Life of a Mountain: A Year on Blencathra

Of all the fells and mountains in the English Lake District,

this one, just over my shoulder,

is probably one of the most easily recognised -

it is Blencathra.

For a long time it wasn't Blencathra.

It was Saddleback.

Years ago, when Victorian travellers passed along this way,

they would see Blencathra for the first time,

with a natural saddle on the ridge,

and it became known as Saddleback.

But fortunately, thanks to the efforts of the guidebook writer,

Alfred Wainwright,

who wrote seven pictorial guides to the English Lake District,

he promoted the name Blencathra, and thankfully the old name,

the romantic name, is back in vogue.

This is a working environment,

it's been a working environment for thousands of years.

It's the life and soul to everybody around this area.

The people of Threlkeld live and work beneath this mountain.

but, to the first-time visitor,

this is the place where you should come, onto Threlkeld Common,

with your map and your guidebook, and just get to know the mountain.

Get to know it so you can actually decide where you're going to start,

how you're going to explore this place.

Will you spend every Sunday for the next winter going up and down

just to find out every nook and cranny?

Perhaps you should.

This one smells, actually.

This is well full, this drain.

It's a nice day, today, but

if anything, I quite like it when it's really wet.

Because at least you can see where the water's going.

I mean, today it's quite dry here,

but we're clearing this drain out.

Well, I've often asked myself why it is I come out.

And it's literally being out in the open, in the countryside,

it's the old chestnut of putting something back.

-Yes, it is.

-But also it's a nice long, slow walk up a fell.

Our volunteer group

who support Fix the Fells are an absolutely fantastic bunch.

They're quite a small group and we always need more long-term support,

so if any one has any free time, they're always very welcome

to come out and help us and experience more about what we do.

But in 2014, they gifted 1,497 days to Fix the Fells, which is enormous.

And we just couldn't do it without them.

They're the real backbone of what we do and support our rangers

in doing some of the bigger project work.

So was the... Did you do that...

What, benching, or?

-Well, all this was done by a machine.

-Right.

'Many of the paths we work on have been here for centuries.'

They used to be for purposes of work,

so the miners would use them, they were packhorse routes,

they were coffin routes.

So we would, you know, work on all of those

and we'd use the same type of techniques.

And over time, after we've finished the work,

it will start to blend in as the grass repairs, returns,

and it just starts to look and feel like it's been there for ever.

One of the things we use to repair the paths is obviously rock.

We try and source that from as close to the project as possible.

So on Blencathra, when we're repairing paths here,

we'll try and find rock from elsewhere on the mountain.

And we have to fly that to the site by helicopter,

which sounds exciting and glamorous,

and it is great when you get to go up in it,

but sometimes we're held up by the weather

and it can take a long time, and it is quite expensive to do it.

But it is the most cost-effective way.

This path here that we're on,

about 15 years ago, it was in a really bad way

and the path above here was quite badly gullied.

In fact, right the way down it was gullying.

There was material spilling down the side right the way to the bottom

of the comb. We had to do something with it, but

we wanted to retain the integrity of the path as best we could.

So we brought a machine up from the bottom,

and we don't like using machinery in the hills if we can help it,

but sometimes it's the best way of doing it.

Unfortunately, we couldn't get past this slab of bedrock here,

so we had to do the rest of this by hand.

Although at the time it looked like a really good job,

and it looked as though it was one piece of work right the way through,

you can now see that the hand-done stuff above

is beginning to fail now.

We're getting back to the gullying again.

There are some cuts that need putting in

to stop the material from spilling off the path.

Skiddaw House is the highest youth hostel in Britain,

not only in England, but in Britain.

I've lived here 8½ years,

and worked here eight years.

The building dates back about 200 years.

The lord who used to own all the land around

actually had it built as a shooting lodge.

I must say, it's a bit different living here, as you can imagine!

With no mains electricity,

and being very dependent on our Jeep to service the hostel.

Even though the hostel is called Skiddaw House

and it's referred to as being at the back of Skiddaw,

we are equally close to Blencathra Mountain,

so you can see it through all the front windows of the hostel.

All of these years I've been here,

I must confess I've only been to the top of Blencathra once,

and that was last year, actually.

When I told a friend a couple of years ago,

a local friend, that I hadn't been, she looked rather shocked,

and she said, "I'm going to have to come and stay at your hostel

"and take you to the top of Blencathra!"

I can't say that we do get lonely.

First of all, there's two of us

and then we can listen to the radio so we know what's happening

in the world, if we want to, and we've got the phone line.

I really like living here because it's just a special place.

Years ago, before I met my partner, before I knew I would live here,

the Lake District for me had a different connection

because I studied English at university in France,

so to me, the Lake District had the literary connection of Wordsworth

and all the other poets.

I was born and bred here in Threlkeld around about 77 years,

nearly 78 years ago, which is a long time.

But I've always lived here.

Some people may say that I'm a bit of a stick-in-the-mud,

but I've always admired the area,

and appreciated the area that I live in.

Threlkeld and Blencathra and its relationship is quite interesting.

I would think that probably 80% of people who were born and bred here

have never been up Blencathra,

and never wish to go up it.

That is not for the local people.

You're a bit funny in the head

if you live here and you go up Blencathra.

You know? It's for the tourist.

And that is the general thing.

Of course, at one time, it was appreciated by the village,

not for its beauty, but for the work.

There was mines at Threlkeld,

which started way back in the Elizabethan times, probably,

maybe even before - they mined for lead.

People didn't come here because it was a nice place to live.

People came here to work.

The way of life in this village has changed beyond recognition,

from the day, the days when I was a child, there were miners,

there were quarrymen, there were forestry workers,

there were farmers,

that were bonded together by their work.

Because if we have lost anything in Threlkeld,

we've lost the old community spirit

of the village that we did have.

Some may say no, but I think, yes, we have.

Compared to what it used to be when I was a child.

So I live between Blencathra and Clough Head.

I'm actually on the Clough Head side of a river.

But I walk out of the door and I think,

"Which way do I go as a fell runner? Clough Head, Blencathra?"

80% of the time it's Blencathra.

It just draws me to it.

A lot of people run on the roads, do marathons and things on the road.

But people, I think, are looking for something different,

something more exciting.

They can realise how actually boring it is running on a road.

So they start doing trail races.

And then, sort of, the next stage up from that is fell running.

Well, I have to tell you that they already do fell running.

They go out with us and they've done little races on the fell,

haven't you, Jonty? You go running.

Out in the fells, I enjoy just running round the fells,

but I don't do too many races,

but there are certain ones, like this one, that are just the best.

You feel like you need to turn out for them.

It's also a horseshoe, I love the horseshoes,

it's just got a really nice feel to it.

It's just very complete, isn't it?

You go up one side, along the ridge to the top,

and then down the other side. How more perfect can you get than that?

Yeah, I enjoyed the view - a great view from the top of Blencathra.

I can look over to where I live, which is nice.

I didn't have a long look.

Get to the top and straight down as fast as I could.

Run-wise, I was pretty slow at the moment, actually.

Not feeling my best.

Just a bit off the pace at the moment, but that happens sometimes.

I still enjoyed it.

Basically, most of Blencathra is fairly grassy.

There's a few of the rocky ridges, so obviously Sharp Edge,

that's really well known.

It's an accident blackspot, isn't it?

A lot of people have died on there,

so I tend to not run on there very much.

You know, I can get over it, but it's just not enjoyable,

so I don't bother.

Other than that, it's pretty much grassy,

and so runnable and quite easy.

What I love about fell running is just the freedom.

Just to be out on the fells by myself in all weathers.

You know, I just enjoy being outside, and running on it.

To me, running is quite a natural thing to do.

If I'm feeling fit, then I can just,

I much prefer to just run along at a steady pace, rather than walk.

We moved here in 2004,

the end of 2004,

when my husband, Tim,

took the job as head of the Blencathra Field Centre.

I do feel a real connection to Blencathra, unsurprisingly,

living on it.

But painting it so often, I do feel that link to it.

I particularly like painting the saddle and Sharp Edge.

And I really like strong colours and shape patterns in a painting

and I think you get that with Blencathra.

And when you paint, whatever you're painting,

you take more notice of the colours and the form.

There is a spiritual feel to Blencathra.

People do say that, and I do think it's true.

It stands there in all its majesty,

demanding that you look at it and respect it, really.

You can't live here

and not want to at least take a photograph,

or paint or write.

If you don't,

I think there's probably something a bit wrong with you!

Some people say to me

that you've got one of the best jobs in the country.

I think I have. I've got one of the best views.

We always say it's probably the finest view from an office

in the country, looking one-way at Helvellyn, the other way at Skiddaw.

Before it was a field centre, it was a sanatorium for tuberculosis

and occupied a brilliant position on the mountain,

experiencing fresh air, diet, exercise.

One of the early pioneers of the sanatorium was Dr Wilbert Goodchild.

He was a medical superintendent, he really established it in 1903.

He actually lived here until 1944, when he died in Yonder End,

where I live now. Of course, I hope I'm not going to die in that house,

but it was his life's work, and he was a very inspirational character.

He was an early pioneer of the environmental movement.

He established the first hydro scheme in the 1920s,

generating electricity.

It was an idea that inspired me to do the same thing

and develop our own hydro scheme.

We are generating over 50 kilowatts of electricity

up in the Roughten Gill.

Of course, we're very much at the forefront of climate change.

And we do study that with our young people.

We also study rivers, the Glenderaterra,

we see how those processes shaped the landscape.

RUSHING WATER

We're at the Glenderaterra beck, just on the side of Blencathra.

Over the course of this field trip they've been learning about

flooding and the hydrology in the river.

Yesterday we were in Keswick looking at flood defences,

and this puts it all into context as well.

Thinking of why this area might be at risk of floods.

So we've got Skiddaw slate geology,

which means we've got very fast run-off in the area,

and few trees to intercept any water, as well.

So it all mixes with what the students are learning about

in their whole geography course,

so it's another reason to bring them out here.

It makes it a lot easier to understand

when you can do it in the actual river,

rather than just looking at it on the whiteboard.

You've got more understanding of what the river's like,

rather than just being taught it.

Yeah, you can write about it in your exam, your actual experiences.

So, being outside doing this job is fantastic.

It's much better than sitting in a classroom all the time.

The kids appreciate it more,

they get their concepts they learn at school into real-world contexts.

And it just makes my life fantastic as well,

being outside and not sitting in an office,

or anything like that all day.

I live just along the road.

There's a mountain surrounding it,

which you can go up whenever you like.

Especially in the morning,

when the sun has just rised,

and all the mountains are just seeing the sun,

and it looks really, really nice.

I think we're lucky living by Blencathra

because it's a really nice mountain.

I think it's about 7,000 years old.

And I think it was made by a glacier.

It's different from quite a lot of mountains

because it's got different shapes.

Because one end's like, nice and smooth,

and in the middle, it's like, all rocky.

You can find different types of birds

and you can find different types of little insects,

like cricket and bees.

And on the heather you can find

a load of beetles and crickets jumping around.

And on the heather that's in bloom you can see lots of bees

and wasps, collecting nectar.

Good morning.

Stuart.

-David, as I live and breathe.

-Nice to see you again. And Ed?

Nice to meet you, how are you doing?

-I'm all right.

-You guys know each other already, then?

-Yes.

-We've done some of this stuff before.

-We have.

-We've got form.

-We've got form in this.

-Nice spot.

It is, absolutely wonderful. Scales Tarn, you know.

-Beautiful.

-And we're doing Sharp Edge, I believe.

-So I understand.

-Which would be that, there?

That's it there, wonderful skyline we've got there.

Have you ever had anybody freak out and not want to do it?

-Yeah.

-No, no.

-I'm not great with heights, but I'm going to try it.

No, no, no. We'll just take our time.

And if you sit down, you sit down. You know?

-How do you mean?

-There's bits up there...

-You do it on your bum?

-If you have to.

-Come on, let's go. You going to lead the way?

-Yeah.

-You should.

-Just take our time.

Just go steady.

It would be nice if the wind would drop a little bit.

-Yeah.

-OK. Any tips?

Just use your hands where you need to.

Don't be frightened to sit down if you need to as well.

-OK.

-These are just general tips for life, really, you're offering now!

Yeah! Yeah, it works out that way.

But it is a bit of a black spot

so far as the mountain rescue are concerned,

so we do our best not to have to call them out.

Now, we need to, we need to stick to the ridge.

OK. Whoa! It's getting pretty windy up here.

Have we got to the bit I'm allowed to do on my bum yet?

No, not yet!

OK.

This is getting interesting.

Is this the bit where I can sit down?

You can sit here, yes indeed.

Tell me when we get to the bit I can do on my bum!

-Yeah.

-OK.

Whoa, that is a long way down. OK...

Just get a hold...

-Right.

-Good handhold, good foothold. Just watch what you're doing.

-Sound.

-Woo!

-Right.

-I mean, you could just jump over that, couldn't you?

If you were of a mind to.

-What?

-You could just leap that, couldn't you?

-Well, you could, yeah.

-But...

..I didn't feel like it.

No, I certainly didn't bloody feel like leaping it.

Woo. That was interesting.

As in a... "I never want to do it again" kind of way!

In a sort of...

But you can see now why it's called Sharp Edge

and previously it was called Razor's Edge.

-Razor's Edge?

-Razor's Edge, yeah.

-Yeah.

-How long ago was it called that?

I have no idea. Wainwright talks about it, the previous name.

Talks about how you could shave with it, or something like that.

Dave does not look like a man who wants to talk about shaving.

-No, that's true.

-No.

Doesn't look like a man who's fond of such a thing as a razor.

Much prefers being called Sharp Edge.

Are we nearly there yet, David?

Nearly there?

-You all right? You happy?

-I wouldn't go that far!

Happy might be a bit much, yeah.

Nice spot here. I'm just going to go in here and have a little cry.

OK, you have a little weep, get it out.

-You'll feel better.

-I'll feel better, yeah.

Nice, this, isn't it? Why do we bother?

Why do we bother?

I might take up a new hobby.

I might start going to traction engine rallies.

I might start doing...

-Airfix kits.

-Yeah!

THEY LAUGH

I have got this...

Oh.

I prefer to come down these things backwards, actually.

OK. I prefer not to be here at all.

Right.

Whoa!

'Tis but a Sunday afternoon stroll.

There's only a couple of bits there

where, if you'd fallen, you'd have really been in trouble.

-Do you think?

-Most of it, I think, you'd only fall so far.

I suppose people who don't like this sort of thing would say

is, "You know when you're in the pub?

"There's NO bits where you can fall and kill yourself!".

-Yeah.

-Well, there are in some pubs.

I reckon there are pubs not far from here

-that are more dangerous than this.

-Probably right, actually.

Anyway, that's Sharp Edge finished.

I enjoyed it. I really liked it.

I did in a mad way, yeah.

I felt like Louis Walsh there. "I liked it!"

No, it's good, yeah.

It's...

It's very... It's quite involved.

You've got to pick your way very carefully.

I think people must be nuts to come up here in the ice and snow.

It's... Yeah, it's the first time for both of us,

and we're staying really close by.

And we wanted to climb the hill that we could see out of the window.

Yeah!

It's so nice, for England.

It's convenient, despite how exhausted I feel.

Yes, to escape, you know, we were just saying, from New York,

to do anything like this, we would have to fly somewhere,

book a holiday or, you know,

spend days trying to do something like this.

Whereas this is a day trip for us.

We'll be back home comfortably in our bed.

And she'll sleep.

The kids have done a few Munros in Scotland,

so they found this a wee bit easier.

And obviously because the weather's been a lot calmer as well.

-This one was harder.

-He thought it was harder!

Walking up Blencathra, or any fell in the Lake District,

the pain is like giving birth.

It's painful, but it's worth it for the final result.

-The view.

-Only the women would know that.

-Yeah, yeah.

-And you forget about it afterwards.

It's just brill being up here. I love Blencathra, me!

I think I'll go and see if any of these people want a photo with me.

Maybe one of those selfies.

Or an autograph. They're free, you know, even from a Yorkshireman.

# On summit ridge, a fountain head

# So oft a tear, a voice shed

# And sunrise in its glory greets the mountain

# The mountain feels, consoles and heals

# Kindles and inspires

# Many a yarn and fable spun between the fire

# Of rock and sun

# For generations, dawn to dusk

# A hardy folk have earned a crust

# The studies and hard work on the mountain

# In summertime the pilgrims throng

# To climb, to cycle, walk or run

# Step lightly on Sharp Edge, my son

# The shepherd

# He shined a warning

# 500 million years

# What mortal could define

# Such chiselled art is worlds apart

# A monument in time

# As time and spirits like an eagle soar and glide

# When mountains meet the sky

# And spirits like an eagle soar and glide

# When mountains meet the sky

# When mountains meet the sky

# When mountains meet the sky. #

Of course, it's the mountain with two names.

Saddleback - Wainwright might not have liked it,

but at least it does what it says on the tin.

But Blencathra...

That takes us into a world of myths and legends.

A landscape populated by strange creatures

such as the two immortal fish

that live in Bowscale Tarn behind the mountain.

And apparently, they'll talk to you, if the mood takes them.

It must be true, because William Wordsworth wrote about it.

And then, if you're lucky,

and you turn up at Souther Fell on Midsummer's Eve,

You might just get a chance to see the spectral army,

which marches across the fell and disappears into a cleft in the rock.

Dozens of people claim to have seen it.

But these local myths and legends pale into insignificance

compared with the great sweep of Arthurian legend

that lies across this landscape.

Near Eamont Bridge, at Penrith, is King Arthur's Round Table,

a Neolithic henge,

where King Arthur and his knights apparently gathered.

Further down the River Eamont there's Pendragon Castle,

named after Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father.

Then there's this place,

"Blenc...artha".

Arthur's seat.

Arthur's throne,

from which he led the defence of Britain

against the invading Saxons

in the late fifth and early sixth centuries.

Or maybe not.

But it doesn't matter, because an echo,

a faint echo of those heroic, epic times

remains in the name of our mountain, Blencathra.

We're in the hamlet of Wescoe, near Threlkeld,

on the shoulder of Blencathra, where a man who has been described

as the greatest poet writing in English

in the second half of the 20th century,

lived and worked for a while.

The family of WH Auden bought this holiday cottage in the early 1920s.

And Auden regarded it as his northern bolthole,

where he could test out the craft of his poetry.

From his base here at Westcoe, Auden spent joyous days

exploring the mine workings on the outer slopes of Blencathra.

Mines for zinc and lead and copper.

Graphite mines in Borrowdale,

that he could see from his office window across the valley.

And eventually, the images that he gathered on these trips

found their way into the essence of his work.

And we've got Blencathra to thank for that.

It's a bit breezy, mate, isn't it?

Come on, keep it up. Good lad.

Wow, look at this. The colours here.

I bet you could if you could see over that wall, pal.

I think for many people visiting Cumbria today,

there's a real focus on Wordsworth and on daffodils.

And as a writer in the Lakes, you know,

there's a real self-consciousness about that

sheer volume of literature

that's been written about this landscape over the centuries.

I think the process of really just being here

and just exploring the landscape, being outside,

seeing the landscape first-hand, and moving through it,

and just trying to capture something of the essence of the place

and maybe, hopefully, your work is adding something

to the overall stewardship of this place.

I think it's probably true to say that a poem could be considered

as the shortest form of a short story.

So really, every word in there has got to earn its keep.

So you're trying to distil it down,

really to keep the essence of the place.

And hopefully to speak to people about the experiences you've had

out on the fell, so here we are, sat here in autumn,

and it's taken me probably since about March

to work through this poem.

Whether it's finished is another question - you be the judge of that.

Certainly, you come back to it in a year's time, maybe,

and you'll see something else out on the fell

and you'll tweak the words again.

Or you'll learn something new in your craft,

and find that you've maybe, you know, not quite got it right.

Certainly, you know, it's an evolving process.

'Blencathra.

'A geology of cloudscape.

'Layering time in a wind rush of changing light.

'Herdwicks fossilised in bracken-fronded strata

'Move imperceptibly,

'grazing down the fell,

'one grain at a time.

'Ravens with wind ruffle of outstretched fingers test the air.

'Inquisitors searching you with gabbro eye.

'And still it endures.

'Wept from a glacier's grazing undertow,

'which never saw a horse to shape a saddle, yet, here it is.

'But who could wrangle, tame a mountain such as this?

'Cloud-ratcher, mist-splitter,

'snow-etcher,

'anvil to winter's hammer blows.

'Fashioning spring's curving light to fit the combe

'and pave the walker's pilgrimage.

'Returning by sheep-trod ridge, edge, grass bleached moor.

'Bitpart in another day in the life of a mountain.'

I'm the luckiest person in the world, to live here.

It's just wonderful.

The farm's been in the family for 104 years.

It was bought on the 11th November, 1911.

Obviously it's only 50 acres, which means it's tiny,

even Lake District sizes,

it's very, very small.

So we have diversified.

Which does involve a lot of work, so we farm tourism,

or tourists now, as well as sheep.

The animal side of things is really William's input.

He's absolutely marvellous.

He runs sort of rare breeds, as well as some semi-commercials.

Late autumn, early winter,

the diversified side of things calms down.

So it gets quieter.

From the farm side of things,

it's obviously tupping time, so Will's sorts all the sheep out

into their various breeds.

Then we decide what we're going to keep pure,

and what we're not going to keep pure.

We decide what we want for meat lambs,

and what we want for fleeces.

Because we're trying to diversify further

by processing our own fleece into actually knitting yarn.

Oh, Blencathra. I've been up it loads of times.

Aye, I see it every day.

When we're working on the farm. Any time we go anywhere,

if we go to Penrith or Keswick, we drive right past it.

It's quite dominating, it's part of daily life.

Yeah.

Yes, yeah, it's keeping an eye on us.

Aye, it's a hard place to work and farm.

A lot of rainfall.

You're quite isolated.

Road access isn't very good.

And when the snow comes it can be, it can linger and cause problems.

Yes, but luckily we've got the visitors that come.

And that makes it better.

THUNDER RUMBLES

Hello, good evening. You don't need me to tell you

that we've had an exceptional amount of rain.

Over two months' worth of rain in 72 hours in some parts of Cumbria.

And, while the worst of the rain is over,

we do have further spells of rain this week.

They wouldn't normally cause us any problems,

but the ground is so saturated, the river levels so full,

it's a very sensitive situation out there,

so keep tuned to the Environment Agency and the forecasts

as we go through the next few days...

-Yeah, no, that's right.

-Everyone's going absolutely potty.

-That's what we're trying to avoid.

-And that's what you need to avoid.

That's why we put it at the start,

with the map of where they are and how to get round it, sort of thing,

-or where it is, an alternative route.

-Do you like the bridge?

-Sorry?

-Do you like our bridge?

Yeah.

That's one to have some work done on it, I think.

-Really?!

-The railway bridge is on the Keswick railway line.

It has, as you can see by the damage, been absolutely devastating,

so my son and I went round, dear old Will, we went round,

we picked the gates off the hinges, we strapped them to the fences,

we moved the sheep as best we could.

And then it's out of your hands.

The implications are huge.

For example, the other day we had to bring some animal feed in

and it all has to come in in sacks,

because we've obviously got no vehicle access,

you're not going to get a car over that, or even through the river.

So the cost implications are enormous,

and sadly it's put us out of business,

because we can't have visitors staying,

using our wonderful scaffolding as their form of access,

so the ongoing effects of the storm are actually going to be felt

for quite a long time.

From a very personal point of view,

seeing this damage, it's devastating,

it's almost like a bereavement,

because your whole life,

and your life's work, has gone.

And we're basically left with a blank canvas to build it up again.

I've been a photographer,

trying to be a professional photographer, since 1996,

but before that I was actually a chemist,

but my dad, my father, was always a bit of a photographer,

and used to teach me how to take pictures and things,

and I'd follow him into the hills, especially in and around Scafell,

Scafell Pike, up in the mountains, the big mountains.

He loved the big mountains.

And now I just,

I'm just really happy when I'm out in the landscape,

and if there's a really good light, I'm very driven by the light.

I just feel I've got to capture that landscape.

So, I'm here now at Tuffet Tarn,

which I've been coming to for many years,

trying to get a decent picture of Blencathra.

This little tarn is quite handy,

because it gives us a bit of foreground to the mountain.

At the moment, it's a bit of a monochromatic sort of image.

The first time I came to Blencathra,

I actually climbed it up Sharp Edge back in 1986,

I think, 30 years ago.

And in those days I was quite brave

and it was winter - winter conditions.

And I just remember it was very foggy.

Luckily, the fog hid the sheer drops either side.

But nowadays, I've lost my nerve,

so I don't think I'll be doing it in winter conditions.

I'm a bit of a coward.

The other thing, Blencathra, it's been teasing me for years,

because I've tried all sorts of different viewpoints.

It's a very long, wide mountain.

And I've been up on the old coach road over there.

And when you look across, if you want to get the whole mountain in,

you get quite a wide angle lens, but it makes it look fairly small.

But if you zoom in on it,

then you're chopping off most of Blencathra either side,

so you either have to do a panorama and stitch a few images together...

Also, because of, like I said before, it faces south,

the best way to get a more three-dimensional image

is to have side lighting or backlighting,

so, because Blencathra faces south,

you go early in the morning or in the evening,

but I just find Blencathra hard.

It's a hard mountain to photograph.

Sharp Edge in winter.

Glorious.

Full-on winter with a few spikes on my feet, the crampons.

Fantastic.

So, this is a mini mountaineering expedition.

It's...Sharp Edge at its best.

Full winter conditions.

You could say, who needs to go up the Himalaya

or the Alps when it's like this?

But as lethal as any mountain ridge.

It's not going to be forgiving if I slip off to the left.

That's it. It's about 500 foot down there, by the looks of it,

300-500 foot.

Fall off this and you're just straight down.

Sharp Edge. In the snow.

What more could you want?

We've got it to ourselves.

There we go.

Fantastic.

Yep, value for money.

Sharp Edge in winter.

But I've been here when it's just been sheet ice

and that's when it's most dangerous.

I was here once with a friend who set off on the thin sheet ice,

the ice just broke away and he was just slipping over the edge there.

We just caught him.

And I've been here in verglas, which is really thin black ice.

And that's really scary.

That's as if someone's come up here and coated it in butter,

or some sort of cooking oil.

That's pretty grim as well.

So, today is fantastic conditions.

It's as good as being in the Himalaya or the Alps.

Or the Karakoram. I'm in my element here.

It's fantastic. The snow.

The clouds are parting.

We're getting blue sky.

Who'd be anywhere else?

I remember seeing pictures that the Abraham brothers took

on the side of Sharp Edge here.

It was in summer, most of it.

But some hairy and quite loose,

sort of, unsound climbing down there.

But some great photographs taken

from those huge plate cameras that they had to lug up.

It was quite impressive.

Of course, the Abrahams are based in Keswick,

had a studio not far from here.

Fantastic all-time photographers.

And this is the last bit up the face.

There's sort of gullies you can go up here.

Or straight up the mixed ground.

-What are you doing later on, anyway?

-Eh?

-What are you doing later on?

Might go to the pub, actually.

Be rude not to, wouldn't it?

Yeah, after this, but then for my tea, go down The Lion.

Well, if it stays like this, we're on a winner.

Ha! As soon as I said that...

The weather's changing!

What did I say that for?!

There's sort of good ground, thin snow coverage.

We're all right on that.

It gets a bit tricky in mixed terrain, doesn't it?

Ups and downs...

Well, I like the fact it's just... You've got comfortable boots on.

It's like going for a walk.

And then the bonus is you snowboard down at the end of it.

So, why wouldn't you?

Basically.

Better on mixed terrain, I think, as well.

A bit easier than skis.

But just, once again, fun - fun to be had!

# Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo

# Oo-oo

# Oo-oo-oo

# Oh-ho

# Oo oo-oo

# Oo-oo, oo oo-oo

# We turn our faces to the wind

# And in our hearts begin to sing

# The timeless song

# That re-unites the Earth and sky

# Beyond the boundaries of time

# The past and present side by side

# Our ancestors

# And all our futures unified

-# We are one

-Spirit and land

# Spirit and land are one

# Are one

-# Spirit and land

-Spirit and land

# Spirit and land are one

# Are one

# We walk the paths our fathers walked

# And sing the songs our mothers sang

# A song of joy, a song of hope

# For those to come

# We turn our faces to the wind

# And in our hearts begin to sing

# A song of hope

# A song of joy

# A song of love

# Spirit and land are one. #

APPLAUSE

Absolutely lovely.

Really picks up the feel of the mountains,

and evokes all the feelings.

Very nice indeed.

That was amazing.

It was just like hearing the wind whispering through the trees,

on the fell up there. Yeah, fantastic.

Brilliant. Excellent. Really enjoyed it.

Yeah, thank you very much. That was lovely. Loved it.

Thank you. Even the dog loved it.

LAUGHTER

-Did you like it?

-Yes!

Can you sing it again?

The year's come full circle.

And here I am again on Threlkeld Common, having a look at Blencathra.

What makes Blencathra special to people?

It's what every hill walker wants to do.

It's what every hill walker remembers climbing.

Their first ascent, that first adventure.

It's etched in their minds for ever.

It's five fells. It's five fells that make one very special mountain.

And yet it's not the biggest.

It's 18th in a list of the high points in England.

Cross Fell in the Pennines is higher than Blencathra.

But who would remember going up Cross Fell?

Walt Unsworth, in his book about the high fells of Lakeland, in 1972,

said that there was nothing to compare with Blencathra.

Alfred Wainwright suggested that Blencathra

was a mountaineer's mountain.

And on a day like today, perhaps he's right.

But surely... SURELY it's more than that?

It's the people's mountain.