0:00:03 > 0:00:07In 1840,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10one man transformed travel in Britain.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12His name was George Bradshaw
0:00:12 > 0:00:17and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Stop by stop, he told them where to travel,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22what to see and where to stay.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Now, 170 years later,
0:00:26 > 0:00:27I'm making four long journeys
0:00:27 > 0:00:30across the length and breadth of the country
0:00:30 > 0:00:34to see what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Using my 19th century Bradshaw's guide,
0:01:00 > 0:01:04I'm continuing my journey north into Cumbria,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07to the Lake District, where the arrival of the railways
0:01:07 > 0:01:10was, at first, extremely controversial,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12but like Victorian travellers before me,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16I'm looking forward to spectacular scenery.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25On my journey today,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29I'll be finding out why Victorian tourists flocked to Windermere.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Roger, what a lovely spread. And this is the height of elegance.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I'll be learning a thing or two about Kendal.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Erm, Kendal mint cake, please.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Erm, we don't stock Kendal mint cake! It isn't actually a cake.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43- Well, that has thrown me. - I'm so sorry!
0:01:43 > 0:01:48And I'll be finding out how the railways changed farming life.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52You would bring all that abundance of food to the population to sell.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55I think railways have changed farming considerably.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59I'm almost halfway through my journey north
0:01:59 > 0:02:02from Preston to Scotland.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06After a detour along the Settle to Carlisle route,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08I'm rejoining the West Coast Main Line,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10before crossing the border,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14and heading for my mother's home town of Kirkcaldy.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Today, I'm leaving Garsdale,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21and travelling across Cumbria to Windermere,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25before continuing to Kendal.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Bradshaw recommends various routes around the Lake District,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31depending on how much time the visitor has,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33so I'm following his two-day tour,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36which includes a cruise on the lake and a visit to Grasmere.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39The first thing you notice about the Lake District
0:02:39 > 0:02:40is that it is intensely green.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45And you don't get that colour without a lot of water.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48On a day like today, it's tempting to think
0:02:48 > 0:02:49that the Lake District
0:02:49 > 0:02:52is best viewed from the warmth of a railway carriage,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55but I do need to get out at Windermere.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59In the early 19th century,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02poets, like Wordsworth and Coleridge,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06made the Lake District popular amongst the educated elite.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09When the railway arrived at Windermere in 1847,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13large numbers of ordinary people began coming here, too.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17The railway company even changed the name of the station
0:03:17 > 0:03:19from Birthwaite to Windermere
0:03:19 > 0:03:21to attract more visitors.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25I'm looking for the view that Bradshaw says
0:03:25 > 0:03:27is really rather impressive.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30"From Windermere Station, the lake appears in view,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32"with its beautiful islands and grassy,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34"well-wooded fells round its borders."
0:03:34 > 0:03:37But clearly this isn't the railway station
0:03:37 > 0:03:40that was here in Bradshaw's time,
0:03:40 > 0:03:45and my guess is that it's that thing that is now,
0:03:45 > 0:03:46apparently, a supermarket.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51The original station is next door,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55and this is where Bradshaw and those early tourists would have arrived.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Morning! I'm assuming that this used to be the railway station,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02is that right?
0:04:02 > 0:04:05This was the terminus of the Kendal to Windermere line.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- Lovely building.- It is.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08It's Grade II listed.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11My 19th century guide says when I arrive at Windermere Station,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- I will have a wonderful view of the lake.- Yes.
0:04:14 > 0:04:15You don't get it from the new station.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Any idea of whether I can get it from behind here?
0:04:17 > 0:04:19You won't get it from behind here.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Oh, dear. Seems more difficult than I thought to find a view,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24but I'm going to keep trying. Thank you.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32If there's any view, it's going to be from here.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39No, nothing.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41With all this new building here,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44you just can't see the lake.
0:04:44 > 0:04:45Which is a pity, really,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49because otherwise this would be one of the great views
0:04:49 > 0:04:51from an English railway station.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55Good morning!
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- How are you?- I'm very well.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00- I recognise the face. - Oh! It's lovely to see you.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- I'm using an old guidebook.- Yes.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Apparently, there used to be a lovely view
0:05:05 > 0:05:07from the railway station, of the lake.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Yes, there did. In the old days, there did.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12But it's just the general build-up...
0:05:12 > 0:05:15because the numbers have increased,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19- they've had to extend the facilities, haven't they, really?- Yes.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22I mean, this used to be just a field, over here.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- This car park?- More or less.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26- You could see the lake from here, quite easily.- Oh.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30It's incredible, the number of people that do come here.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31How do you feel about that?
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Do you welcome the visitors or are you upset at the way it's changed?
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Well, I feel pleased for the business people,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41but, not being a business person myself, we keep out of the way.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48The arrival of the railways in the Lake District
0:05:48 > 0:05:50was hugely controversial.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54At the time, the locals feared for their beautiful countryside.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00150 years later,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Windermere has indeed become so built-up,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05I need to get right out of the town
0:06:05 > 0:06:08to get a glimpse of its most famous attraction.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12At last, I've got the view I was promised from the railway station,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14of Lake Windermere, spread out before me,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18with its islands, with the woodlands coming down to the water's edge
0:06:18 > 0:06:22and still actually quite recognisable from the picture
0:06:22 > 0:06:24that appears in Bradshaw's
0:06:24 > 0:06:26150 years ago.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33As the trains brought ever more visitors,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35the railway companies
0:06:35 > 0:06:38began to provide an integrated steamboat service
0:06:38 > 0:06:42to take the tourists across the lake.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45The Victorian booking office,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49where you could purchase tickets, is still here,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53although it doesn't look much like one today.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- Could I have a cup of coffee, please?- You can indeed, sir.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59I believe this building used to be a railway booking office,
0:06:59 > 0:07:00is that right?
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Yes, it did, a long time ago.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06It was built in 1858 by the Kendal and Windermere Railway company
0:07:06 > 0:07:09and leased to a John Garnett,
0:07:09 > 0:07:14who was a printer and Postmaster General for Windermere
0:07:14 > 0:07:19and he printed all the railway tickets for the steam trains
0:07:19 > 0:07:21and for the steamers on the lake.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23So, you could get tickets for a steam train
0:07:23 > 0:07:26- and a steamboat, all from this place?- Yes, that's right.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29I'm really pleased. I've found that a lot of people here
0:07:29 > 0:07:31know their local history, it's really nice to know.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35- Would that be a pound?- Just a pound, please.- Thank you so much.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Thank you.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41You never told me that!
0:07:44 > 0:07:49The steamboats were very popular - and no wonder!
0:07:49 > 0:07:53As Bradshaw says, "The lake itself should be seen from the water,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55"as well as the shores,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57"to take in all its beauties."
0:07:57 > 0:08:02Day one of my Bradshaw mini-tour suggests a trip out on the lake.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06The most well-to-do Victorian visitors hired private steamboats
0:08:06 > 0:08:09to enjoy the views and take afternoon tea
0:08:09 > 0:08:14and I've managed to find one that's still working.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Roger, I can't believe it!
0:08:16 > 0:08:19I have never seen such a beautiful vessel in my life!
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- It is nice, isn't it?- It's lovely!
0:08:24 > 0:08:25And, of course, smelling of steam,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28like all the steam engines I've seen recently.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Well, this is how they should smell, isn't it?
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- Just shovel it in, Roger!- Yes!
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Roger Mallinson takes people onto the water
0:08:43 > 0:08:46in his 100-year-old boat, Shamrock,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50the last steam-powered cruiser on Windermere.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Roger, I'm using this 150-year-old guidebook
0:08:55 > 0:08:59and, of course, it talks about going out on the lake.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Now, would this sort of steam launch have been available 150 years ago?
0:09:03 > 0:09:05150? Erm...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Not this class, no.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10- An earlier version. - An earlier version?- Yes.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Every detail on this boat is beautifully kept.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Every inch of brass is polished,
0:09:17 > 0:09:18the wood is beautifully kept.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20It must be, really,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23almost a life's commitment to keep this boat
0:09:23 > 0:09:24in such pristine condition.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27It certainly takes a lot of care, yes.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34The rivers that feed fresh water into Windermere
0:09:34 > 0:09:36are at the north end of the lake.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39So, it's here that we find the cleanest water for our tea,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41just as the Victorians did.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Now, that device there, your Windermere kettle,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49- is going to heat that pretty quickly, isn't it?- Yep.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Although I think my boiler pressure's down a bit.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58- Nonetheless, you're taking steam from your engine...- From the boiler.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Condensing it in a coil inside the kettle,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05and the exhaust goes down as hot water into the ash pan.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- Beautiful.- Mmm.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Roger, a delicious cup of tea
0:10:13 > 0:10:16and a most elegant way to spend the afternoon.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Have you been doing this for long?
0:10:18 > 0:10:21I've been doing it all the years I've had the boat
0:10:21 > 0:10:23and all my life I've been coming out here
0:10:23 > 0:10:29and this is the area that has been used for taking tea
0:10:29 > 0:10:34since the steamers came 150 years ago.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36'The traditions may be the same,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40'but the area's changed quite a lot since Bradshaw's time.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42'Roger's concerned that the levels of tourism
0:10:42 > 0:10:44'have simply gone too far.'
0:10:44 > 0:10:46It's just become a car park.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51And you don't think Windermere should look like a marina.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53It's almost every part of the lake
0:10:53 > 0:10:58that is shallow enough to keep an anchor or to get a mooring down
0:10:58 > 0:11:00is full of moorings.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04And I think it's been absolutely exploited to ruination.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Despite all your worries, Roger,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I must say this is one of the most beautiful spots in England,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12and this, I believe, has been
0:11:12 > 0:11:15one of the best teas I've ever had in my life.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Once the railways provided easy access,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24England's largest natural lake proved a big draw.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29Attractions built along its shore soon became very popular.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35This fenced-off, derelict folly
0:11:35 > 0:11:38was a Victorian tourist hotspot.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40The tourists would have come on the steamboats
0:11:40 > 0:11:42from the other side of the lake
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and they're encouraged not just to see the view,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48but to appreciate the aesthetic values of the lake.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51They could do that by looking through different-coloured glasses
0:11:51 > 0:11:53to appreciate the different seasons.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Looking through green glass
0:11:55 > 0:11:59to appreciate spring and orange glass to appreciate autumn.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03This ruin, on the west bank,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05is Claife Station.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Built in the 1790s,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10it was designed to frame the best views of the lake,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13for visitors to sketch.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18The big contrast between tourism then
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and tourism now, is that then,
0:12:21 > 0:12:26you had to concentrate and think and appreciate and remember.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Because in those days, you couldn't go, "Click!"
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Before the railways, Windermere was just a farming village.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Since the 1850s,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43it's become heavily dependent on tourism.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Over 10 million visitors every year
0:12:45 > 0:12:48help to keep many small businesses alive.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50But there's a downside.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53The south end of the lake has become polluted.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Despite still being very beautiful,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00you might be less keen on making tea with this water.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- Good morning, John! - Morning, Michael!
0:13:04 > 0:13:08- What a lovely location this is! - It's absolutely splendid, isn't it?
0:13:08 > 0:13:14Environmental manager John Pinder monitors the water quality.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17I've been following a Victorian railway guide
0:13:17 > 0:13:18on my journey around Britain.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20I have a feeling the railways
0:13:20 > 0:13:22are partly responsible for your problems.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24They've brought mass tourism to the Lakes.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25You're absolutely right.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29The sewerage system here, a combined system that takes all road drainage
0:13:29 > 0:13:33and waste water, is all in the same pipe work.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36So, that Victorian sewage system has stood up well,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39but, of course, now we've had expansion
0:13:39 > 0:13:41and more hotels, more housing,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44and that system is no longer satisfactory.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47The sewage system now regularly overflows,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49stimulating the growth of algae.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53That causes a raft of problems for the lake's wildlife.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57All those algae, when they die, fall to the bottom of the lake,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00start to rot down and take out valuable oxygen
0:14:00 > 0:14:02out of the bottom of the water,
0:14:02 > 0:14:03which the fish need.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06For the last two years,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08John has got the whole community involved
0:14:08 > 0:14:10in trying to clean up the lake.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12- Hello.- Morning.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Hello.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18His colleague, Helen, regularly checks their progress.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22- I'm Michael.- Helen Titterington, Environment Agency.
0:14:22 > 0:14:23What are you on the boat to do?
0:14:23 > 0:14:27We're coming today look at water quality measurements.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29It's something we do routinely throughout the year,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31so it's routine monitoring.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33You dip a little bucket over the side?
0:14:33 > 0:14:35It's not hi-tech, but it tells us a lot.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38And that is what we're looking at.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Ah, it looks clear enough,
0:14:41 > 0:14:42but it's got a distinct colour.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45It has indeed and that's part of the problem.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48'As well as checking the colour of the water,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52'she also monitors the visibility with a very simple test.'
0:14:52 > 0:14:55So, there's a Secchi disk that we lower down into the lake,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57you'll see the colour of it.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00We basically just lower it down until it disappears,
0:15:00 > 0:15:02and that gives us the transparency of the lake.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08That's it.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15Some of the lakes - well, Wastwater - we can get ten-plus metres.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19- It's still there, we're about two metres down now.- Yes.- Keep going.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24- So, now it's gone, yeah?- Yeah.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26- So we just take... - So I just take...
0:15:26 > 0:15:29- I just measure them. - Yep, each one being a metre.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33- Right.- Two, three, four...
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Five, six metres!
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- Six metres and it disappeared.- Yes.
0:15:38 > 0:15:39That's not terribly good, is it?
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Compared to some of the lakes in the Lake District, it's not good.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46We have lakes where you can see it down to 20, 30 metres.
0:15:49 > 0:15:55Over 150 years of tourism have taken their toll on the lake.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Bradshaw could never have predicted that the sheer number of visitors,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02spurred on by the railways,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05would affect the Lake District in this way.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09But he wasn't the first person to attract visitors to the area.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Bradshaw celebrated the tourist charms of Windermere.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17But before him, William Wordsworth
0:16:17 > 0:16:20had opposed the railways coming to the Lake District
0:16:20 > 0:16:23on the grounds that it would bring labourers and artisans
0:16:23 > 0:16:25and the humbler class of shopkeepers
0:16:25 > 0:16:28to ramble in the Lake District.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29It's certainly busy today,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and the irony is that probably no-one did more
0:16:33 > 0:16:36to attract huge crowds to the Lakes
0:16:36 > 0:16:40than the poet with his idyllic verses.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44"I wandered lonely as a cloud
0:16:44 > 0:16:47"That floats on high o'er vales and hills
0:16:47 > 0:16:50"When all at once I saw a crowd
0:16:50 > 0:16:53"A host of golden daffodils..."
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Poems like that one made people long to visit the Lake District.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59As the father of the railway timetables,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Bradshaw just told them how to get there.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06And where there were no trains, he told you about the omnibuses.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Coaches run to Grasmere, being four or five miles
0:17:10 > 0:17:13amidst fine trees and beautiful scenery.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Surprisingly, today Grasmere is still relatively tranquil.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27The village is pretty much devoted to tourism,
0:17:27 > 0:17:28it's all hotels and restaurants,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31but it is still very, very pretty.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43This is the church of St Oswald of Grasmere
0:17:43 > 0:17:48and Bradshaw mentions that William Wordsworth and his wife
0:17:48 > 0:17:51are buried in the churchyard.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54So, I will try to find them.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59Ah, here every headstone bears the name "Wordsworth".
0:17:59 > 0:18:02William, Dorothy...
0:18:02 > 0:18:06Having more or less been brought up on William Wordsworth's Daffodils,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10it's very moving to see the place where they rest.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15They were so completely associated with Grasmere.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Really made the Lake District famous, I suppose.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22As part of my two-day tour,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Bradshaw recommends a few places to stay for the night.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29He says, "Lake Hotel, Swan Inn and Red Lion
0:18:29 > 0:18:31"are also several respectable lodging houses,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33"all at Grasmere."
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Fortunately, one of them is still open for business.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Hello! Michael Portillo checking in, please.- Yes, sir.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- I saw the quote from Wordsworth outside...- Yes.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Do you have a strong Wordsworth connection?
0:18:48 > 0:18:53- We do. His sister and himself used to live at Dove Cottage...- Yes.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55..which is literally a ten-minute walk,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59and he used to sneak out for breakfast to The Swan.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00- Really?- He did.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01Fantastic. Breakfast still good?
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Absolutely. Eight till ten for breakfast, served straight through.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18And fortified with a Wordsworthian breakfast the next morning,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22it's time to head off on the next leg of my journey.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26I'm leaving Windermere and travelling eight miles
0:19:26 > 0:19:28down the line into the Fells.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38The Lake District isn't just about lakes, not just about water.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41I'm on my way to Kendal now and Bradshaw comments that,
0:19:41 > 0:19:46"The population is engaged in carpet, woollen, linseed, worsted,
0:19:46 > 0:19:47"clog, comb, bobbin, fish-hook,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50"leather, rope, woollen cord and marble works."
0:19:53 > 0:19:57He has a lot to say about the surrounding countryside, too.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02"The valleys through which the rivers flow are tolerably fertile
0:20:02 > 0:20:03"and in the northeastern quarter,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06"there is a considerable tract of cultivated land."
0:20:11 > 0:20:14It seems that neither the countryside nor the customs
0:20:14 > 0:20:17have changed much since Bradshaw's day.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Bradshaw's guide normally tells you, for each place,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28which day is market day.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32In his times, market day in Kendal was on Saturdays.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Today is Saturday -
0:20:34 > 0:20:36and here is the market!
0:20:36 > 0:20:39And the only thing I know about Kendal
0:20:39 > 0:20:41is that it's famous for its mint cake.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54- Lovely looking cake stand! - Oh, thank you!
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Erm, Kendal mint cake, please.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Erm, we don't stock Kendal mint cake,
0:20:58 > 0:21:02it isn't actually a cake, it's quite confusing, it's a sweet!
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- Well, that has thrown me! - I'm so sorry!
0:21:04 > 0:21:06I've come to Kendal for Kendal mint cake!
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- We've lots of other things! - You certainly have.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12We do the Lakes tea loaf, which is local, erm...
0:21:12 > 0:21:15- The Lakes tea loaf?- Yes. - Oh, that sounds like it.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18- Is that this thing here?- That's that one there.- That looks lovely.
0:21:18 > 0:21:19It'll last for ages.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23We sell a lot to walkers, when they're going up the Fells.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Cut a slice of that, there's lots of fruit in it.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29- Guaranteed to get you to the top of the highest hill!- Absolutely.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31OK, super. That's the one for me.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Righty-ho, thank you very much, thank you!
0:21:36 > 0:21:39In Bradshaw's time, the railways transformed our cities.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41But they also changed the countryside
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and farming, too.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48For the first time, fresh food could travel all over the country.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Farms that once supplied only their local markets
0:21:54 > 0:21:56suddenly became national enterprises.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59At Sillfield Farm,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Peter Gott's family has lived through those changes.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Peter! Hello.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- I've got my wellies on. - How'd you do?
0:22:08 > 0:22:10- Very nice to see you, sir. - Nice to meet you.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13Get 'em back!
0:22:13 > 0:22:15HE WHISTLES Steady!
0:22:15 > 0:22:19They've been farming the local breed of Herdwick sheep
0:22:19 > 0:22:21for hundreds of years.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Today, Peter works with shepherd Ian Grisdale.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28HE WHISTLES
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Fantastic work, Ian, fantastic.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39What did that take, about a minute to round them up?
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Something like that, yes!
0:22:41 > 0:22:43When you've got youth on your side, it helps!
0:22:43 > 0:22:45At one time, the railways must have been
0:22:45 > 0:22:48the only way to get produce from here to the cities.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52Well, it was either that or horse and cart, and that's a bit slow.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Yeah, railways opened up the countryside.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Even markets were owned by railway companies.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01We have a market in Barrow-in-Furness where they build nuclear submarines.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04And the old market was owned by the railway company.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07And, of course, coming down the west coast of Cumbria,
0:23:07 > 0:23:12you would bring all that abundance of food to the population to sell,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15and I think railways have changed farming considerably.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18As cities grew, the railways satisfied
0:23:18 > 0:23:20the mass demand for fresh food.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24Farms became bigger and highly specialised.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29By the mid-20th century, land was being farmed on an industrial scale.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Now, Peter's farm and many like it
0:23:31 > 0:23:34are part of something called the "slow food" movement.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38They're going back to a way of farming that's smaller-scale
0:23:38 > 0:23:42and based on local traditions.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45These are a designer sheep that belong in the Lake District.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Nowhere else in the country will you find this type and style of sheep.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51What's important is that the flavour's different.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53And don't forget, you are what you eat.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58But they're eating old-fashioned herbage in the Fells.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00They hop from crag to crag,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03probably the nearest thing you'd get to a mountain goat,
0:24:03 > 0:24:04and, of course, they've created
0:24:04 > 0:24:07that grazed environment in the Lake District.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09If it wasn't for the animals we farm,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11we would end up with gorse and bushes
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and you wouldn't be able to get on top of the mountains.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Wow. I had never thought of that.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19If you think about it, farming today and the grazed environment,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22the lush green patchwork of fields we see,
0:24:22 > 0:24:26has been brought about by the farmers who are grazing that environment.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30What we townies think of as being the natural look of the countryside
0:24:30 > 0:24:34is actually the product of people like you and animals like that.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37That's right, yeah.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40These days, running a small farm doesn't pay well.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Peter has had to diversify to keep afloat.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46I can also see quite a variety of livestock.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49When you're on a small acreage like I am,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52you have to do a bit of everything - a few poultry, a bit of eggs,
0:24:52 > 0:24:57obviously Herdwick sheep, wild boar, pigs, bacon, ham.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59It's literally a mixture of everything.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Of course, the cycle of farming means we spread the pig muck on the land
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and that grows the grass and that feeds the sheep,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09so it's all interwoven in a very small, mixed farm.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11And you're doing all your own production,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13you're producing your sausages and your pies...
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Absolutely. We do about 30 types of sausage,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20but the traditional Cumberland is our speciality.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24We do a Moroccan type, which is ideal for the Herdwick.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28The Victorians wouldn't have had Moroccan sausages available
0:25:28 > 0:25:29at their local market.
0:25:29 > 0:25:3221st century farmers may be turning the clock back,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35but modern tastes are for international flavours.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Peter, this is a first for me.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41I've never been involved in sausage-making before.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Well, it's something that's been going on for lots of years.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Salamis have been made for 2,000 years, 3,000 years.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51What we're going to do is essentially,
0:25:51 > 0:25:52the minced-up part of the lamb,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56which is here, we've used a shoulder and some of the flank...
0:25:56 > 0:25:58All I'm going to do is mix that in.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Obviously paprika in there, we've got some salt and spices.
0:26:02 > 0:26:08And then we're going to stuff it out into the intestine of the lamb.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11The sausage meat gets packed into the sheep's intestine.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15At a whopping 45 feet long, if I get this right,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18I should be able to produce over 150 sausages.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21You know those bin liners you have to open,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- or those plastic bags in supermarkets?- That's right.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25It's exactly the same problem, isn't it?
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- Presumably it doesn't take you half an hour every time.- No.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Probably a little bit of water,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32we'll see if we can get it to relax itself a bit.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36So, you want to have one hand on the handle and one hand on the sausage
0:26:36 > 0:26:41and just feed it out as you turn, so it's a dual moving...dual movement.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44- Right.- That's it! - Whoa, look at that!
0:26:44 > 0:26:48- How long do I go on for? - Just keep going.- Yeah.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51And just keep... As fast as you do that, it comes out faster.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54- I see, so I can lay it down there, then, can I?- Yeah.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Maybe just hold it back a little to get your sausage full
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- so you're not getting any gaps. - Oh, I see.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02You'll become an experienced sausage-maker when that happens.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03..and keep twining.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08Do you know, I never realised it could be that simple.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Farming, like so many of the industries I've visited
0:27:13 > 0:27:14on these journeys,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18is moving away from the mass production of a previous era.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22These days, farmers like Peter are reviving the skills and traditions
0:27:22 > 0:27:23of their Victorian ancestors
0:27:23 > 0:27:28to create luxury products for their modern customers.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Just as in Bradshaw's times, so today.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40The Lake District is one of the loveliest spots in England,
0:27:40 > 0:27:41come rain or come shine.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45But communities don't live by good looks alone
0:27:45 > 0:27:47and for the Lakes to continue to be prosperous,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51we need to strike the right balance between access and overcrowding.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54And even for those of us not lucky enough
0:27:54 > 0:27:56to visit this spot very often,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59its delicious products are available to us all, everywhere.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Next time,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11I'll be visiting what was one of the country's most lawless cities.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14The stone is the Archbishop of Glasgow's
0:28:14 > 0:28:16curse on all these families
0:28:16 > 0:28:18because we got up to wicked deeds.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19I'll be crashing a wedding.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24Does Gretna Green have a special feeling for you?
0:28:24 > 0:28:27It does now! It definitely does now! After today it will.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30And I'll be visiting a secret munitions factory.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33What was this thing called "Devil's Porridge"?
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Devil's Porridge was a mixture of cordite and explosive,
0:28:36 > 0:28:38mainly mixed by hand by women at the time.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Subtitles by Mark Corrigan Red Bee Media Ltd