Countrystride

#138: Running int' fells - A brief history of fell-running, with Peter Todhunter

...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.

#137: Voices from the changing commons

...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.

#136: Rebecca Smith in Grizedale – Lives of the working class countryside

...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!).

#135: Phoebe Smith – Love, loss and life on Britain's ancient paths

...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 

#134: The Scafells – Hidden views and curious histories

...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!).

#133: Whitehaven - A remarkable history

...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

#132: Cumbria – 1,000 years of maps

...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

#131: The Atlantic rainforests of Borrowdale

...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

#130: Goldscope – The wealth of Newlands

...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

#129: Loughrigg Fell: Tales of a small mountain

…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

#128: The lost history of Brampton coal

…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.