Countrystride

...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 fe...

...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 diale...

...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 life...

...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 Osw...

...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 architec...

...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...

...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 Wa...

...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 t...

...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 Mane...

...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 ov...

...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 uni...

...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 t...

...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...

...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.

Arri...

...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";, an...

...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 view...

...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 st...

...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...

...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 an...

...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 farm...

...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...

...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...

...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 W...

...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 ha...

...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...

...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...

...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...

...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...

...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...

...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 hi...

...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...

...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 d...

...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 hazel...

...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 – brou...

…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...

…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...

...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 le...

...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 pu...

...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...

...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 plant...