Episodes
Friday Apr 19, 2024
123: Barrow-in-Furness – A tale of iron and ships, hair and shops
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Friday Apr 19, 2024
...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.
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For more information about the Re:discover Barrow Exhibition see art-gene.co.uk/place-rediscover-barrow-exhibition/
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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
Friday Apr 05, 2024
#122: Limestone of the Westmorland Dales
Friday Apr 05, 2024
Friday Apr 05, 2024
...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.
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For more about the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership project, see friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/westmorland-dales-hidden-landscapes-partnership
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The GeoTrail walks can be found at friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/westmorland-dales-geotrails-2022
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For Cumbria GeoCoonservation see cumbriageoconservation.org.uk
Saturday Mar 23, 2024
121: A history of paper-making on the River Kent
Saturday Mar 23, 2024
Saturday Mar 23, 2024
...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.
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The Paper Foundation can be found at paper.foundation/category/shop/
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James Cropper is at www.jamescropper.com
Saturday Mar 09, 2024
120: A history of boating on Windermere
Saturday Mar 09, 2024
Saturday Mar 09, 2024
...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.
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Robert's book Lakeland Waterways is now out of print, but you may find it at second hand shops.
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You can find Windermere Lake Cruises at windermere-lakecruises.co.uk
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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
Friday Feb 23, 2024
119: The birth of Quakerism in Cumbria
Friday Feb 23, 2024
Friday Feb 23, 2024
...in which we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of George Fox – founder of Quakerism – on a journey through '1652 country' with historian, Quaker and Professor Emeritus at Lancaster University, Angus Winchester. Starting our walk at the Society of Friends meeting house in the picture-perfect hamlet of Brigflatts just outside Sedbergh, we learn about the turbulent times into which Fox was born. Introducing the charismatic, troubled and talented Fox, we follow his famous footsteps of 1652, through Lancashire and Yorkshire to Sedbergh and then into Westmorland, where he preached to 1,000 people atop Firbank Fell in a meeting that would become pivotal in the spread of early Quakerism. With grand views of the Howgills, we continue the story into 1653 as Fox moved north and west to Ulverston and then into Cumberland ("now't good comes round Black Combe"). Closing our conversation, we consider the importance of the '1652' north country, the period of persecution following the fertile early years, and the Quaker legacy – of Friends meeting houses and businesses – in Cumbria today.
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For more about Briggflatts, see https://brigflatts.org
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Angus' excellent book The Language of the Landscape can be bought from Handstand.
Friday Feb 09, 2024
118: James Forrest - Record-breaking round of the 214
Friday Feb 09, 2024
Friday Feb 09, 2024
...in which we're defeated by weather, so shelter indoors to hear from one of the UK's great adventurers: Cockermouth-based James Forrest, who has bagged all 1,001 mountains in the UK and Ireland, and broke records walking both the 446 Nuttalls and 214 Wainwrights. An escape from the nine-to-five was, James tells us, the drive for his first challenge – to conquer every mountain in England and Wales in the shortest documented time. But his heart was always in Lakeland, which led to his 2020 self-supported round of the Wainwrights. In a reflective interview, we hear about the highs and lows of an epic walk; we ask whether 'adventure' can be a ruse to escape everyday life; we consider our changing relationship with the fells as we spend more time in them; and we learn why James is "never, ever, ever" returning to the Brecon Beacons.
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James' book Mountain Man is published by Bloomsbury. Available from all local bookshops.
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James can be found at amesmforrest.co.uk
Friday Jan 19, 2024
#117: Above Great Moss: Stone axes of the earliest settlers
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Friday Jan 19, 2024
...in which we rewind the centuries to the Neolithic Age on a journey in search of Lakeland's earliest settlers and their highly-valued stone axes. In the company of archaeologist Steve Dickinson, we set out from Brotherilkeld – the great medieval farmstead with Norse roots. Leaving the valley walls behind, we enter wild country, once a place of forest groves and wood pasture stalked by deer and lynx, wolves and bears. As we trace the river upstream, we imagine the 6000-year-old endeavours of our earliest ancestors, as they left their coastal settlements in search of a rare band of volcanic cutting stone. Arriving atop Scar Lathing – a maiden ascent for Mark and Dave – we seek out two extraordinary archaeological finds that paint a picture of a lost civilisation: of Cumbria's first extractive industry; of ritual burials; and of a deep communion with high places that was etched into immaculately crafted artefacts.
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Steve is on Twitter at @SteveDickinson2
Saturday Dec 30, 2023
Countrystride #116: Review of 2023
Saturday Dec 30, 2023
Saturday Dec 30, 2023
...in which we uwrap a selection box of our favourite clips from the year past in the company of Lakeland Walking Tales blogger and Lakeland Walker contributor, George Kitching. Featuring clips from, among others, Bill Birkett, Will Rawling, Charlotte Fairbairn, Rob and Harriet Fraser, Debbie North, Mark Hatton, Fell Foodie, Chris Butterfield and Melvyn Bragg, we sift through 19 episodes and 20 hours of recordings from as far flung as Ennerdale, Wigton, Coniston, Grasmere, Keswick and the big-sky North York Moors. In our annual extended fire-side chat, we ponder pubs, peat bogs, Potter and 'potatovators'; we visit Crosthwaite, Coniston Old Man and the Coast to Coast; we discuss Wainwright – a lot – and consider how the romance of his prose still draws folk to the fells; and finally, we close by asking 'What is the enduring magic of Lakeland?'
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You can find George's brilliant Lakeland Walking Tails blog – walks, stories and musings from the Lake District Fells – at lakelandwalkingtales.co.uk
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Countrystride #115: A Cumbrian Christmas feast - With Helen Rebanks and Ivan Day
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
...in which we are joined by Farmer's Wife author Helen Rebanks and food historian Ivan Day for a feast of Cumbrian Christmas fare. In Ivan's historic Westmorland farm kitchen we learn about the dishes that marked a traditional Christmas – 'hackin', powdered goose and sweet pie – before Helen and Ivan serve up three very different gingerbreads. Discussing her debut book, Helen speaks about food on the family farm, about memories of marmalade and about why food matters. Ivan, meanwhile, tackles a few local food queries: was ginger really a Whitehaven import?; was the Cumberland sausage introduced by German miners?; and which of Cartmel or Sharrow Bay can claim to be the true home of sticky toffee pudding? Finally, as we tuck into an early seasonal dinner, we learn about a Lowther christmas pie with ingredients that included 15 sparrows, 46 yellow hammers, 12 patridges... and a curlew.
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Helen's book The Farmer's Wife is available from all good bookshops.
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Helen is on Twitter at twitter.com/theshepherdswi1
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Ivan is on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ivanpatrickday/
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Countrystride #114: Fell Foodie - A feast on Silver How
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Friday Dec 08, 2023
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Find out more about Fell Foodie at https://www.fellfoodie.co.uk
Friday Nov 24, 2023
Countrystride #113: Why we Run - Fell and trail running in the Lake District
Friday Nov 24, 2023
Friday Nov 24, 2023