Countrystride

...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 Distr...

...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 both...

...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 b...

...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-ric...

...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-lackin...

...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 t...

...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 Lanc...

...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 le...

...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...

...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 ...

...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 ...

...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 ...

...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 an...

...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 beyo...

...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' settlem...