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Countrystride

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

society & culture places & travel

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51:14

#138: Running int' fells - A brief history of...

Countrystride ·

2024/11/16

...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

01:00:32

#137: Voices from the changing commons

Countrystride ·

2024/11/01

...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

46:39

#136: Rebecca Smith in Grizedale – Lives of the...

Countrystride ·

2024/10/19

...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

54:17

#135: Phoebe Smith – Love, loss and life on Britain's...

Countrystride ·

2024/10/11

...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

59:47

#134: The Scafells – Hidden views and curious histories

Countrystride ·

2024/09/27

...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

54:05

#133: Whitehaven - A remarkable history

Countrystride ·

2024/09/14

...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

01:00:37

#132: Cumbria – 1,000 years of maps

Countrystride ·

2024/09/01

...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

01:04:20

#131: The Atlantic rainforests of Borrowdale

Countrystride ·

2024/08/16

...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

01:02:49

#130: Goldscope – The wealth of Newlands

Countrystride ·

2024/08/02

...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

58:44

#129: Loughrigg Fell: Tales of a small mountain

Countrystride ·

2024/07/19

…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

56:56

#128: The lost history of Brampton coal

Countrystride ·

2024/07/05

…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,

51:29

#127: Matt Staniek: Saving Windermere

Countrystride ·

2024/06/21

...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

51:00

#126: Pubs of Cumbria: When communities save their pubs

Countrystride ·

2024/06/08

...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 –

56:48

#125: Nature friendly farming champion: James...

Countrystride ·

2024/05/24

...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

35:27

124: 778 ascents of Helvellyn, with fell top assessor...

Countrystride ·

2024/05/06

...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

58:47

123: Barrow-in-Furness – A tale of iron and ships,...

Countrystride ·

2024/04/19

...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

53:31

#122: Limestone of the Westmorland Dales

Countrystride ·

2024/04/05

...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

52:10

121: A history of paper-making on the River Kent

Countrystride ·

2024/03/23

...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

48:07

120: A history of boating on Windermere

Countrystride ·

2024/03/09

...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

48:53

119: The birth of Quakerism in Cumbria

Countrystride ·

2024/02/23

...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,

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