Countrystride Countrystride

...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 pubs to rural communities; the value of activities that interact with the pub; the merits of organic growth as a community business finds its feet; and the "hard graft" management models that ensure sustainable growth. Finally, Adam and Phil namecheck their favourite Cumbrian hostelries – with shout outs to the Kirkstile Inn, The Queen's Head, The Blacksmith's Arms, The Butchers Arms and the ODG – and consider the question: what makes the perfect pub?



The Mardale Inn is at themardaleinn.com/?lightbox=dataItem-lgjoq8ui


The Farmer's Arms is at lakedistrictfarmersarms.com

...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 back at old farm diaries, Caz is wowed by historic entries that juxtapose the whitewashing of cattle shippons with a collapsing world order. Surveying a farmed landscape with views to Morecambe Bay, James reflects on the John Marsden adage that you should 'Live as though you’ll die tomorrow, but farm as though you’ll live forever', and – following an invite to discuss farming at Number 10 – calls for ministers to engage in joined-up thinking that aligns farming and food production with health, access to the countryside, education and social care.



James can be found at: x.com/JRfromStrickley


Strickley's website is at visitmyfarm.com


‘The Lig’ by Testament comes courtesy of We Feed The UK – a national arts project pairing award-winning photographers and poets with the UK’s most inspiring regenerative farmers and food producers. See wefeedtheuk.org for more information


Caz can be found at x.com/CazGraham1

...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 planting schemes and pitching to protect this most loved of mountains, and picnicking beside Red Tarn, we reflect upon the unique weather conditions that impact on Helvellyn. Finally, descending into Greenburn, we marvel at industry old and new, from the towering slag heaps of Greenside Mine to the new-generation hydro scheme supplying power to the National Grid.



Lake Distirct Weatherline can be found at https://www.lakedistrictweatherline.co.uk/home


With thanks to Nick for picking up the baton while we're away.

...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.




For more information about the Re:discover Barrow Exhibition see art-gene.co.uk/place-rediscover-barrow-exhibition/




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

...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.




For more about the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership project, see friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/westmorland-dales-hidden-landscapes-partnership




The GeoTrail walks can be found at friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/westmorland-dales-geotrails-2022




For Cumbria GeoCoonservation see cumbriageoconservation.org.uk

...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.




The Paper Foundation can be found at paper.foundation/category/shop/




James Cropper is at www.jamescropper.com