Surrounded by open fields near Sockbridge in Cumbria lies a squat church with a massive central tower, dedicated to St Michael and All Angels. There are only a couple of farms in the vicinity, so why is this ancient church located in this relatively remote [...]
On a sunny day in mid-November 2023, I took a couple from California on a hike through Borrowdale and up Castle Crag. It was a hard, uphill slog through loose slaty screes. Pinnacles of slate dotted the ground at every turn, creating a surreal jagged [...]
A solitary red sandstone church stands on open land between the village of Glassonby and the large stone circle known as Long Meg & Her Daughters. It is dedicated to St Michael and All Angels and dates to the 16th century, but why is it [...]
The west-facing flanks of the Cumbrian Pennine hills are known as the East Fellside. You might think this is a bit puzzling, but the name relates to the geography of the Eden Valley and not the Pennines. The Pennines run from north Derbyshire to the [...]
Lovely article about Herdwick sheep in the Lake District and their Norse origins. Yew Tree Farm near Coniston must be one of the most photogenic farms in the Lakes. It was used as the location for Beatrix Potter's home, Hill Top, in the film Miss [...]
For unexplained deaths today, we have autopsies and coroner’s reports, but back in the 17th century all sorts of weird and wonderful reasons were given to explain a death. In the Parish Registers of Lamplugh in Cumbria, a remarkable document has survived. It lists the [...]
Many thanks to Friends of the Lake District for organising a fascinating exercise about connecting with Lake District landscapes. We were asked to identify the various elements of a landscape and to consider their effect on us. What were the dominant features? How did the [...]
A wet day in the Lakes generally invites indoor exploration for a Blue Badge Tourist Guide - so it was a perfect time to consider life on the Lake at Windermere Jetty! My destination was the newly re-vamped former Steamboat Museum. It holds a large [...]
High on the flanks of Coniston Old Man is a little-known yet important industrial archaeological site - Coniston's power-house. Historically, Coniston was known for two main industries: copper and slate. Copper was worked from the mid-1500s up to the 1890s; its presence given away by [...]
Have you ever heard of Burnswark? This prominent hill once supported a sizeable Iron Age fort. At the base of the hill are two Roman camps - one to the north; one to the south. It is thought the Romans pincered the fort in order to mount an [...]
