Countrystride

...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...

...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...

...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...

...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...

...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...

...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...

...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...

...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...

...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...

...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,...