PODCAST

Countrystride

A celebration of the landscapes, culture, heritage and people of Cumbria and the Lake District.

society & culture places & travel

All Episodes

51:29

Countrystride #54: Damsons of the Lyth Valley

Countrystride ·

2021/05/07

…in which we journey south to the snow-blossomed Lyth Valley to unearth the heritage of damson plums with long-time friends and local lads Desmond Holmes and Hartley Trotter. As shadows lengthen over the peat-cut mosses, we take a trip down memory lane, considering the history of the nutty-flavoured ‘Shropshire prune’ - from its use in the Kendal tanning trade to its long association with northern jam; we hear tales of the families, prisoners of war and Land Girls who picked the fruit; we

55:11

Countrystride #53: The lost history of hill farming

Countrystride ·

2021/04/26

...in which we head to Borrowdale in Westmorland with author and dry-stone waller Terry McCormick to uncover the lost history of hill farming. As we explore one of Lakeland's quietest valleys, we take the long view of a turbulent history, starting with the David vs Goliath battle of the Kendal Tenant Rights Dispute 1619–1626 that established the pattern of resilient farmsteads still operating today; we consider why writers – from Wordsworth to Wainwright – have frequently misunderstood or ignored

52:52

Countrystride #52: Cumbria Way with Paddy Dillon

Countrystride ·

2021/04/05

...in which we track the undulating west shore of Coniston Water from Sunny Bank to Coniston Hall with backpacker, long-distance walker and prolific outdoors author Paddy Dillon. As we wander, through woods and over meadows, we discuss the origins and delights of the Cumbria Way – the Lakes' only dedicated long-distance footpath; we challenge Paddy to sum-up each of the UK's National Trails in just one word; we consider why patience may be the best approach to tackling problem campers; and we

54:33

Countrystride #51: Skiddaw House - Loneliest house in...

Countrystride ·

2021/03/19

...in which we enter wild country at the Back o'Skiddaw to visit Skiddaw House - the loneliest house in England. As we wander, with former wardens Martin Webster and Marie-Pierre Gaudez, we talk through the history of the one-time hunting lodge, learn about the icy perils of Whitewater Dash, discuss the off-grid practicalities of living and working four miles from the nearest road – and discover what it takes to turn a House into a home.Skiddaw House can be found and booked online at

01:01:01

Countrystride #50: The young people of Cumbria

Countrystride ·

2021/03/06

...in which we celebrate our 50th birthday by handing the microphone to the next generation, as we hear from three young people with a passion for Cumbria and the Lake District. In a wide-ranging chat with poet Matt Sowerby from Kirkby Lonsdale, film-maker Rachel Jessett from Kendal and TV producer Rachel Owen from the University of Cumbria, we discuss walking and mental health; we ask what role Cumbria can play in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss; we consider northern identity and

01:07:17

Countrystride #49: Wainwright on Haystacks - An...

Countrystride ·

2021/02/19

...in which we commemorate the 30th anniversary of Alfred Wainwright's passing by taking a virtual stroll to Innominate Tarn with archivist Chris Butterfield and long-time AW film-maker Richard Else. As we wander – through the history of the Pictorial Guides and AW's television career – we discuss what makes the Guides so unique; we talk about the emergence of an unlikely cult personality; we hear why the great fell-wanderer was almost certainly on the autistic spectrum; we trace AW's final steps

51:44

Countrystride #48: Hadrian's Wall

Countrystride ·

2021/02/08

...in which we head to the Cumbrian borderlands with long-time Roman authority David Breeze for a virtual stroll along Hadrian's Wall. As we wander west from the village of Gilsland towards airy Craggle Hill, we deep-dive into Emperor Hadrian's era of pragmatic consolidation; we learn how his vision changed as the Wall's construction progressed; we ponder why threats from across the Solway never materialised; and we discover why the Wall was not the end of Empire – but merely the base of a vast

49:51

Countrystride #47: Lakeland pilgrims

Countrystride ·

2021/01/22

...in which we embark on a virtual pilgrimage with John Fleetwood and Stephen Wright, the founders of two Cumbrian pilgrim trails. As we wander, from the great rock cathedrals of Scafell Crag and Napes Needle to the softly-spoken churches around the Northern Fells, we ask what it means to be a pilgrim; we unearth the history of Saint Kentigern – Cumbria's great saint; we consider why long distance walking generates such a deep bond with the landscape; and we ask what spiritual journeys have given

56:05

Countrystride #46: Cumbria in a campervan

Countrystride ·

2021/01/17

...in which we temporarily swap our walking boots for the passenger seat of an ancient Bongo campervan to take an A–Z trip around the Lake District with Carlisle-based author Richard Harris. As we roam the National Park in search of solitude and mini adventures, we discover a Martindale stained-glass window that holds clues to wartime tragedy; we learn how Nibthwaite – with its Arthur Ransome claim to fame – has rejected the tourist limelight; we discuss how, post-lockdown, camper vans became

01:15:17

Countrystride #45: Review of 2020

Countrystride ·

2020/12/28

...in which we are joined by Lakeland Walker editor John Manning for our annual delve into Countrystrides past, picking our best bits from 2020 as we chat about everything from herdwicks to heroines; from bonfires to booze, from rewilding to rediscovering the joys of local before making New Years resolutions with guests including Sue Allan, James Rebanks, Julia Aglionby, Bill Birkett, Steve Matthews, Bill Lloyd and Penny Bradshaw. We would like to thanks Bill Lloyd not only for his banjo playout

38:10

Countrystride #44: Christmas past - A Wetheral wander

Countrystride ·

2020/12/21

...in which we take a seasonal stroll from Wetheral along the banks of a swollen River Eden with historian and writer Dr Sue Allen. As we walk, through winter woods to St Constantine's Cells in the December gloaming, we talk about Cumbrian Christmases past, about mischief and misrule; about why Cumbria's 'hackin' pre-empted Scotland's haggis; about why Christmas wasn't what it used to be – even in the 18th century; and about John Lawson – the man who captured so many Wetheral memories in the late

55:51

Countrystride #43: Shap & The Postman's Path

Countrystride ·

2020/12/10

...in which we journey to Shap, the historic transport hub, to take a wintry walk among the Far Eastern Fells in the footsteps of 1950s postman Jimmy Eland. In the company of born-and-bred Shapite Jean Scott-Smith and author Alan Cleaver, we visit the secluded remains of Shap Abbey, discover the far-from-the-madding crowd loveliness of Swindale, learn about the hard-graft lives of rural postmen, and enjoy Jean's memories of pastoral Wet Sleddale before the dam rose . You can read more of Jean's

52:22

Countrystride #42: Cumbria on film

Countrystride ·

2020/11/27

...in which we go on holiday by mistake with author David Banning to talk about Cumbria and the Lake District on film. In a locked-down virtual wander that takes in Wet Sleddale, Coniston Water, Little Langdale and the rebel planet of Takodana, we consider the tropes of Cumbrian cinema – from 'rural escape' to zombie apocalypse; we learn about the value of Swallows & Amazons and Miss Potter to the tourist economy; we relive the moment enfant terrible Ken Russell fell in love with Lakeland; and we

44:51

Countrystride #41: Harriet Martineau - The roving Laker

Countrystride ·

2020/11/13

...in which we enjoy a Loughrigg circular with Dr Kerri Andrews to celebrate the life of Harriet Martineau, the ‘wild rover’ sociologist who recovered from debilitating illness to become one of Lakeland’s great walkers and one of the most successful guidebook writers of the Victorian age. As we encounter tourist honeypots including The Grot, Rydal Cave and dusk-lit Lily Tarn, we explore the neglected tradition of women writer-walkers, learn about Martineau’s mission to become ‘a Laker’, discover

55:10

Countrystride #40: Bill Lloyd - Into the woods

Countrystride ·

2020/10/30

...in which we take a magical autumn wander through the oak woods of Penny Rock with musician, author and outdoorsman Bill Lloyd, to hear about his life extracting timber from Cumbrian woodlands with heavy horse Ginger. As we reach the mirrorred waters of Grasmere we talk about the sunset days of an ancient craft and the bond between man and horse; we discuss Char-fishing with the Windermere Fleet and lonely nights in the Loweswater bothy; and we discover how Beatrix Potter's gelding irons came to

47:30

Countrystride #39: Thirlmere - and the flooding of a...

Countrystride ·

2020/10/16

…in which we take an autumnal wander along the wooded west shore of Thirlmere, the reservoir that displaced a close-knit pastoral community to fulfil 19th century Manchester’s ever-growing thirst for water. As we walk, we learn from author and one-time vicar of the parish Geoff Darrell about the valley as it once was: the patchwork fields, twin lakes, Wath bridge and diminutive settlement of City. Then, as we reach the lakeshore – walls from a past age slipping under the waves – we

58:37

Countrystride #38: James Rebanks - English Pastoral

Countrystride ·

2020/10/07

...in which we head to Matterdale for a guided tour of James Rebanks' hill farm. As we explore thriving meadows, newly-dug ponds and scrub-fringed becks, we discuss James' latest book, English Pastoral, and the "beautiful compromise" of sustainably stewarding the land. Taking a three generation view of farming in Matterdale and the Eden Valley, we hear why there's fire in the belly of young shepherds, why talk of the 'sheepwrecked uplands' is wide of the mark, why Beatrix Potter is James' writing

49:02

Countrystride #37: Hardwicke Rawnsley - Lakeland...

Countrystride ·

2020/09/11

...in which we celebrate the remarkable life of Canon Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley, campaigner, author and co-founder of the National Trust. As we wander from Rawnsley's old parish church of St Kentigern's, Crosthwaite, into Keswick, we chat with publisher and bookseller Stephen Matthews about the poet-priest's many passions – from rural crafts to Skiddaw bonfires; about the 'muscular Christianity' that made the Wolds-born orator a man of the people, and of the tireless campaigning punctuated by

48:00

Countrystride #36: A Walney Wander

Countrystride ·

2020/08/28

...in which we journey to the Isle of Walney in Cumbria's deep south for a salt-laced amble through its unique landscape, wildlife and heritage. In the company of Cumbria Wildlife Trust's Jamie Normington and local lass Helen Wall, we admire Walney's beloved wildflowers, learn about the UK's only female lighthouse keeper, consider the unsung protective role Walney played in World War II and seek out members of the island's lonely-hearts seal colony.

56:54

Countrystride #35: The children's literature of Lakeland

Countrystride ·

2020/08/14

...in which we take a nostalgia-laced wander through the children’s literature of Lakeland with University of Cumbria’s Dr Penny Bradshaw. On a balmy Black Crag circular with majestic views of iconic locations in fiction – from Arthur Ransome’s Coniston Water to Marjorie Lloyd’s 'Fell Farm' – we consider the legacy of Wordsworth and his vision of childhood, unnpick the strands that made Beatrix Potter’s work unique, discuss why literature from the county casts such an enduring spell and hear how a

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