Countrystride #23: West Coast Christmas - Voices from the past

…in which we walk the sandstone cliffs from St Bees to Whitehaven with author and historian Alan Cleaver. As we stroll, above a millpond-still Irish Sea, we learn about the coast's Mummers' tradition and the ghost ship Mary Jane; we hear bygone memories of snowy winters and diary entries from a Regency-era farm; we discuss the smuggling origins of rum butter; and we sign off with a yuletide letter from the Western Front. 

• Alan’s award-winning book, The Corpse Roads of Cumbria, is available from all good bookshops.
• You can find Alan on Twitter at @thelonningsguy