourite memories of the hours spent in the fells since, with the Pennine Way, Goldscope Mine and Upper Eskdale all featuring among Mark and Dave's 'best in show' lists.

Arriving at Styhead Tarn, we settle alongside its sparkling waters to reflect on our lifelong love of the Lakes, before asking a series of fellow walkers about their relationship with the fells.

Turning the Countrystride Quickfire Questions on ourselves, we learn that Mark's favourite fell is Blencathra and his Lakeland hero is Hardwicke Rawnsley, while Dave gets passionate about AW and advocates the joy of a pint at YHA Ambleside.

• After 150 episodes, we are taking a break from Countrystride. We may be back; we may not. Do keep in touch by signing up to our newsletter here (just scroll down the page a little).

• If you have ideas about how we might make the pod more sustainable (financially or otherwise), drop us a line using our Contact Us form (bottom of the page).

• All Patreon subscriptions (for which, many thanks), have been paused and will only resume if we resume recordings.

For now it's over and out. It's been a pleasure, and we'll see you on the fells. 

Mark and Dave

...in which we gather at YHA Borrowdale for a wide-ranging chat about hostelling in the Lake District: the people. the places and the passion.

In the company of Aaron Jones, manager at YHA Borrowdale; Christine Thomas, co-owner of Elterwater Hostel; and Elterwater team member Charlie Spiller, we begin by asking what fanned their hostelling flames (family holidays, illicit treks and Amsterdam's red light district respectively).

Looking back over the early, then glory, days of the YHA – when the charity operated 300 hostels; when you were expected to arrive "under your own steam";, and when guests mucked-in with chores – we proceed to today, where a professionalised 'home from home' hospitality approach is championed by both the YHA and a thriving independent sector.

Immersing ourselves in hostel life, we profile a typical working day at both Borrowdale (buzzy games room, thriving bar) and Elterwater (table service, sticky toffee pudding) before quizzing our guests on their favourite hostels.

Delving deeper into the business of running a hostel – a sector in recovery after the strains of Covid – we learn about the highs and lows of hostel operation; about the satisfaction that comes from facilitating new friendships, and about why, in an increasingly divided world, interactions in hostels are as important as ever.

• For more about Elterwater Hostel (always book direct!), see https://www.elterwaterhostel.co.uk/ and reviews on Google.

• For more about YHA Borrowdale see the YHA website (always book direct!)

• For more about other indie hostels, see https://independenthostels.co.uk/

...in which we head south to Pendle Hill to explore the extraordinary lives of two campaigning outdoorsmen, who helped establish National Parks, Youth Hostels, the Ramblers and The Pennine Way – 60 years young this year.

In the company of Nick Burton and Bob Sproule from the Pendle Radicals project, we set out from the Lancashire village of Roughlee, where the scene is set for the arrival of the 'two Toms' – a time where workers in the industrial north had to fight to access the hills around them.

Striding onto Noggarth Edge, where views open over the former mill towns of Colne, Nelson and Burnley, we learn about the early life of Tom Stephenson, father of the Pennine Way, who was working in a calico works aged 13, and whose life changed forever on Pendle Hill. Jailed as a conscientious objector during World War I, we follow Tom into his campaigning years, when the concept of his 'Long Green Trail' took root.

Descending to Pendle Water, we introduce the Reverend Thomas Arthur Leonard OBE, one-time minister of Barrow-in-Furness and Colne, whose commitment to social reform – and suspicion of the boozy Wakes weeks – gifted us the Co-operative Holidays Association, and its successor the Holiday Fellowship (he is commemorated in a plaque on Cat Bells).

Arriving at the last-of-its-kind Clarion House, where working class cyclists and walkers still meet for shelter, education and fellowship, we enjoy the cheapest cup of tea in Lancashire, before reflecting on the golden age of access pioneers, and their remarkable legacy.

• Clarion House can be found here.

• For more about the Pendle Radicals, see here.

• More information about the Two Toms Trail can be found here.

...in which we venture west to the Eskdale village of Boot to visit the last remaining water cornmill in the Lake District.

Guided by Mill manager Kate Hughes, we explore the old gardens – a scene of watery activity, with Willan Beck tumbling over boulders and leats threading through channels to feed three wheels. Here we learn about the long history of milling in Lakeland, where over 2,000 mills harnessed power in their pre-industrial heydey.

Moving indoors, we observe the drying room, where peat briquettes, extracted from Burnmoor, were burned to dry barley – a staple part of the Cumbrian diet for generations.

Moving into the machine room – noisy with belts, drives, cogs and wheels – we consider the hard-graft life of the miller; of the Corn Laws that made of him a pariah in the hamlet; of the seasonal nature of milling; and of the mill's women folk, employed in communal baking and washing.

Outside again, walking through sun-dappled daffodils, we marvel at old mill wheels (each ground for a century or more) and the different stones used on different grains.

Finally, Kate chats about her abiding love of Eskdale; of the views from Harter Fell; of the upper Esk pools; and of the vibrant shades of autumn.

• For more about Eskdale Mill, including open times, see eskdalemill.co.uk/visit

• The Mill is on Facebook (facebook.com/p/Eskdale-Mill-100064829043197/), Bluesky (bsky.app/profile/eskdalemill.bsky.social) and Instagram (instagram.com/eskdalemillboot/).

...in which we visit the far northeast of Cumbria to explore the remarkable history and remains of the Nenthead lead mines.

In the company of geologist and Nenthead Mines trustee Pete Jackson, we learn about the earliest mineral prospecting in the area, where 'the old men' sought out lead in becks, waterfalls and, latterly, artificial hushes.

Arriving at a centuries-old stone leat – still flowing – we consider the unusual addition of flag coverings, and nature's steady reclamation of spoil heaps.

Entering the hill at Carr's Level, we consider the boom years of the London Quaker Lead Company, and the values that gave rise to social housing and an early form of sickness pay.

Moving deeper into the mines – and through the evolution of extractive technologies, from hand-picking to dynamite – we proceed to the great depression that made Nenthead a truly European operation, where British, Italian, French and German miners mixed, mined and lived together.

We end our journey atop the mind-blowing 300-foot Brewery Shaft, where Pete describes the five-mile subterranean canal – once a tourist attraction – that links Nenthead to Alston.

• For more about Nethead Mine, and to find out about publ;ic open days, see nentheadmines.com/

...in which we delve into a remarkable oral history archive to paint a long-view picture of the ever-changing farmed landscape of the Westmorland Dales.

In the company of local-born John Hastwell and project officer Amanda Walters, we listen to farmers past and present as they discuss the hard-graft reality of farming the Westmorland Dales, the northern Howgills and the Orton Fells. 

Looking back to the inter-War years – long before the arrival of phones and electricity in remote valleys – we hear crystal-clear memories (in beautiful accents) of life before mechanisation, when fell ponies and draft horses pulled sleds and trailers; and when 400+ farms in the area kept dairy herds.

Proceeding to the arrival of the first Little Grey Fergie, we reflect on the joys and frustrations of hay-making, and the long hours worked by farm children.

Turning to the social context of farm lives and loves, we hear about the importance of church; of the mart; and of the dances and seaside trips that bound scattered communities.

Reflecting on the priceless value of wildflower meadows and the demise of dairy in Ravenstonedale, we close by asking 'What's next?' for the farms of the Dales, and discover that one model may be a 'back to basics' approach inspired by our farming forebears.

• The Westmorland Dales' 'Our Common Heritage' oral history project was inspired by Friends of the Lake District, which owns Little Asby Common in the heart of the Westmorland Dales. It was one of many projects delivered through the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership, led by Friends of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

• Full interviews can be accessed at Cumbria Archives in Kendal and the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes.

...in which we are joined by Gavin Capstick, new chief executive of the Lake District National Park Authority, for a wide-ranging chat about the state of the Park and his ambitions for its future.

Ascending out of Tebay onto the Howgills, we learn about Gavin's Eden Valley upbringing and his first interactions with the Lake District – playing youth football – before a local government career led him to the Park Authority.

Arriving at a stock exclosure fence with emerging woodland, we talk about the balance the Park must try and strike between farming and nature, locals and tourists, conservation and development; and the inherent tension built into National Parks' DNA.

Dropping to the Lune – and a fabulous riverside path below the M6 – Gavin defines 'low impact tourism', notes the 40% real-term reduction in government funding over the past decade; outlines the pressure placed on new honeypots by social media influencers, and describes the highs (ice cream) and lows (rain) of being a Wainwright-bagging family.

Turning to knottier issues, we discuss 4x4s on green lanes; how private car use in the Park might be reduced, the strange silence of Covid lockdowns... and why Rory Delap is Gavin's Cumbrian hero.

• The Lake District is on Twitter/X at x.com/lakedistrictnpa

...in which we visit Keswick Museum for a deep dive into the life of one of Romantic Lakeland's most under-appreciated figures: writer, former Poet Laureate and long-term resident of Greta Hall, Robert Southey (1774-1843).

In the company of Museum curator Nicola Lawson and trustee Charlotte May, we return to Bristol, 1774 and set the shifting social scene for the birth of a young radical – expelled from Westminster – whose education was beset by bullying.

Alongside new wife Edith Fricker and creative soulmate Samuel Taylor Coleridge, we follow Southey north to Keswick and learn about daily life at Greta Hall, where the young poet became sole breadwinner in a busy household of sisters and their home-educated children.

With tragedy a constant in the Southeys' life – four of the couples’ eight children died before reaching adulthood – we discuss Edith's enduring mental illness, the fast-growing Keswick of the early 1800s, and the great joy Southey derived from family and domestic life.

Reflecting on a (sometimes) controversial and (always) prodigious writing talent (Southey's output far eclipsed that of Wordsworth or Coleridge), we namecheck some of his finest works: from the first published version of Goldilocks and the three bears (The Story of the Three Bears) through his remarkable História do Brasil to the onomatopoeic masterpiece The Cataract of Lodore.

Brazing the frosty cold, we conclude our conversation alongside Southey's grave at Crosthwaite Church, where we consider his relationship with Keswick and the great loss felt at the death of a towering talent and an adored family man.

• You can find out more about Southey and Keswick at Keswick Museum: keswickmuseum.org.uk

• The Museum is on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.

...in which we unwrap a selection box of our favourite clips from the year past in the company of Cumbria Wildlife Trust's Jamie Normington and Low Sizergh Barn co-owner Alison Park.

Featuring clips from, among others, James Robinson, Eileen Jones, Mark Hatton, Phoebe Smith, April Windle, Mark Cropper, Angus Winchester and Peter Todhunter, we sift through 19 episodes and 20 hours of recordings from as far flung as Newlands, Windermere, Seathwaite, Orton and Great Moss.

In our annual extended fire-side chat – in which we pick our Cumbrian Book of the Year and Walk of the year – we cover buses, bars and burial cairns; we discuss rainforests, regeneration and gathering the Rough Fell; we visit Barrow, Borrowdale and the Back o' Skiddaw; we reflect on the increasingly precarious business of hill farming; we consider Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s acquisition of 3,000 acres of Skiddaw Forest, and we close by remembering King of the Fells, Joss Naylor.

• Alison can be found at Low Sizergh Barn.

...in which we congregate at the Armitt, Ambleside for a night of readings, historic press reports, dialect poems and music that celebrate a distinctly Cumbrian Christmas.

In the company of Alan Cleaver, Lesley Park, Sue Allan and – on harp and guitar – the Cumbrian Duo, we take a nostalgic trip down memory lane (and beyond) as we learn about seasonal customs from the historic counties of Westmorland and Cumberland: of the 'Waits' who performed dance tunes in isolated valleys; of the 'Merryneets', where dalesfolk would gather for nights of feasting and frivolity; and of the carol-singers of Wasdale, fighting a losing battle against the winter snows.

Turning to dialect, Sue regales us with a miscellany of snow terms from the old tongue and champions works of the tragically underrated Cumbrian Bard, Robert Anderson of Carlisle, while Lesley reads one of the all-time classic Lakeland Christmas poems: 'Down t'Lonning'.

As we move around the county – from the Ambleside postman's path via Buttermere (and its many pies) to a west coast nativity scene – we're accompanied by winter-time tunes from Ed Haslam and Jean Altshuler, including 'Cold and Raw' and the infamous 'Bleckell Murry Neet'.

• Alan's book, A Lake District Christmas, is available from Inspired by Lakeland.

• Sue's book on The Cumberland Bard is available from Books Cumbria.

• The latest CD from the Cumbrian Duo is sold through Willowhayne Music at naxosdirect.co.uk/search/bleckell

• Some of their music can be heard at youtube.com/watch?v=xB9CcJLIxKA and youtube.com/watch?v=jbNzqBBTCHk

• This podcast was recorded at one of our Countrystride Live events. To be first in line for tickets, sign up to our newsletter at countrystride.co.uk/

...in which Dave takes a midwinter stroll with author Polly Atkin to discuss The Company of Owls, Polly's new book about her tawny owl neighbours in Grasmere.

Climbing from Town End onto White Moss Common, we consider the recent history of the surrounding landscape – from grazed pasture through makeshift 'hutment' settlement to the rich woodland of today that is home to deer, badger, fox and numerous birds.

Arriving at a mossy oak, we learn about Polly's passion for owls, and the personal connection she formed with three new-born owlets. The little-known habits of owls are discussed – the long walks they take to explore territory; the on-and-off cohabitation arrangements of mate-for-life parents; and the pragmatic preservation of energy in death.

Arriving at a nature-reclaimed pool, our conversation skips from owls to the Romantic poets, night-time walking, mythology and bluebells.

Finally, arriving at Grasmere's Wishing Gate, we turn to Polly's award-winning Some of Us Just Fall, and talk about why the nature-healing narrative is a fallacy; and why the owls in this enchanted patch of woodland embody hope, sadness, anxiety, joy – but, most of all, continuity.

• The Company of Owls is available to buy (signed) from samreadbooks.co.uk/product/polly-atkin-the-company-of-owls-signed-/13814 and (not signed) eandtbooks.com/books/the-company-of-owls/

• Polly is on Twitter/X at x.com/pollyrowena

• Polly's Linktree: https://t.co/ehfHhLe116

...in which we make a breezy autumnal ascent of Gowbarrow Fell to learn about the unending work of Fix the Fells.

In the company of FtF partnership manager Isabel Berry and deputy ranger Jonny Skinn, we take a long view of Lake District trails – back to the days of pack-horse routes and quarry ways – then fast-forward to the 1960s and '70s, when the golden age of rambling etched great scars into the landscape.

Advancing three decades, we arrive at the origins of Fix the Fells (it could have been 'Mend the Mountains') and the establishment of a unique partnership that now cares for 200 routes across the National Park, with a full-time team of 17 rangers and 150+ volunteers.

Proceeding up the fell – with some of the finest views in the Lakes – we learn about the science of erosion, and the multiple benefits of path restoration: for water quality, floral diversity, climate, insects and birds.

Arriving at one of Jonny's work sites, we consider the engineering behind path restoration and the psychological nudges that keep walkers trail-tight.

A sober reflection on the loopholes that mean Fix the Fells are ignored by statuary funding pre-empts a double set of quickfire questions where we chat great pubs, favourite books, autumn vs spring... and Beacon Fell.

• More about Fix the Fells here: https://www.fixthefells.co.uk

...in which we take an autumnual stroll around Grasmere to explore the history of fell-running with runner, archivist and west coast lad Peter Todhunter.

Setting out from the village green – one-time site of Westmorland wrestling matches – we visit the field below Allan Bank, where the first known Guides Race took place in 1868.

As a traditional Cumbrian 'sports day' grew to encompass hound trailing, boating, 'high leaping' and horse-racing – alongside the emerging discipline of fell-running – we consider the locational moves necessitated by an ever-growing number of competitors (often farm workers, gamekeepers and miners) and visitors.

Moving into the modern era, we profile the first fell-running superstars, including Ernest Dalziel – the legend of Burnsall – and Keswick's own Bob Graham, who completed his iconic 42-peak Round in tennis shoes. We consider the growing list of endurance events that developed on the fells, from the 24-hour Challenge to the Mountain Trial, and the emergence of the amateur fell-running scene that dominates the sport today.

Arriving at the Showfield – site of Grasmere Sports – Peter reflects on the achievements and legacy of his much-missed friend, Joss Naylor; tells us why Robinson is the greatest fell of all; reveals why a set of the Wainwright Guides are his desert island reads; and answers the perennial Bob conundrum... why Great Calva?.

• 'Running Int’ Fells' is an exhibition that shares the history, spirit and enjoyment of running on the fells, from the beginnings at Grasmere Sports to ultra and trail running events today. The exhibition is on at The Armitt until 21 December, 2024.

...in which we delve into a remarkable oral history archive to paint a picture of the historic Cumbrian commons as they enter a period of profound change.

In the company of local-born John Hastwell and project officer Amanda Walters, we listen to farmers past and present as they discuss the hard-graft reality of grazing the fells of the Westmorland Dales: the northern Howgills and Tebay; the Pennine fringes; Orton Fells and Wild Boar Fell. 

Relishing a bounty of Westmerian accents, we consider how the commons have been used for centuries – not only for grazing, but also for supplying fuel, wool and building materials. We evoke the satisfaction of gathers past, where thousands of sheep were rounded from the common, and note the efforts required to establish and maintain a heft.

The traumas of hard winters and Foot and Mouth are recalled, as are the perils of 'totter bogs', chats with M6 truck drivers... and the wrong DofE footwear.

We close by reflecting on the many changes unfolding on these eastern heights – more trees; fewer sheep; less food; and a compromised farming system – before hearing from those who have left farming behind for good.

• The Westmorland Dales' 'Our Common Heritage' oral history project was inspired by Friends of the Lake District,which owns Little Asby Common in the heart of the Westmorland Dales. It was one of many projects delivered through the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership, led by Friends of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

• Full interviews can be accessed at Cumbria Archives in Kendal and the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes.

...in which we take an autumn stroll into Grizedale Forest with local-born author Rebecca Smith to explore the hidden history of working class people in the countryside.

Exploring the expansive pine plantations north of Satterthwaite, we learn about Rebecca's idyllic childhood roaming the Graythwaite Estate, where her father was head forester. Seeking out elusive Bogle Crag, we consider the class ambiguity of living in the shadow of 'the big house', and the mixed blessings of tied housing for foresters and farmers.

Taking a long view of the rural working class, Rebecca talks about her grandfather and great-grandfather, and the reality of navvy lives – including at Thirlmere – that were tough, transient and are largely forgotten today.

On a mission to find 'Black Apple Tree', we reflect on the social impacts of mass tourism and the risk of dysfunction in rural economies that lose the workers they rely upon. Finally, we ask: why have the Coniston raves been airbrushed from history?

• Rebecca's book, Rural: The Lives of the Working Class Countryside, is available at all good bookshops (we recommend local!).

...in which Dave interviews adventurer, author and multi-award-winning photographer, presenter and broadcaster Phoebe Smith about journeys of self-discovery on the country's old ways.

Recorded live at Countrystride's end of summer gathering at Kelsick Grammar, we learn about the ancient practice – still banned in this country – of pilgrimage, and hear about the great emptiness Phoebe felt on a secular walk along the Camino de Santiago.

In a wide-ranging conversation centred around Phoebe's book Wayfarer: Love, loss and life on Britain's ancient paths, we consider what role walking plays in healing trauma; why slow ways have increasing appeal in a busy world; and the deep-level connections that get forged when we follow in the footsteps of our ancestors.

Never straying far from the Lake District, Phoebe reveals her favourite fells and wild camp locations; talks about drying knickers on a Kendal stove; and recalls the Christmas she spent in a gale atop Scafell Pike.

Arriving at our quickfire questions. we consider why National Parks are visited by so few young people; we learn why Phoebe's Lakeland hero is Mabel Barker... and we try (and fail) to get Phoebe to stop talking about Grasmere gingerbread.

• Wayfarer: Love, loss and life on Britain's ancient paths is available from all good bookshops.

• For all things Phoebe, see phoebe-smith.com 

...in which we ascend Moasdale from Cockley Beck in the company of author Guy Richardson to take a long view of the Scafell massif and its oft-overlooked history.

Under pristine skies we ascend the 'moss valley' on a long-abandoned turf-cutters' way to reach Moasdale Col and the Duddon/Esk watershed, where we are wowed by the Alpine panorama of England's highest peaks – a view that is surely one of Lakeland's finest and one which, remarkably, has rarely been captured by poet or painter.

In a wide-ranging discussion about the Scafells' neglected history, we identify the fells' first appearence on maps, and the changing names – the Pikes of Scawfell, Scawfell Pike, Scafell Pike, Sca Fell – that offer glimpses into the influence of guidebook writers and the early methods of OS surveyors.

Recalling Samuel Taylor Coleridge's infamous descent of Broad Stand (and the subsequent first climb of the accident blackspot by his farming hosts), we consider the great conservation battle to keep conifers from Great Moss; we learn about the madcap attempts to build a road over Sty Head; we reflect on the 'Great Gifts' that secured the heights of Eskdale and Borrowdale for the nation; and we attempt to settle one of the Lakes' enduring debates: is it Scafell or Scawfell?.

• For more information about Guy's book The Scafells : A Grand Tour and a peek inside see: www.scafells.uk

• The book is also available from all good bookshops (Cumbrian ones are best!).

...in which we tour the west coast town of Whitehaven in the company of Blue Badge guide and historic buildings expert Alexandra Fairclough. From the heart of the bustling harbour, we paint a picture of the settlement's early history – of a remote fishing village set around a tidal river – before coal transformed its fortunes forever. As the Lowther family entered the story, the town's wealth and population multiplied; coal and ship-building transforming the sheltered 'haven' into England's second largest port, trade tethered to the notorious 'Triangular Trade'. Leaving the harbour, we visit Whitehaven's informal 'old town', then proceed to the remarkable 'grid-iron' planned streets that introduced Grand Tour designs to Georgian Cumberland, and which inspired similar layouts in New York City. Admiring designed 'vistas', a bounty of listed buildings – more per quare mile than in any other UK town – and rare one-time warehouses, we discuss the end of many eras, and reflect on the 'gem' town of today.

• Alex can be found at https://linktr.ee/Alexatourguide

...in which we tell the 1,000-year story of cartography in the historic counties of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire with author, academic and cartophile Bill Shannon.

When does the name 'Cumbria' first appear on a map? Who were the men – entrepreneurs, oddballs, fraudsters and visionaries – who developed the skills of surveying and map-making over generations, often for scant financial rewards? How did the remarkable Christopher Saxton undertake the first county surveys – to make the definitive maps of England that were still being used two centuries later? When were the first scientific surveys carried out, and what role did the Ordnance Survey play in popularing maps for the 'everyman'?

In this amiable chat covering ten centuries of map-making, we talk triangulation and tourism; contours and cartouches; and nymphs, monks and memories of map-reading on a misty Blencathra.

• Bill is on Twitter/X at https://x.com/BillShannon19

• You can find out more about / buy Bill's book at https://www.inspiredbylakeland.co.uk/products/cumbria-1-000-years-of-maps

• To view some of Bill's favourite maps, head over to our sister site, Hefted: https://hefted.substack.com/p/six-iconic-maps-of-cumbria

...in which we stride out from Seatoller in the company of conservationist and lichenologist April Windle to explore the Celtic woodlands of Borrowdale and celebrate the designation of a new 721-hectare (1,782-acre) National Nature Reserve in the valley.

Immersing ourselves in the damp and shady confines of an oakwood, and tantalised by a tapestry of ferns, mosses, liverworts and lichens, we consider the climatic conditions – wet and mild – that sustain these rare pockets of western wild-wood. Pushing deeper up-dale we discover two more woodland habitats: a remarkable hillside of ash pollards and a precipitous hanging hazelwood.

Pausing to admire 'Tumbling Kittens' and 'Blackberries in Custard', we reflect on the complex management needs of these threatened rainforests and learn why bracken is no barrier to natural regeneration, why brambles cannot be left unchecked, and why livestock exclosure does not make for healthy woods.

Backtracking to the valley bottom, we learn about the National Trust's largest ever 'translocation' drive and lament the loss of one of Lakeland's most loved trees; we mull the benefits of slow walking – and a £2.50 hand lens; and we celebrate Cumbria's reputation as a hotbed of conservationism.

• April can be found on X at x.com/aprilwindle?lang=en and on Instagram at instagram.com/aprilwindle.nature/

• To learn more about the lichens of Borrowdale, see the Lichen Society's interactive map at https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/maps/all-species

...in which we journey deep into Newlands to tell the remarkable story of Elizabethen copper mining, and the part it played in making Keswick the birthplace of modernity.

Leaving Little Town in the company of the inimitable Mark Hatton, we ascend the flanks of Hindscarth, and rewind time to the 1560s, to when England's war footing meant a domestic supply of copper was a matter of national security.

Entering the hand-picked addit that drives through Scope End, we learn about the pioneering German miners who – in the year of Shakespeare's birth – brought their skills to a backwater Lake District valley; and we seek out one of the most audacious engineering feats of its age: a stream, diverted between valleys through the mountain to power an underground waterwheel.

Suitably wowed, we trace the copper ore's ancient route – above the marshy bottoms of Newlands into Keswick – to reflect on the social impacts of an immigrant population, and the ensuing violence... and baby boom.

Arriving by the all-but-ignored former smelter site at Brigham (below the A66 flyover), we discover old tunnels and leats that channeled water to the most important industrial site of its age.

As we digest a lost Lake District story, we consider the fate of the Germans who stayed, and the legacy of an industry that shaped national economics, politics, law... and plenty of future Keswickians.

• Mark is on X at https://x.com/thehatton

…in which we climb one of the Lake District's most popular heights, Loughrigg Fell, to celebrate the launch of a new book, Loughrigg: Tales of a small mountain. In the company of author Eileen Jones and botanist Pete Martin, we consider why this rambling maze of a fell – the classic 'first and last hill’ – holds such a special place in so many people's hearts. Arriving at sequestered Lily Tarn, we survey the rich diversity of hillside flora, from bog asphodel and meadowsweet to grass-of-parnassus and bogbean. Weaving along the ever-popular spine path – past 'Kite Gnoll', 'The Sometimes Pond’ and 'The Knobbly-Bobblies' – we reflect on how memories are grafted onto hills, and how landscapes become personal: From the summit, with its repaired – if diminished – trig point (just the right height to perch a G&T) we discuss the changing relationship with ‘local’ that emerged during Covid, before backtracking past the former Ambleside Golf Course, where Eileen recalls ‘vapours’ on Striding Edge, picks Les Mis as a walking soundtrack… and details an unlikely case of happily-ever-after wife swapping at Pine Rigg.

• Loughrigg: Tales of a small mountain, by Eileen Jones, is available from Gritstone Publishing:  https://gritstonecoop.co.uk/product/loughrigg-by-eileen-jones/

• Work to nurture the trees on Loughrigg is being undertaken by Ambleside Action for a Future, one of our favourite Lakes charities: . https://aafaf.uk/index.html

…in which we head to the far northeast of Cumbria to explore the once thriving North Pennines coal industry in the company of ex-pitman Clive Seal. Rewinding to the 1240s, we unearth the first records of coal production in the area – supplying the monks of Lanercost - and discuss the border raids that threatened the cottage-style industry all the way into the 1600s. In the Midgeholme Bottoms – now the domain of curlew and oyster catcher – we evoke the expanded 17th century workings of horse gins, ’cinders’, waterwheels, smitihies and winding shafts. Taking a retrospective view of Clive’s career, and the ‘like it or loathe it’ reality of life on the coal face, we learn how pitmen bore straight tunnels and mined ‘black gold’ using lime and later gunpowder. Proceeding into the 19th century, we arrive at the jewel in the crown of the Brampton coalfield, the King Pit, where hundreds worked, swelling the villages of Midgeholme, Hallbankgate and Halton Lea Gate. Below abandoned workings, we come upon Lord Carlisle’s private railway – one of the first in the country – along which Stephenson’s Rocket reached a rumoured 60mph, and coal was transported via Port Carlisle to Glasgow and Nova Scotia. Finally, we learn about the slow-motion tragedy of moss encroachment that took three men’s lives, and heralded the end of an era.

...in which we stride out from Waterhead in the company of ecologist and Save Windermere campaigner Matt Staniek. In the vibrant watermeadows that flank the River Rothay we dig into local lad Matt's early life – where hedgehogs were nursed in the family home and Matt took nature walks with his grandmother. Fast-forwarding to the car crash that broke his neck, we learn about Matt's recuperative trips to Borrans Park, where the north shores of Windermere became a place of healing. Delving into the science of sewage, we consider the contributions that farming and private treatment plants make to nutrient levels in Windermere, dwarfed by the release – legal and illegal – of sewage by United Utilities. Subjecting Matt to our quickfire questions, we hear about his love of Side Pike and Windermere's Homeground; of the wonders of unpolluted becks; and of the Viking burial he imagines as a send-off, alongside the bronze toilet epitaph he wants erected outside UU's Windermere office. Detailing how sewage could be banished from Windermere for good, we ask Matt what he does on days off... and when his remarkable campaign will come to an end.

• Matt can be found on X at x.com/MattStaniek and on Instagram at Instagram.com/mattstaniek/?hl=en

• Save Windermere can be found at savewindermere.com

• The March to Save Windermere is held on 29 June. Mark and Dave will be there !

• For those interested in learning more about Section 101A of the Water Act – that states "sewerage undertakers have a duty to provide new public sewers where specific criteria are met" – it can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/56/section/101A#:~:text=(1)Without%20prejudice%20to%20section,(2)%20below%20are%20satisfied.

...in which, standing in for Mark and Dave, BBC Cumbria's Nick Brownlee takes a seat at the bar to discuss the highs, lows and daily realities of operating a community pub. In a hospitality sector beset by staff shortages, rising costs and closures, Cumbria is home to a handful of thriving pubs that have been acquired by their communities. Nick speaks with Phil Sweetland from the Mardale Inn, Bampton, and Grizedale Arts CEO Adam Sutherland from the Farmer's Arms, Lowick, about each pub's journey – from abandonment by big breweries, through community fundraising to reopening. They discuss the importance of pubs to rural communities; the value of activities that interact with the pub; the merits of organic growth as a community business finds its feet; and the "hard graft" management models that ensure sustainable growth. Finally, Adam and Phil namecheck their favourite Cumbrian hostelries – with shout outs to the Kirkstile Inn, The Queen's Head, The Blacksmith's Arms, The Butchers Arms and the ODG – and consider the question: what makes the perfect pub?

• The Mardale Inn is at themardaleinn.com/?lightbox=dataItem-lgjoq8ui

• The Farmer's Arms is at lakedistrictfarmersarms.com

...in which, guest presenting for Mark and Dave, Radio 4's Caz Graham dons her boots for a day on the farm with organic dairy farmer, Chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network and one of Cumbria's farming heroes, James Robinson. In a wide-ranging conversation with fifth-generation farmer 'James from Strickley' – in the shadow of The Helm – Caz and James delve deep into the world of regenerative farming, talk new life in a rewiggled Saint Sunday's Beck and discuss the beauty, utlity and nature benefits – 98 bird species! – of James' beloved laid hedges, as articulated by visting poet and beatboxer Testament. Looking back at old farm diaries, Caz is wowed by historic entries that juxtapose the whitewashing of cattle shippons with a collapsing world order. Surveying a farmed landscape with views to Morecambe Bay, James reflects on the John Marsden adage that you should 'Live as though you’ll die tomorrow, but farm as though you’ll live forever', and – following an invite to discuss farming at Number 10 – calls for ministers to engage in joined-up thinking that aligns farming and food production with health, access to the countryside, education and social care.

• James can be found at: x.com/JRfromStrickley

• Strickley's website is at visitmyfarm.com

• ‘The Lig’ by Testament comes courtesy of We Feed The UK – a national arts project pairing award-winning photographers and poets with the UK’s most inspiring regenerative farmers and food producers. See wefeedtheuk.org for more information

• Caz can be found at x.com/CazGraham1

...in which, standing in for Mark and Dave, broadcaster Nick Brownlee ventures out with Jon Bennett – a man who has climbed Helvellyn 778 times. Ascending Mires Beck, we hear from Jon about the important role of the National Park fell top assessor – a job Jon never thought he would get – and about why, even after 16 years climbing Helvellyn, he's still not bored of it. We learn about magic times on the fell – a Brockenspectre tracking Jon over Striding Edge – and about the role walking played after the sudden death of a close friend. As we continue our ascent, we discuss tree planting schemes and pitching to protect this most loved of mountains, and picnicking beside Red Tarn, we reflect upon the unique weather conditions that impact on Helvellyn. Finally, descending into Greenburn, we marvel at industry old and new, from the towering slag heaps of Greenside Mine to the new-generation hydro scheme supplying power to the National Grid.

• Lake Distirct Weatherline can be found at https://www.lakedistrictweatherline.co.uk/home

• With thanks to Nick for picking up the baton while we're away.

...in which we explore the industrial and social history of Barrow-in-Furness in the company of former mayor John Murphy and artist Maddi Nicholson. Overlooking Walney Channel and distant Black Combe, we delve into the Furness peninsula's deep past, when monks arrived in the secluded 'valley of the deadly nightshade'. We proceed to the discovery of iron ore, and Barrow's subsequent overnight transformation, from backwater farming hamlet into 'the Chicago of England'. In a whistle-stop tour of the town, we discuss the leaning tower of its remarkable town hall, the daily toil of workers in 'the Shed', the 'boilermaker's whisper' and the 'hellfires' that blazed above molten slag. Entering the war years, we consider Barrow's role in re-arming the nation, the realities of the Barrow Blitz and the construction of Barnes Wallis’ ill-fated dirigible ‘Mayfly’ – that did not fly. Finally, on a tour of the fabulous space at Art Gene, we learn about the social history of the town – through shops, hairdressing, meat pies and a moose.– before celebrating the forgotten women of Barrow and Walney, including Peggy Braithwaite, Britain’s only woman lighthouse keeper and a mean shot with a rifle.

• For more information about the Re:discover Barrow Exhibition see art-gene.co.uk/place-rediscover-barrow-exhibition/

• You can find out more about Maddi at art-gene.co.uk/artists-and-residences/maddi-nicholson/ and Art Gene generally at art-gene.co.uk

...in which we set out from springtime Orton to explore the limestone scars of the Westmorland Dales in the company of husband-and-wife geologist / botanist team Syvia and Peter Woodhead. Alongside bubbling Chapel Beck, we encounter early flowers and a lively March hare as we learn about the geological origins of limestone - in distant coral seas some 350 million years ago. Arriving on Orton Scar, with its big-sky panoramas, we reflect on the industrial processing of lime – for agriculture and construction – and observe the 'lasagne' layering of different eras of deposition. Passing limestone pavement on the shoulder of Knott – grikes forming micro-climates for an abundance of rare plants – we encounter myriad fossils, of corals, gastropods and sponges, that record cycles of life and mass extinction. Chased by a storm that never arrives, we finish our walking circuit at Gamelands Stone Circle, where we reflect on the power and legacy of ice.

• For more about the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership project, see friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/westmorland-dales-hidden-landscapes-partnership

• The GeoTrail walks can be found at friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/westmorland-dales-geotrails-2022

• For Cumbria GeoCoonservation see cumbriageoconservation.org.uk

...in which we take a Dales Way wander downstream from Cowan Head to Burneside to explore the long history of paper-making on the River Kent. In the company of paper manufacturer and fell-runner Mark Cropper, Chair of the six-generation family business James Cropper plc, we rewind the centuries to when 50 or more mills spanned the Kent, processing everything from wool to snuff. Entering the packhorse age, we learn about the growth of the provincial book trade and the growing demand for a new kind of 'clean' paper. Leaving the valley floor, we visit the cow byre-housed Paper Foundation to immerse ourselves in the centuries-old craft of paper making. Arriving at the heart of the family business in Burneside, we explore the cutting-edge mills that today make the paper not only for Armistice Day poppies and packaging for many of the world’s leading luxury brands, but also next-generation 'papers' destined for aircraft, supercars and wind turbines. Finally, looking across the pastures above Kendal, we reflect on Mark's ambition to rethink the landscapes of east Lakeland, and the emerging Penrith–Kendal wildlife corridor that will feature a heritage 'patchwork' of wood pasture, wildflower meadows and orchards, alongside traditional farming and food crops.

• The Paper Foundation can be found at paper.foundation/category/shop/

• James Cropper is at www.jamescropper.com

...in which we are joined by Kendal-based author and Windermere Lake Cruises skipper Robert Beale to dive into the deep history of boating on England largest lake. Rambling along the fine new path from Lakeside to Finsthwaite, we look back to Roman times and beyond to hypothesise about the first lake users. Moving into the medieval era, we consider the importance of Windermere to the monks of Furness Abbey, and the subsequent use of cargo boats to transport everything from slate and charcoal to limestone and gunpowder. Arriving in the tourist age, we reflect on the remarkable monopoly of the Furness Railway Company, with trains and boats ferrying huge numbers of people on lengthy Lakeland adventures. As we backtrack to historic fords and the River Leven 'dog hole', we learn about the role Windermere played during the two World Wars, before turning to matters more frivolous: the Tizzie-Whizie, the Crier of Claife and the possible genesis of Beatrix Potter's creative world.

• Robert's book Lakeland Waterways is now out of print, but you may find it at second hand shops.

• You can find Windermere Lake Cruises at windermere-lakecruises.co.uk

• For more about the route we followed, see lakedistrict.gov.uk/aboutus/media-centre/latest-news/news-releases/new-route-makes-it-easier-to-enjoy-the-scenic-west-shore-of-windermere