...in which stride out from Chapel-le-Dale in the Yorkshire Dales to nine-miles-distant Dent on the Dales High Way long distance footpath in the company of the trail's co-creator – and local lass – Chris Grogan. Leaving the diminutive 'chapel in t' dale' with its memorial to navvies killed building the Carlisle–Settle line, we rise into farm country and learn about Chris's childhood as a farm girl in Upper Dentdale. Encountering a group of firemen undertaking the Three Peaks Challenge, we talk place names, and the meanings of Ingleborough, Pen-y-Ghent and Boot of the Wold. On the age-old Craven Way that runs across the shoulder of Whernside we discuss the joys of long-distance walking - 'mindfulness before the term was invented'. Finally, we take a trip down memory lane as Chris recalls haymaking in the era of the fell pony, the Whernside gather... and truant officers being outfoxed by local mums.

You can find out more about the Dales High Way at https://www.daleshighway.co.uk

You can find Chris and Tony on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/daleshighway/

 

...in which we brave dark skies for a windy wander over Sale Fell to unearth the history of rock and glaciation in the Lake District. Setting out from cloistered Wythop vale with author, geologist and local lad Ian Francis, we learn about the three rock groups that form the backbone of Lakeland, as identified by Keswick geology pioneer Jonathan Otley. Passing some of the oldest rocks in England – Skiddaw Slate – we look north to Galloway across a former continental divide. As we descend, we consider the fraught debates around glaciation that challenged generations of Great Flood-believing geologists; we discover a hillside stretch of Napoleonic 'rigg and furrow' where crops were planted in the toughest of landscapes; and we hear from Ian about why the best view in Lakeland is from lowly Low Fell.

The Lake District: Landscape and geology can be bought from Crowood Press at www.crowood.com/products/lake-district-by-ian-francis-stuart-holmes-bruce-yardley?_pos=1&_sid=cd4dc4bd4&_ss=r

Ian is on Twitter at mobile.twitter.com/ianfrancisrocks

...in which we are joined by archaeologist Steve Dickinson in Gosforth to seek out the lost Norse kingdom of 'Laithlinn'. Embarking from the infamous Viking Cross – where Steve guides us through a series of remarkable carvings – we set out on an autumnal wander over the meadows to Irton, and a second iconic cross. As we walk – down quiet bylines, and over a busy Irt and Bleng – we consider signs in the landscape; in names, in landforms, beneath our feet; that paint a dazzling picture of 1,000 years ago, and a thriving, if violent, kingdom based around a people who arrived from across the Irish sea, beached their boats and then settled their Herdwicks and slaves around a huge longhall overlooked by their Gods on Scafell and Great Gable.

You can find out more about Steve at facebook.com/steve.dickinson3

...in which we escape the autumn rains on Clough Head to meet fell-runner and Threlkeldonian Steve Birkinshaw, who in 2014 broke the record for the fastest run of all 214 'Wainwrights' – the ultimate British ultramarathon. His 6 day, 13 hour record – which smashed Joss Naylor's epic 1987 run by a staggering 12 hours – not only laid down new lines that enabled a new generation of records to tumble, but also had a profound effect on softly-spoken Steve, who has spoken candidly about the physical and emotional toll the run took. In a wide-ranging discussion, we learn about the tough schooldays that gifted Steve a love for the outdoors, we take a bird's eye view of his many career highlights – from the Bob Graham Round to the Lakeland 100; and we talk though the remarkable 320-mile, 36,000m ascent odyssey across the fells that ended with the eyes of the world following a near-broken runner onto the steps of Keswick Moot Hall.

There is no Map in Hell can be purchased at https://www.bookscumbria.com/product/cumbrian-books/cumbrian-outdoors/there-is-no-map-in-hell/

Steve is on Twitter at @SJBirkinshaw

...in which we visit one of Cumbria's most visited farms, Low Sizergh Farm, in the company of owners Richard and Alison Park, and photographer Amy Bateman. On a farm tour taking in fruit-laden hedgerows, diverse meadows and Richard's organic dairy herd, we celebrate the launch of Amy's 'Forty Farms' book and consider the state of Cumbrian farming in a time of profound change. Taking the long view of divers challenges and opportunities, we learn how Lakeland farmers are making space for nature; we ponder the link between food and community; and we ask what advice our farmers would give to the new secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs.

Low Sizegh Barn can be found at www.lowsizerghbarn.co.uk

For more about Amy's 'Forty Farms; book see www.inspiredbylakeland.co.uk/products/forty-farms-conversations-about-change-in-the-landscapes-of-cumbria

For more about Amy see amybatemanphotography.com

...in which we journey into Romantic-era 19th century Lakeland to explore the roots of change in our relationship with trees. In the company of Dr Anna Burton, Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Derby, we embark on a heatwave-hued ramble through Lorton Vale to hillside-hugging Holme Wood above sparkling Loweswater. As we walk, we learn about the historic shift that gave woodland an aesthetic value; we discuss the great northern forests that Wordsworth lamented as lost to human hand; we hear about Wordsworth's love of – and talent for – tree planting, and the role he played in planning Holme Wood; and we consider how the tension between economics and amenity is still being played out in the wooded landscapes of Cumbria today.

Anna can be found on Twitter at twitter.com/drannaburton

...in which we take a warm-weather wander from Far to Near Sawrey in the footsteps of author, illustrator, farmer and countrywoman Beatrix Potter. In the company of long-time Hilltop volunteer and Beatrix Potter Society member Janet Edwards, we trace Wilfin Beck to Moss Eccles Tarn – one of Mrs Heelis' favourite spots – and then on into Near Sawrey, her Hilltop and Castle Cottage home for 40 years. Taking the long view of a remarkable life, we discuss the childhood holidays that gifted shy, talented and independent-minded young Beatrix a lifelong love of Lakeland; we learn about the genesis of her seven-times rejected 'little books for little hands'; we hear about her tragic first love – and the 'spring' that 'came to her late in life' that unfolded with Hawkshead solicitor William Heelis; before considering her extraordinary legacy, not only to children's literature and hill farming, but also the National Trust.

You can find out more about the Beatrix Potter Society at https://beatrixpottersociety.org.uk

...and on Twitter at twitter.com/beatrixpotterso

...in which we journey into the mining past of iconic Coppermines Valley above Coniston with industrial historian Mark Hatton. Rewinding time to the 16th century, we seek out the earliest signs of copper extraction on the lonely slopes below Hole Rake, before climbing to the wheelpits and addits of The Company of Mines Royal - monuments to the German miners who abandoned Keswick when their Newlands seams were exhausted. As we climb ever-higher into Red Dell, we learn about the audacious scale of 18th century infrastructure - the breathtaking leats, the mighty waterwheels and the miles of tunnels; we consider the dangers of the shaft-potted landscape and its unforgiving technology; we picture the hard lives of the men, women and children who once worked these remarkable slopes... and we ask, 'Did the IRA really try to assassinate John Major using a bomb below Levers Water?".

...in which we make the perennially popular ascent of Latrigg in the company Douglas Chalmers, outgoing chief executive of Friends of the Lake District. Setting out from Fitz Park, Keswick, where the landscape charity was founded at a public rally in 1934, we learn about the farming upbringing that led Douglas, a Lake District agnostic, to fall in love with the county after wintertime drives up Tebay gorge. Following a deep dive into the history of the conservation movement, we learn about the early Thirlmere skirmishes that pre-empted the formation of a formidable campaigning charity. Ascending Latrigg's grassy flanks, we take a whistlestop tour of Friends' history: of the campaigns that established the National Park, that fought against monoculture afforestation, that undergrounded miles of electric cables, and which, latterly, rallied against zip wires over Thirlmere and houseboats on Grasmere. Arriving at Latrigg's iconic bench – one of the north Lakes' great viewpoints – we talk magic Lakeland moments, we consider upland farming's perilous future and we learn why Cumbrian folk make the best of neighbours.

You can find out more about Friends of the Lake District at https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk

Terry Abraham's film about Friends (see if you can spot a certain M Richards) can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0rY8Fva1Es&t=2s

...in which we stride out from the North Pennine market town of Alston on an amiable wander along the Isaac's Tea Trail footpath. In the company of Tea Trail creator Roger Morris and 'tea lady' blogger Anne Leuchars, we unearth the remarkable rags-to-riches tale of 18th-century tea-seller Isaac Holden, who escaped a childhood of lead mining poverty to become an entrepreneur, fundraiser and pillar of Allendale life. As we dodge blustery showers, we soak in the sights and sounds of a far-from-the-madding-crowd valley, reflect on the early days of the British love affair with tea; visit the remarkable Roman fort at Epiacum; consider the state of our footpaths... and meet a couple walking from John o'Groats to Land's End.

 

You can find out more about Isaac's Tea Trail at isaacs-tea-trail.co.uk

Anne's blog can be found at walkingisaacsteatrail.wordpress.com

Diane and Ryan can be found vlogging their John o'Groats to Land's End walk at: youtube.com/channel/UCBHugfQhSo0nqKdrD84tEaA