Countrystride

Countrystride #7: A Grasmere Christmas - The Wordsworths and the coffin route

...in which we brave the drizzle to walk from Dove Cottage in Townend along the old corpse road round Grasmere to join the festivities at Allan Bank. En route we talk with Marian Veevers about how William and Dorothy Wordsworth celebrated Christmas, and hear from the National Trust's Elaine Taylor about seasonal Cumbrian traditions. We close with music from the Cumbrian Duo, who play us out with a traditional local wassailing tune.

 

With thanks to The Cumbrian Duo for the original music from their album Hunsup through the Wood.

Countrystride #6: Langstrath - and the trees of Borrowdale

...in which we wander up rugged Borrowdale to visit the Langstrath Birch, one of seven enigmatic trees identified by Harriet and Rob Fraser in their Long View project. As we walk we discuss rewilding, poetry and Dorothy Wonrdsworth's little-known Scafell Pike ascent before breathing in as a flock of ewes heads down the valley.

Countrystride #5: Ghosts of Burnmoor - Eskdale to Wasdale

…in which we embark on a spooky - and windy - Hallowe’en wander along the moorland corpse road between St Catherine’s Church, Boot, and St Olaf’s Church, Wasdale Head. We are joined by historian Alan Cleaver who shares his passion for lonnins, talks us through the story of Burnmoor Tarn’s ghostly pony, and enthuses on the value of story - and tall tales - within Cumbria's cultural landscape. We even receive a text from Orange welcoming us to the Isle of Man - the extreme Western Lake District. 

Countrystride #4: Alfred Wainwright - In the footsteps of a legend

...In which we walk between Windermere and Brockhole to climb the viewpoint of Orrest Head, where author, artist and fellwalker Alfred Wainwright first fell in love with the Lake District. We speak with Chris Butterfield, an avid collector of the great man's memorabilia, and share a conversation with Andrew Nichol, who worked with the enigmatic fellwanderer at the Westmorland Gazette, and who was responsible for bringing the reluctant hero of the fells out of the shadows and into the hearts of the nation.

 

Countrystride #3: Farming the Borderlands - Rural life and the Roman Wall

...In which we gain a farmer’s perspective on life close to Hadrian’s Wall. Stockmen and women converse about their lives and the age-old cycle of the seasons stretching back long before the Romans imposed their frontier. We walk from an organic dairy farm which produces fabulous cheese to a traditional upland smallholding along the Maiden Way and Hadrian’s Wall National Trail.

Countrystride #2: Sheffield Pike - Mines and Community

...In which we set out from Glenridding, a village that owes its origins to the lead mining industry, to climb Sheffield Pike. During the walk we meet Eddie Pool, the last surviving miner from the Greenside Mine, and share with local resident Tim Clarke an appreciation of the importance of an empowered community. 

Countrystride #1: Scafell Pike - Roof of England

Dispatch #1: SCAFELL PIKE - Roof of England

...In which we tackle the Big One, Scafell Pike, from Wasdale Head. We're joined by Fix the Fells' Iain Gray, who talks to us about how path engineering has evolved over the 30 years he has worked for the National Trust. On the summit - with its newly rebuilt war memorial - we speak to all ages and nationalities about what summitting England's highest peak means to them.