0:00:02 > 0:00:05'For many, the 1950s were the golden age of British motoring.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11'Back then, driving was leisurely, liberating and fun.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17'Yes, er, things have changed a bit since then.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25'But perhaps it's still possible to recapture some of that old magic.'
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Oh, yes!
0:00:27 > 0:00:32'I'm setting off on six of the best drives from the 1950s,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36'as recommended by the guidebooks of the era,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40'and I'll be driving them in some of the decade's most iconic vehicles.'
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Oh, I've gone into reverse!
0:00:45 > 0:00:50'I want to find out if these routes still thrill and inspire...'
0:00:50 > 0:00:53This is a spectacular road.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57'..and how in fifty years Britain itself has changed.'
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Oh, for God's sake!
0:01:00 > 0:01:03They wouldn't have thought to come here without a sat nav.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- I'm sure they wouldn't.- People don't value each other as much as they did.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10It was a different type of life, wasn't it?
0:01:23 > 0:01:28# Earth angel, earth angel
0:01:28 > 0:01:30# Will you be mine?
0:01:32 > 0:01:36# My darling dear, love you all the time... #
0:01:37 > 0:01:41'The English Lake District is in many ways an ideal area
0:01:41 > 0:01:43'for a motoring holiday.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45'Most of the roads are well surfaced,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49'and though many of the minor ones are narrow, twisting and have many
0:01:49 > 0:01:54'steep hills, there is nothing to deter the average motorist,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56'whatever the age of his car.'
0:01:57 > 0:02:02The Lake District is known for its absolutely brilliant scenery,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06and it's also known
0:02:06 > 0:02:08for the fact that it rains quite a lot,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12which is probably why the producers have given me an open-topped car.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16'Yes, I'm sure they'd just love to drown me
0:02:16 > 0:02:18'in the name of entertainment.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20'I, of course, have other ideas.'
0:02:20 > 0:02:23But I've got the roof up, as you can see,
0:02:23 > 0:02:28and it's going to stay there, as far as I'm concerned,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30while there's any sign of rain.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35# Well, the little things you say and do
0:02:35 > 0:02:38# Make me want to be with you
0:02:39 > 0:02:41# Rave on, it's a crazy feeling... #
0:02:41 > 0:02:44'But despite the irony of the sunroof,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47'my car should be just the ticket for the Lake District.
0:02:47 > 0:02:53'The Triumph TR3 is a sporty little number, and its state-of-the-art
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'disc brakes, light chassis and powerful two-litre engine
0:02:56 > 0:03:02'meant that back in the Fifties, it had great success in Alpine rallies.'
0:03:02 > 0:03:08'This 1959 model had a top speed of well in excess of 100 mph...
0:03:09 > 0:03:12'..a somewhat terrifying proposition
0:03:12 > 0:03:15'that I have absolutely no intention of testing out.'
0:03:15 > 0:03:20I've got two very sweet little windscreen wipers, and they look
0:03:20 > 0:03:22as though they are hand-crafted.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24And they're very charming.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31'I'm in the Lake District to drive a route that was described in the 1950s
0:03:31 > 0:03:36'as one of the most beautiful and varied drives in Britain.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39'Starting in Keswick, I'll be following the
0:03:39 > 0:03:45'A591 south towards Windermere, passing several significant lakes.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49'I'll then head back north over the famous Kirkstone Pass,
0:03:49 > 0:03:54'past Ullswater and on to my finishing point, in Penrith.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59'But before I begin, I want to get the lowdown on the lakes
0:03:59 > 0:04:03'from author and journalist Hunter Davies,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07'a man so captivated by the area back in the Fifties
0:04:07 > 0:04:09'that he vowed to one day make it his home.'
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Wow, what a car!
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- Hello!- Hi!
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Oh, my God! We've got some good weather.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Well, it's the best we've had today, I'll tell you!
0:04:22 > 0:04:26There's no such thing as bad weather in the Lake District.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- Is that what they say? - Only bad clothing.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33'I just wish I'd had a chance to get used to my car's odd
0:04:33 > 0:04:35'little foibles first.'
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Where we live here, we've got three lakes.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41- Crummock is about... It's... - ENGINE REVS
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Right, is that first? Sorry.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- It's a bit like...- Sorry!
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Oh, for God's sake! I think I don't give it enough juice.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Well, it's obviously not the driver, it's the car!
0:05:00 > 0:05:02It's the car. Thank you, Hunter.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Where we live here,
0:05:03 > 0:05:08we've got three lakes, and they're away from the main tourist tracks.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13- Er, yes.- Obviously, avoid the honey pot places, the tourist traps,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16at any bank holiday and during the school holidays.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20The main tourist places are Keswick and Windermere and Grasmere.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23- Ah, yes. - And they're absolutely chocker.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25It's six abreast walking the pavements.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29You see more white knobbly knees there than you'll see
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- in a century in London.- Ooh, this is wonderful.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37Really beautiful.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39HE HUMS
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Who would have a car like this?
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- I know! Now, isn't it quiet? No cars around.- Wonderful.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55That's because this particular area is not so well known.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00When Wordsworth was alive, the railways came, and he adored the
0:06:00 > 0:06:05Lake District and did a guidebook to it and wrote so many poems about it.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09Once he heard the railway was coming, he was absolutely furious
0:06:09 > 0:06:12and he led a campaign to stop the railway coming, cos he thought
0:06:12 > 0:06:16there would be hordes coming from Lancashire - all unwashed people.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Cos his theory, which is so snobbish,
0:06:19 > 0:06:24he felt you really need an aesthetic mentality and an education
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and a spiritual awareness to really understand landscape,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- and I think that's cobblers. - Yeah. Absolutely.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34- One of the things about landscape - everybody can appreciate it.- Yes.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- You like different things, but it's open to all.- Absolutely.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41The thing about the Lake District is we've got everything in God's world.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Everything in nature is here, in miniature.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47We've got mountains, we've got lakes,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51we've got snow, we've got lush valleys, we've got twee cottages.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53If you go to Tibet, you'll see mountains.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55If you go to the Rockies, you'll see the Rockies,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58if you go to the great lakes in America, they're bigger.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02Here everything is on tap and on hand and accessible.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Compared to the Fifties,
0:07:03 > 0:07:08is the Lake District getting worse or better, or what?
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Obviously, there's more cars, because we didn't all have cars.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17Er, there are more perhaps tourist tat shops,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20but I don't think it has got ruined.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23One of the things about the Lake District, wherever you are,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27even if it's Windermere on an August bank holiday, in an hour
0:07:27 > 0:07:30I guarantee you can be totally on your own, seeing nobody,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33walking on the fells, communing with nature.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35And, of course, despite Wordsworth,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38I mean, the people should be able to see it. People, you know...
0:07:38 > 0:07:43- It belongs to us all. Yeah, it's our national heritage.- Yes.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Well, it's a wonderful spot.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49'Hunter clearly loves where he lives
0:07:49 > 0:07:52'and has a laudably generous attitude to sharing it.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59'So to the first part of my route, the road from Keswick down towards
0:07:59 > 0:08:04'Lake Windermere, a drive which my 1950s guide describes as,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06'"a wonderful introduction
0:08:06 > 0:08:10'"to the contrasting beauties of the lakes and fells".
0:08:10 > 0:08:12'And guess what?
0:08:12 > 0:08:15'Yes, it's raining.'
0:08:15 > 0:08:17"Flood warning ahead."
0:08:19 > 0:08:23'Nevertheless, I'm determined to be positive.'
0:08:23 > 0:08:29The fact that it's, er, rather grey and overcast means that you
0:08:29 > 0:08:33do have a sort of mist on the hills, which is very dramatic.
0:08:33 > 0:08:39# I believe for every drop of rain that falls
0:08:39 > 0:08:42# A flower gro-o-o-ows
0:08:45 > 0:08:46# A flower grows... #
0:08:46 > 0:08:51'The Lake District has been a national park since 1951.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57'In it are around 350 fells and more than 80 lakes or tarns, including
0:08:57 > 0:09:01'England's tallest mountain and deepest lake.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05'And driving this superb road, you get a real sense of its magic.'
0:09:05 > 0:09:10But already, so early on in this drive,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14the scenery is spectacular.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16'One of the best trips in Lakeland.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21'It is indeed the finest road in the district.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24'It might be added that this road is crowded
0:09:24 > 0:09:27'during the height of the season, and the wise motorist
0:09:27 > 0:09:31'will endeavour to choose a time when he can raise his eyes
0:09:31 > 0:09:34'to the scenery without unduly imperilling his car.'
0:09:35 > 0:09:37The great thing about the Lakeland mountains
0:09:37 > 0:09:40is that they're all shrouded in green.
0:09:40 > 0:09:46They're very grassy, which makes them spectacularly beautiful.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53'It's undoubtedly a fabulous stretch of road and must take on a whole new
0:09:53 > 0:09:56'dimension on a glorious summer's day.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00'Not that we get so many of those any more.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06'It skirts the waters of Thirlmere, runs through impressive valleys,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10'passes Wordsworth's former home at Grasmere
0:10:10 > 0:10:14'and leads down to the region's most famous lake, Windermere,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18'where I'm going to take a little diversion
0:10:18 > 0:10:20'recommended in one of my old books -
0:10:20 > 0:10:25'one that promises a view normally reserved for the local yachties.'
0:10:36 > 0:10:41Well, my guidebook tells me that there are a good service of ferry
0:10:41 > 0:10:45boats, rather misleadingly described as "continuous".
0:10:45 > 0:10:47The ferry crossing, incidentally,
0:10:47 > 0:10:52gives the finest possible views of the lake, which is seen here
0:10:52 > 0:10:56as a long narrow slash in the face of the mountains, diversified
0:10:56 > 0:10:59by numerous wooded islands.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01This must be...
0:11:01 > 0:11:05There's an island there, and that might be an island.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11So this is one of the finest views of the lake.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Well, it's very pretty.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Rather lovely.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21It would be much nicer in the sunshine, of course, but then,
0:11:21 > 0:11:26you go on holiday or you go driving for a day, and it often rains.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33'It cost me £3.50 each way on the ferry.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37'If I'd wanted to, I could've paid a visit to Beatrix Potter's home on the
0:11:37 > 0:11:43'other side, but it seems the makers of this programme have other ideas.'
0:11:47 > 0:11:52The producers have arranged a very nice lunch for me at
0:11:52 > 0:11:53a very pretty inn.
0:11:53 > 0:12:00Unfortunately, it's one of the highest inns in Britain, and in order
0:12:00 > 0:12:07to get to it, you have to approach it by a road known as the Struggle.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11And in this guidebook, it says it's a severe test.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17In this guidebook, it says, "The steepest pass ascent
0:12:17 > 0:12:20"from any town in England."
0:12:20 > 0:12:26And in this one, it says, "The precipitous hill".
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Ho-ho! "Coming up from Ambleside."
0:12:30 > 0:12:34So I've decided that I might need some help approaching this inn,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37so I've invited the owner of the inn
0:12:37 > 0:12:42to come down here to Ambleside, and guide me up the Struggle.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44- How far is it from here?- Three miles.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48- Three miles?- Up the Struggle. - Up the Struggle!- Up the Struggle.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52- And am I going to struggle?- Well, you've not been up there, then?- No.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Well, we'll see.
0:12:59 > 0:13:05'Rising 1,500 feet in just three miles, the Struggle
0:13:05 > 0:13:08'is a notorious Lake District road.
0:13:08 > 0:13:14'It earned its moniker long before motorcars were invented, when horses
0:13:14 > 0:13:18'used to find its gradient an exhausting proposition.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22'Even the pampered upper-class tourists of Wordsworth's day
0:13:22 > 0:13:25'were forced to get off their backsides
0:13:25 > 0:13:28'and walk alongside their coaches, as the road grew
0:13:28 > 0:13:33'ever steeper towards the inn at the head of the Kirkstone Pass.'
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Right, here we go up to the Struggle.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41'Even the odd modern car falls prey to the Struggle, so I'm nervous my
0:13:41 > 0:13:45'Triumph's 50-year-old engine might not be up to it.'
0:13:47 > 0:13:52See, it does this... quite a lot in first!
0:13:52 > 0:13:54It's the car, Richard, it's the car.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Well, I hope so.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59So, we could take this in first or second?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04There are parts of it where you go up to second.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Yeah. Mostly in first.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07Mostly in first.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12- Nearer halfway along, you can get it into third, if you're...- Yeah.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14If you're feeling confident.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21'Motorists should bear in mind that byroads are often terribly rough
0:14:21 > 0:14:24'and surprisingly steep, offering plenty of scope
0:14:24 > 0:14:28'for damage to the car and giving little or no hold
0:14:28 > 0:14:31'even for cars with efficient brakes.'
0:14:31 > 0:14:34You've got, er, breakdown cover, have you?
0:14:34 > 0:14:35THEY CHUCKLE
0:14:35 > 0:14:38This is the bit I'm looking at, the temperature gauge.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Yeah. Getting a bit hot.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Well, what we do up at the inn, Richard, is we keep lots of five
0:14:43 > 0:14:50litre plastic bottles full of water, because the car park, in the summer,
0:14:50 > 0:14:55when it's hot, it's just full of cars. It's a bit like a steam rally.
0:14:55 > 0:14:56THEY LAUGH
0:14:56 > 0:15:01I'm serious. You're doing very well, actually.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I was expecting a lot worse.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06'Almost everywhere,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10'constant care is called for by winding roads and steep hills.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14'For all that, motoring in the Lake District is well worth while.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18'There's hardly a mile of road that is not worth following
0:15:18 > 0:15:21'either for itself or the views it commands.'
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Oh, look at this! This is quite steep!
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Richard, forgive me but I'm gonna let you concentrate now.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- Cos this is getting, this is the bit...- This is a steep bit.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Where you might like to focus your attention, please.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37And I take this in first.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40I think I'll stay in first. But then...
0:15:40 > 0:15:42ENGINE REVS
0:15:47 > 0:15:49I see what you mean.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54That...that is, er, well done, that's not bad.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00The car has lasted well too, hasn't it?
0:16:00 > 0:16:04The car's doing very well, it's just the driver.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09He's a bit frayed. And here we are, the Kirkstone Pass.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11The Kirkstone Pass Inn freehouse.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16It's lovely.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22Oh. 'There has been a pub at the head of the pass for centuries and
0:16:22 > 0:16:27'the Kirkstone Pass Inn still feels remarkably ancient and isolated.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29'It often sits above the cloud line
0:16:29 > 0:16:32'and has no mains electricity or water.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36'Not surprisingly, it's purported to be haunted.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40'Well, you wouldn't expect anything less, would you?
0:16:40 > 0:16:44'But inside, it's a cosy little spot and owner, John, holds
0:16:44 > 0:16:49'regular sing songs that help warm the most frigid of cockles.'
0:16:49 > 0:16:53# Ear-lay in the morning. #
0:16:58 > 0:17:00'But dammit!
0:17:00 > 0:17:05'John's got wind of an event I was trying desperately to keep quiet.'
0:17:05 > 0:17:10- It's his birthday, you're all going to join in, aren't you?- Oh, no!
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Yes, it's his birthday.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17# Happy birthday to you
0:17:17 > 0:17:22# Happy birthday to you
0:17:22 > 0:17:28# Happy birthday, dear Richard
0:17:29 > 0:17:34# Happy birthday to you-u-u-u! #
0:17:37 > 0:17:38APPLAUSE
0:17:38 > 0:17:42- Thank you.- You have to blow them out in one, my friend.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44- OK.- And a wish.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46And a wish. All right, OK, and...
0:17:48 > 0:17:49My word!
0:17:49 > 0:17:51APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- Well done, well done. - That was wonderful, very unexpected.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00You're not going to tell us how many, are you Richard?
0:18:00 > 0:18:02- Er, yes, I am 72 today.- Oooh!- What?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07They thought it was 86.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09LAUGHTER
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Ooh, it's thick, thick chocolate.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23# And it's no, nay, never No, nay, never no more
0:18:23 > 0:18:26# Will I play the Wild Rover
0:18:26 > 0:18:32# No, never, no more... #
0:18:32 > 0:18:36'Well, what a lovely way to celebrate one's birthday.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39'Very sweet of them to pay me so much attention.'
0:18:46 > 0:18:50'And if the road up to the head of Kirkstone Pass was a struggle,
0:18:50 > 0:18:55'the drive back down the other side, although steep, is an utter delight.'
0:18:58 > 0:19:03Oh, a spectacular view of the water there.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09'On the descent of the pass, it is wise to keep in low gear
0:19:09 > 0:19:14'for some distance, to save the brakes and to see the views.'
0:19:14 > 0:19:20Beautiful - this is supposed to be one of the best vistas in Britain.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Very, very pretty.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33This is an absolutely wonderful vista.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37You can see the road stretching away in the distance...
0:19:41 > 0:19:42..which is really lovely.
0:19:45 > 0:19:46'At the bottom of the pass,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51'nestled amongst the gloriously verdant mountains, is Deep Dale farm,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54'where father and son farmers,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58'Chris and Jimmy Brown, tend their flock of Herdwick sheep'.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Jimmy's'll go through.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06HE WHISTLES SHARPLY
0:20:06 > 0:20:10What does the whistle mean? Is it different sounds?
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- That one meant sit down that I did just, then.- All right.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18'Herdwicks are an inseparable part of the Lake District landscape.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22'Legend has it they were introduced to the region by Viking settlers
0:20:22 > 0:20:26'and they are extraordinarily hardy,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30'known to survive for six weeks at a time completely covered
0:20:30 > 0:20:35'by snow drifts, sucking the oil from their own fleeces for nourishment.'
0:20:35 > 0:20:37How many have you got altogether?
0:20:40 > 0:20:44We'll have about...500 sheep.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46You don't have a scooper bag, I notice.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50No, just keep going. Just watch where you're walking.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54'But, as timeless as this scene appears, for hill farmers, the Lake
0:20:54 > 0:20:58'District is a very different place than it was 50 years ago.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03'It seems these tough little sheep no longer pay their way.'
0:21:03 > 0:21:08So you can't make enough money from sheep alone?
0:21:08 > 0:21:10No, not really.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13We've had to diversify quite a lot, haven't we,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15the last sort of few years?
0:21:15 > 0:21:19We've always sort of let a cottage, self catering, for people,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21ever since we started here.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Tourism's always played a part in the life of the farm,
0:21:25 > 0:21:30- but more and more so now. - Would you be happier with the sheep?
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Yeah, I think so.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35At least the sheep don't answer back!
0:21:35 > 0:21:38So, I notice when the sheep see the dogs,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42does that mean they know they're going to be moved?
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Well, they're wary - they know something's going to happen.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47But where's your whistle?
0:21:47 > 0:21:52Just a...whistle, like. You actually put it into your mouth and...
0:21:52 > 0:21:53HE BLOWS
0:21:53 > 0:21:56..And the dogs take no notice.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59I can't use the whistle so I just use voice commands.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01- Why's that?- I'm just useless with the thing.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04What's this lamb doing? Hello!
0:22:05 > 0:22:06BAA!
0:22:06 > 0:22:09- There you go, you see?- It's coming.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12- I think he's actually recognised you!- Come here, then.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13BAA!
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- Hello!- I know who it is. - That's extraordinary!
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Oh, he's not coming to me at all.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20You made that up!
0:22:22 > 0:22:25'Responsible for protecting this ancient landscape is
0:22:25 > 0:22:29'chief executive of the Lake District national park, Richard Leafe.'
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Talking to Chris and Jimmy, they're saying that sheep farming
0:22:33 > 0:22:38is no longer viable, that they can't make a living from sheep alone
0:22:38 > 0:22:40and so they've diversified into tourism.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Is that common in the Lake District?
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Yes, that's very common, that the farmers and land managers have
0:22:46 > 0:22:49a range of activities they get involved with.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Looking after the visitors is a great contribution
0:22:53 > 0:22:54to the national park.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59I think also farmers are increasingly paid for the work
0:22:59 > 0:23:03that they can do, with their grazing animals and their land management,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06to look after the environment, increasingly addressing
0:23:06 > 0:23:09the issues of climate change in a place like this.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13It's something that land managers can start to work on.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17- Good boy. Sit.- So what would you say was the single
0:23:17 > 0:23:21biggest difference in climate change over the last 10 or 15 years?
0:23:21 > 0:23:23I think over the last few years,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26the biggest change we've seen is the amount of snow you get here.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Whereas years ago in the winter,
0:23:28 > 0:23:32you'd have a constant blanket of snow
0:23:32 > 0:23:37on the high fells for three or four months during the winter and now we
0:23:37 > 0:23:39just don't have that blanket of snow - in fact,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42we're lucky to get a coverage of snow at all.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48In the fifties, there would be very few cars presumably,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51but now...a lot of cars.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Yes, in the fifties, it would be a lovely place to drive around,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58the lake District, and now on a bank holiday and during the busy periods
0:23:58 > 0:24:00in the summer, it's far from that.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03We get about 8.3 million people
0:24:03 > 0:24:06visiting the Lake District every year.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10In fact, about 93% of people arrive by car.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14You wouldn't have anything against my little Triumph, would you?
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- It's a beautiful little car, isn't it?- It is.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19You should try driving it.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23There's so many beautiful hills in your lake district, that...
0:24:23 > 0:24:28she doesn't always want to take them at my beckoning.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30I can quite imagine.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33We're keen to encourage people to come to the park,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- but ideally without a car. - Oh, right.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41If they can leave their car at home, come on public transport, enjoy the
0:24:41 > 0:24:46park by walking out into some of the remoter areas, so much the better.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50So, we should really rename the programme Britain's Best Walks?
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- That would be perfect.- That would make you happier, would it?
0:24:53 > 0:24:55- A lot happier, yes. - OK, I'll speak to the producers.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59Well, no wait, that would mean I'd have to walk a lot.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Perhaps you could do Britains six best park and rides.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Yes, there's something there I think!
0:25:13 > 0:25:16'I can't help feeling a little guilty, but this is,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18'after all, a special treat.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22'It's hardly something I'd do every day, as I'm sure has been
0:25:22 > 0:25:24'blindingly obvious to you all.'
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Oh, oh, a whole line of old cars.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Oh, MGs.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38We're all waving to each other frantically.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40They clearly think that I'm an owner like them.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49The final part of my journey will take me from Patterdale along the
0:25:49 > 0:25:53A592 towards the market town of Penrith, hugging the shoreline
0:25:53 > 0:25:59of one last lake and it's one of the region's most picturesque.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Ah! Ulswater.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06This is beautiful.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Ulswater, I think is one of the prettiest of the lakes.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Without a doubt. Oh, yes, wonderful.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26'But, as I approach my final destination, I am confronted
0:26:26 > 0:26:32'by a feature conspicuous by its absence from my 1950s maps.'
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Oh, lots of traffic ahead.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43'The M6 motorway blazed its way up the eastern side of the Lake District
0:26:43 > 0:26:49'back in 1968, diverting traffic from the gridlocked town of Penrith.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52'After the unspoilt nature of the rest of my drive,
0:26:52 > 0:26:57'this roaring streak of modernity is quite a shock to the system.'
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Now there is the motorway below us.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Good heavens, what a difference.
0:27:05 > 0:27:11Seeing cars zooming in a straight line after driving around the lakes,
0:27:11 > 0:27:12another world.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23It is amazing to think, really, how the car has become
0:27:23 > 0:27:26so much part of our lives.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30How so many households have got a car now.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33And they're getting more and more of them,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37with carbon emissions building all the time.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39You understand, watching
0:27:39 > 0:27:45traffic of this magnitude, what the carbon emissions must be like.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51I mean, just standing on this bridge,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53well, you can feel the fumes coming up.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57So, I suppose, in a way...
0:27:58 > 0:28:00..one yearns to get back to the lakes.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12'Yes, the lakes really are a special place.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15'Granted, you can't rely on the weather, and, yes,
0:28:15 > 0:28:19'it's rare you'll have the highways to yourself,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21'but perhaps nowhere else in Britain
0:28:21 > 0:28:26'are the roads so entwined with the spectacular landscape around them.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30'50 years since my guidebooks were first written,
0:28:30 > 0:28:34'it surely still is one of Britain's best drives.'
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:53 > 0:28:57E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk