0:00:02 > 0:00:06STIRRING ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
0:01:41 > 0:01:46I live in the north of England and I live in Cumbria.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49It's a working environment where so many people still exist here,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51just as they used to.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54In fact, it's never changed. In little pockets and up valleys
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and green dales, life is still like it always was here.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02And it's hard-fought, is this tradition. It's hard to stick to.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04It's the way we always did it.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Like not losing the dialect and not losing the way,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10and not losing words like "aye" and "say nowt", or "that'll do".
0:02:10 > 0:02:13And that's what this place is about.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15That's what the mountains are about.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18It's the centuries of shepherding them,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21caring for them, loving them and enjoying them.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22Sometimes it might seem that
0:02:22 > 0:02:25when you live up here, you haven't got time for it, but you have.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28At sunrise, when you look for sheep that have lambed at the back of
0:02:28 > 0:02:31a wall, or at sunset when everybody else has gone. You're still there,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35picking up stones, putting them back on the wall, re-hanging the gates.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Picking up the litter sometimes.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43Managing this place, so it remains always the same.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47The Lake District is still honest, like so few places are.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51And so are the people. It's time spent and traditions.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56It's just a wonderful place to visit and to live.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00And I can see why so many have returned time and time again.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02You don't have to live here or be born here to feel it.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05It draws, I think, thousands every year.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09And the draw of the mountains, in particular.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12And I think the people as well.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Another happy mother and daughter.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38These are twins, that were born yesterday.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41And we've sprayed iodine
0:03:41 > 0:03:43on the umbilical cord for infection.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Then we check to see whether
0:03:45 > 0:03:46they're male or female.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49So, if you like, this is the nursery before they're going on to
0:03:49 > 0:03:51primary school, out in the field.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02So, these... Herdwick's the traditional breed for the Lakeland,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05and many people say it was saved by Beatrix Potter,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09who bought up quite a number of old Herdwick sheep farms,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12years and years ago and donated them to the National Trust.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14But it is a traditional Lakeland breed.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17It's been around for probably at least 1,000 years,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21and I'm told Herdwick is Old Norse for meaning sheep pasture.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25So, they've been here just as long as we have, if not longer.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29And, you know, we keep these traditions going.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33They live up on the fells, here in Wasdale.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36And they're as much a part of the landscape
0:04:36 > 0:04:40and the scenery as all the mountains and all the lakes.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42They are, you know, they are the epitome of what is
0:04:42 > 0:04:45the Lake District National Park to me -
0:04:45 > 0:04:49not everybody agrees. But they're slow maturing.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51They don't breed till the third year.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52The lambs, to get ready,
0:04:52 > 0:04:57probably almost a year before they're ready for market, as it were.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Herdwicks generally lamb sort of dusk and dawn,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02so we're not here in the middle of the night,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04but I would say we're around till about midnight,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and then going again from 4am.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09So, yeah, it's a... With a little baby as well,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12it keeps me...keeps me awake most of the hours.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09ROCKS CLATTERING
0:06:12 > 0:06:13Unless that's holding it up.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Oh, there's some litter there, Rob, as well.
0:06:15 > 0:06:16You like your...
0:06:18 > 0:06:19wombling.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30It's a bit ironic when you think about how people
0:06:30 > 0:06:32are drawn to Scafell Pike to see the biggest hill in England.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35When you think these are just the fragments of the landmass
0:06:35 > 0:06:37that originally was here.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40The old red sandstone that sort of covered this area
0:06:40 > 0:06:42would have been way above our heads.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45That's all been worn away, and all the slate's worn away.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49The activities that created the volcanic series were
0:06:49 > 0:06:52relatively recent. And what we see now,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55we're at the last stage of the formation of this landscape,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and so all these huge piles of debris
0:06:58 > 0:07:00are really just bits of volcanic, er...
0:07:00 > 0:07:03volcanic ash that have scattered around.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07And then the glacier's came and pushed them around a bit more.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10On our timescale we feel that we're doing something important,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12trying to preserve what we can.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15The balance between the natural erosion
0:07:15 > 0:07:17and human intrusion accelerating it,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20so this is probably the limit of where we go.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Beyond here, it is natural devastation
0:07:23 > 0:07:26so, yeah, this is about as far as it gets.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29The drain that I built many years ago.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Doesn't look very good. What's that saying?
0:07:31 > 0:07:34But look at the stone. Look at that.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- I put that here.- I bet that was there originally.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Does remind me of that other drain on Yewbarrow, actually.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Last one on Mickledore.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47And then over to Lingmell.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Oh, it's a fine drain this. A fine drain! Look at that.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59What a face! Eh?
0:07:59 > 0:08:00Nearly as good as this face.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12I've lived here for the best part of 25 years.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Been coming to Cumbria since I was a small boy.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18A friend, who used to be a governor at the school,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21he was also a broadcaster.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22He started making DVDs
0:08:22 > 0:08:25about walks in the Lake District.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Videos in those days, they were.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30And he asked me if I could come and help.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34And that started me on my career as a researcher...
0:08:35 > 0:08:37for walks.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39I mean, what could be better...
0:08:39 > 0:08:42than being sent out to go and find a good walk
0:08:42 > 0:08:46and a few stories... and being paid for it?
0:08:54 > 0:08:56I've just come up from Wasdale Head,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00and off at the old pony track that goes
0:09:00 > 0:09:04over from Wasdale Head into Seathwaite, in Borrowdale.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07That's the original path that people would take,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09especially if they were carrying goods.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13A new route, of course, is the one that goes high up there,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16traverses across the breast of Great Gable.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20It's a boring, tedious route, but this is far more exciting
0:09:20 > 0:09:24because you come to things like this, the Emerald Pool.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28A fabulous little pool, always has a green sheen to it.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30No matter what the weather's like,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33it always looks... Even looks inviting on a cold day.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Two streams running into it.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Natural little hollow. Perfect.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44We're just going a little further on, across the stream and head off,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46climbing steeply up towards Scafell Pike.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49My favourite route up this mountain.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07This is a second feature on this particular walk.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09This is Piers Gill.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Now, whether Piers is a surname,
0:10:12 > 0:10:13a Christian name,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17whether he was male, female, we have no idea.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19But this is Piers Gill,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21and it gives its name to the route we are on.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26Fantastic thing about this route is it hardly ever gets used.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30It's not a scar going across the breast of the fell.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33It's an indistinct path, one easy to follow.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Absolutely wonderful.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Piers Gill was the haunt of botanists.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43They just love this place. Searching in the dark
0:10:43 > 0:10:47and dank crevices for rare plants.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51And one such botanist fell in there,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53broke a leg, I believe,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56and lay there for some considerable time.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I'm talking weeks, not days.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03And lived on water until he was found and rescued.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04And he survived.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Fabulous mountain.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Scafell's... Well, number one, they are the biggest. It's the biggest.
0:11:13 > 0:11:153,210 feet high.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19It's the highest in England, and therefore that's got an appeal.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22It brings people here because of that.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26And I suppose that, for me, going up there is the highest.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Once you get to know the area, you can approach it from this side.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31You can't see it from Wasdale Head.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34You have to come down the valley before you can actually see
0:11:34 > 0:11:37up through Brown Tongue and see to the top.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41And I think that's part of its charm, it's so big, it's remote.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45When I was taking my young son up there, I used to say to him, he used
0:11:45 > 0:11:48to say, "What happens if I get lost?" "You'll never get lost.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50"Just walk downhill.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52"You'll soon find somewhere."
0:11:52 > 0:11:54But, um, he walked down into Upper Eskdale.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58It's still a long way down to the nearest farm or the nearest
0:11:58 > 0:12:01telephone box. But, er,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03people seem to get frightened of these places,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06but there really isn't anything to be really worried about.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08That's not to say you shouldn't take care.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12I'd have mountain rescue at me if I didn't actually say that.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15But prepared, properly prepared,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19and being able to turn round if the weather does come in bad.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21You know, if it starts getting really cold
0:12:21 > 0:12:23and you haven't got the right kit.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26A lot of people just don't turn around and come back and say,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28"We'll do it another day."
0:12:28 > 0:12:30People don't make these good,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34sound, mountaineering decisions that they should, um,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37and that's quite often why people get into difficulties.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00ROAR OF RUSHING WATER
0:13:00 > 0:13:03That's the end of the Piers Gill route.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07It joins up onto the superhighway, which is the corridor route.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09And we're now going to break off
0:13:09 > 0:13:13and head up to Broad Crag Col.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15There's a little bit of snow still lingering in there,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18even though it's a beautiful spring day.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20It'll be good fun.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Well, made it to the top. And once again, I'm not alone.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07I've never been up here when I've been on my own.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10There's always somebody else up here.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11They say some...
0:14:11 > 0:14:14In the region of 250,000 people get up here every year.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16It's, er...
0:14:16 > 0:14:19We don't need many more to make that number now.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23But the view from here is absolutely splendid.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Scafell across the way there.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Just this huge barrier of rock. Just...
0:14:29 > 0:14:31almost says, "Go away.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33"You can't get up here."
0:14:33 > 0:14:37And then there's a great panorama right round.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40All my favourite, local Wasdale fells.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Seatallan, Buckbarrow, Middle Fell, Yewbarrow.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46The summit cairn, which is massive and has got steps
0:14:46 > 0:14:48so you can get onto the top of it,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51can hold many, many people.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53It's probably the biggest in the Lake District.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58Also here's a memorial to all the men of the Lake District
0:14:58 > 0:15:01who fell during the First World War.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05It was given to the nation by Lord Leconfield.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59I've enjoyed the Lake District
0:15:59 > 0:16:01and Scafell before
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and decided to bring my daughter to come and sample it.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09- How have you found it so far? - Erm, it's been all right.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Haven't really liked the wind but it's good anyway.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17It's beautiful. You can see for absolutely miles today!
0:16:17 > 0:16:21We were told we could see Scotland, Wales, Ireland from up here.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24We can see about 30 yards!
0:16:26 > 0:16:28I've managed to get to the top of Scafell Pike.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32It's my first big mountain walk and I'm quite chuffed with myself.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35I'm just looking forward to the nice stroll down now.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I'm Jeremy at the top of Scafell Pike.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Just climbed it for leisure today.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Enjoyed the challenge of it,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46trying to get to the top of another mountain. So, thanks.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48WALKERS CHAT IN BACKGROUND
0:16:53 > 0:16:55RUSHING WATER
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Well, the Lake District's always been very special to me.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06It's not got the biggest mountains in the world but, you know...
0:17:06 > 0:17:07By world standards
0:17:07 > 0:17:09they are pimples, you know?
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Scafell Pike here is 900 odd metres high.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16It's not particularly big.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19The Three Peaks Challenge is an interesting one
0:17:19 > 0:17:21from the BMC's point of view.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24One of the most famous challenges that involve walking in the UK -
0:17:24 > 0:17:29doing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32It's obviously a very popular challenge to do.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37But it does have a dark side, with litter. Litter can be an issue.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39You know, people just sort of dropping
0:17:39 > 0:17:42what they've eaten on the side of the mountain.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Last year, a volunteer found an octopus on top of Scafell Pike.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52You know, either you've got a very determined octopus
0:17:52 > 0:17:55or somebody brought it up and for some reason decided
0:17:55 > 0:17:58they'd discard it on the top of Scafell Pike.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01But it can also have a massive impact on local residents
0:18:01 > 0:18:04in hundreds of people who sort of turn up,
0:18:04 > 0:18:09disturb local residents, go up, come back down and then go away again
0:18:09 > 0:18:13and don't actually contribute anything to the local area.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17One of the projects we've been involved with recently
0:18:17 > 0:18:20is the Fix the Fells work on top of Calf Cove,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22on the path leading up to the top of Scafell Pike.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Now, it's one of the most popular routes up Scafell Pike.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28It's the one a lot of people doing the Three Peaks Challenge
0:18:28 > 0:18:30take to the top.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33As such, it sees thousands of visitors walking along that path
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and a huge amount of visitor pressure.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39The second part is what's called a cairn rationalisation,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43but what that means is taking out cairns
0:18:43 > 0:18:46which are unnecessary or misleading.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50So, cairns are a part of mountain culture so, you know,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52in an area with lots of rocks
0:18:52 > 0:18:54and there's not particularly a clear path through it,
0:18:54 > 0:18:59people will construct little piles of rocks that guide the way.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03But over time, you can end up with sort of cairn anarchy
0:19:03 > 0:19:06and you can end up with cairns in places where they shouldn't be
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and which are actually quite misleading and can be dangerous.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14So part of what the volunteers, the National Trust volunteers,
0:19:14 > 0:19:15who did that work did
0:19:15 > 0:19:19was to basically take out the unnecessary cairns.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24OK, what we're doing here on this section of path is just
0:19:24 > 0:19:26redefining the path surface.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29There's lots of different routes that make their way
0:19:29 > 0:19:32through this boulder field and we're just trying to make one
0:19:32 > 0:19:36easily distinguishable, easy-to-walk-on route.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41So what we're doing is taking out quite a few of the large boulders
0:19:41 > 0:19:44that are blocking the main line of the path.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49We're using those boulders to then block off alternative paths
0:19:49 > 0:19:52that we don't want people to walk on any more.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00So we've just been in the clag most of the day.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03It's been, you know, fairly unremarkable.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06We've just basically come out of all the murk and mist and emerged
0:20:06 > 0:20:11to this completely different world where we're above the cloud now.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15You know, it's the kind of thing you see when you come into the mountains
0:20:15 > 0:20:20and it's very hard to describe how amazing it feels to be up here.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24You know, it probably doesn't do it justice in pictures, really.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29When you see moments like this, you realise that it was worth it
0:20:29 > 0:20:31and that's what the BMC's work is all about.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37It's about making sure we always have the right
0:20:37 > 0:20:40to be in places like this and that we preserve the qualities
0:20:40 > 0:20:43of the mountain environment that make it so special to us.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I can't believe we're here, can you?
0:20:54 > 0:20:57This is my first ever time on Scafell Pike. Is it yours?
0:20:57 > 0:20:59No, no, no. It's my second time.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01- Oh...- I did it about three years ago.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04The weather was a lot different then but it's absolutely gorgeous here.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07The views are absolutely spectacular.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09I've lived in Cumbria for nearly 20 years.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11I can actually see Scafell Pike from my bedroom
0:21:11 > 0:21:13but I've never actually climbed it.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14So we decided that before I was 40 I'd do it.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17And unfortunately, tomorrow is my 40th and I'm running out of time.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20The children have actually beaten me.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22We've got two children with us today
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and it's the third of the Three Peaks for them
0:21:24 > 0:21:26so I'm quite proud of them for getting to the top.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28I've been up here a few times now.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Mostly working with Duke of Edinburgh Award participants
0:21:31 > 0:21:35and just making sure they're safe and enjoying the fells
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and the beautiful, beautiful area around here.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40What a great day to come up.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42As you can see behind me, fantastic weather.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Not very often you get to the top of Scafell Pike
0:21:44 > 0:21:46and get glorious sunshine.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48And look at the views. They're to die for.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Why would you ever need to go abroad when you've got views like this?
0:22:31 > 0:22:32SHEPHERD WHISTLES
0:22:34 > 0:22:36HE WHISTLES
0:22:36 > 0:22:37Steady now.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Come on, sheep. Come by there.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42HE WHISTLES Come on.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47They like it here. I don't know why.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Come on, Spider. Come on.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52There couldn't be grass where they were but, er...
0:22:54 > 0:22:56HE WHISTLES Hey!
0:22:56 > 0:22:59I'm Joss Naylor. I've lived in this valley now for
0:22:59 > 0:23:01nearly 78 years.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05I was born at Wasdale Head, a place called Middle Row.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08I took up fell running
0:23:08 > 0:23:10round about 1960.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13There was a mountain trial at Wasdale Head.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16At that time I'd never really done any mountain running.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19I'd been injured. I had no running shoes or anything.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23I just got my knife and cut the legs off my trousers
0:23:23 > 0:23:25and went in my big work boots.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28And I tell you what, it was absolute magic.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30It was one of the greatest things I think I've ever done.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33You know, when you're running well and this sort of thing
0:23:33 > 0:23:36it's absolutely great, because I know when I did
0:23:36 > 0:23:38the 72 peaks over 2,000ft,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41it was one of those days when you just went out
0:23:41 > 0:23:45and enjoyed the whole experience.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47It just seemed like a dream, as though I would never,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50ever do it in 24 hours.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53And going on to Scafell in 47 minutes.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58It was something... It wasn't set up or anything like that.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00And I had my friend with us, John Sutherland.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03I said, "Just time us and I'll have a run up Pike."
0:24:03 > 0:24:06I said, "I've come. I might as well do it."
0:24:06 > 0:24:08And I went up the river.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10I didn't go up Brown Tongue, I went up Little Brown Tongue.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15And I seemed to change up about three gears and just legged it right out.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19And I took a direct line to the end of Pikes Crag
0:24:19 > 0:24:21and I sprinted across to the...
0:24:21 > 0:24:24I touched the cairn and I set off back down.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29I was legging it down there pretty fast and the helicopter come
0:24:29 > 0:24:34and the old commanding officer said to the film man,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38who was taking a film of the Three Peaks for them,
0:24:38 > 0:24:42he said, "Hells bells! I've never seen anything like that in my life!"
0:24:42 > 0:24:45He said, "It's like a bloody mountain goat going!"
0:24:45 > 0:24:48He said, "Just film that bloke down to the bottom."
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Anyway, I got down to the bottom and I said to John,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54"How long's that took?" And he said, "47 minutes."
0:24:54 > 0:24:58And I never thought another thing about it until years after.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01It was something special.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39I don't come from mountain lakeland. I'm a Cotswold farmer originally.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44But I always aspired to come to the Lake District
0:25:44 > 0:25:46and I've always loved wild places.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52In my early 20s I got to know Alfred Wainwright
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and that was a huge transition in my life.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00Primarily because I was dyslexic - I didn't read - but I loved drawing,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04and I shared a passion for line drawing with AW.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07So I had a unique entry into the great outdoors
0:26:07 > 0:26:09through the prism of Alfred Wainwright.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13And it gave me the confidence to start writing my own guidebooks.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17I did the Cotswold Way to start with and I did other routes.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21But ultimately, I felt my destiny was here in the Lake District.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24And I'm here today, studying the paths as I go along it
0:26:24 > 0:26:27and remembering what it was like - how long ago was it? -
0:26:27 > 0:26:30about eight years ago when I did the midwestern fells.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33That's what this category of fells around here are for me.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37The National Trust have done a tremendous job in this area.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Many people criticise the hard paths but I can assure you,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44the fells are better for all they work they've done.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47And ultimately, walkers are better off.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49But you can still explore.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53And getting away from those hard, pitch paths is the most obvious
0:26:53 > 0:26:57thing for many walkers to do, to really get to know these fells.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22I'm standing on the westernmost point of Esk Rigs Crag on Esk Pike.
0:27:22 > 0:27:27Now, this drawing was taken a little further down at Pike de Bield Moss.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30But because of the temperature inversion
0:27:30 > 0:27:32I'm unable to get to that position.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39But nonetheless, you can still see Esk Buttress and Scafell Pike
0:27:39 > 0:27:42and Little Narrowcove and Ill Crag,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45which are majestically seen from this spot.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50So, wherever you stand on this southerly ridge of Esk Pike,
0:27:50 > 0:27:55you are sure to be wowed by Scafell Pike.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58And the joy of turning it into something as enduring
0:27:58 > 0:28:02as a pen and ink drawing is something that thrills me.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05And there are numerous angles here that I could capture
0:28:05 > 0:28:11that would instil this magic of the wild Scafell massif.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25These mountains have a special emotional attachment to me.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28I love the little summit of Slight Side, for example.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34And I got great pleasure in scrambling up Cam Spout Crag.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Seldom climbed, it's seemed, by the average walker,
0:28:36 > 0:28:40but it gets you up onto Long Green
0:28:40 > 0:28:44and you look across the combe towards Ill Crag.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48My very special place is Pen, above Esk Buttress.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Where you're really intimate with Little Narrowcove,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54which spills great crags and scree
0:28:54 > 0:28:58in a way that you can't comprehend from any other aspect.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02And I really love being on Ill Crag itself.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Cos, again, you're looking down on Pen and down into
0:29:06 > 0:29:10Little Narrowcove and up and across to Scafell Pike itself.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12And this is always very special.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15When you can find these special places,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17you can find the little combes like Foxes Tarn,
0:29:17 > 0:29:22and the greater combe that runs around towards Cam Spout Crag
0:29:22 > 0:29:24and then Little Narrowcove itself,
0:29:24 > 0:29:28which is an amazing valley that rises raw and craggy
0:29:28 > 0:29:31right up to Broad Crag Col.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Seldom climbed.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36And you get to that point and there's a procession of happy souls,
0:29:36 > 0:29:39all thinking they're on the only path that's worthy of being on.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42And yet you know different when you're there.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31What we're experiencing here at Wasdale Show is something that...
0:30:31 > 0:30:33is an unbroken link that goes back
0:30:33 > 0:30:34over hundreds of years,
0:30:34 > 0:30:37through the farming life of these valley heads.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39And this is the most spectacular
0:30:39 > 0:30:42valley head in the whole of Britain.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44But it's not... They call it a show but it isn't really a show.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It's a shepherd's meet.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50It's a shepherd's meet because the shepherds used to come into here
0:30:50 > 0:30:54with all the stray sheep, that have come
0:30:54 > 0:30:56from all the hefted flocks around the place,
0:30:56 > 0:30:58and they would exchange sheep.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01You'd have a few whiskys and go home after two or three days
0:31:01 > 0:31:03with raging hangovers and the wrong sheep.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06- Walking back over the passes. - Indeed, yeah.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10- Well...- In any weather. - Well, stumbling, maybe.- Yeah.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14And then, when the shepherds got together, they not only drank,
0:31:14 > 0:31:17they also had competitions among themselves -
0:31:17 > 0:31:20who had the best boots? Who had the best crook?
0:31:20 > 0:31:22Who could run fastest up a hill?
0:31:22 > 0:31:26Who could wrestle? Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling, you know.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28The only place where you'll see a man
0:31:28 > 0:31:32wearing his knickers on the outside with some embroidery on.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35BACKGROUND CHATTER
0:31:39 > 0:31:43INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT
0:31:44 > 0:31:49BOY: Erm, well, we're mostly here to, like,
0:31:49 > 0:31:55bring sheep to boost business when we're selling and, like,
0:31:55 > 0:31:59last Saturday there was a Cockermouth tup sale that we sold tups at.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03And one made 3,000 and that's beat us here today with our own sheep.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06So one of our own beat us!
0:32:06 > 0:32:09You get a kind of mixture of tups.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13You get the hard coated, which have been at fell all year
0:32:13 > 0:32:17and you get a bit smoother which haven't been to the fell as often.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22Around here, you'll get the rough coated. And down the lowlands,
0:32:22 > 0:32:26you'll get all smooth and soft coated that's not really that good.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29This show is always very well patronised by
0:32:29 > 0:32:31the Herdwick sheep breeders.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33This morning you'll see the best sheep
0:32:33 > 0:32:36probably anywhere in the Lake District.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41It's been a good summer, a good back end,
0:32:41 > 0:32:44and you'll never see them any fitter than they are today.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48It's a credit to the flockmasters who've brought them.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51They've got a good length sheep and a good coloured sheep.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55A lot of these sheep are no longer fell sheep. They've become spoiled.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Yeah, we're here at the Wasdale Show today for a number of reasons.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19One of the reasons being we're the rescue team that looks after
0:33:19 > 0:33:22the Wasdale and Eskdale valleys
0:33:22 > 0:33:25and we're here to support the local farmers,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28and the local shops and businesses,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32and basically to show people that we're actually here.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35We're quite a busy team.
0:33:37 > 0:33:43And sometimes we rely quite a lot on the local people for their charity.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45We're also here to raise money
0:33:45 > 0:33:49so there'll be people visiting the valley from far and wide
0:33:49 > 0:33:52just so they can learn a bit more about the team and hopefully,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55at the same time, drop a little donation in
0:33:55 > 0:33:58to keep our charity running.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01- That's fine. Thank you. - Is that OK?- That's all right.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05DISTORTED ANNOUNCEMENT
0:34:09 > 0:34:12OVER PA: 'Anybody want to win a prize who's got a beard?
0:34:12 > 0:34:14'Come into the tent, please.'
0:34:14 > 0:34:19- You have to judge them on colour as well, you see.- Texture.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24Can I just say very quietly, at this year's Wasdale Head Show,
0:34:24 > 0:34:25and last year's,
0:34:25 > 0:34:30David Powell-Thompson won the Best Beard competition.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34THEY CHEER
0:34:34 > 0:34:35It's just maintaining a long tradition.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37Even though I'm not a shepherd,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40I've still been coming here for 23 years and I'll be coming here
0:34:40 > 0:34:43- until the day I can't come here any more.- Absolutely.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48It's a great honour, actually.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52A lot of effort goes into keeping this just the way it is, you know.
0:34:52 > 0:34:53And yeah,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56It'll go next to the last year's first prize as well.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00In the strands, that is.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02EDITOR: What does the money go on that you win?
0:35:02 > 0:35:04The money? I will spend the money on beer.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08It's the one day of the year that I ring-fence in my diary.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10And I don't care.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Somebody could come along and offer me double, treble,
0:35:13 > 0:35:16quadruple the rate for the job, I'll say no.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19The Wasdale Head Show is sacrosanct.
0:35:45 > 0:35:50I first came to the Lake District about 31 or 32 years ago
0:35:50 > 0:35:52and it's always meant
0:35:52 > 0:35:54so much to my wife and I.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57We'd gone to the other side to Brotherswater
0:35:57 > 0:36:01and two or three days in we were going down Wordsworth's Cottage
0:36:01 > 0:36:03and my wife didn't feel too well.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06And we went to the guide and said,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09"Really sorry, but don't want to interrupt everything
0:36:09 > 0:36:11"but my wife doesn't feel too good."
0:36:11 > 0:36:13So she said, "Dear, dear.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15"Go into the garden but whatever you do,
0:36:15 > 0:36:17"please don't be sick on the daffodils."
0:36:17 > 0:36:20And it's something that's always resonated with us
0:36:20 > 0:36:23for the simple reason that we realised then
0:36:23 > 0:36:27that Irene was pregnant with our first son, David.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29And the Lake District, since that particular point,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32has become incredibly poignant to us.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35I particularly love Wastwater.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39There is something about this specific location
0:36:39 > 0:36:41that just hits you here.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45And when you look at Scafell and Scafell Pike,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48it isn't this huge, dominant turret
0:36:48 > 0:36:52that stands out amongst everything else.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54But it has a majesty to it.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57You see the two sides of the Pike and Scafell
0:36:57 > 0:37:01and it's almost like a king and queen, looking down upon everything.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04And it fits in beautifully.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08It's dominant without being over dominant.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12But the beauty of that particular fell is there's so much to it.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15So many facets. And I think that gets missed sometimes.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18You see some of the sunrises
0:37:18 > 0:37:21and sunsets here that are just absolutely staggering.
0:37:21 > 0:37:26You get this incredible pink and orange light which is just surreal.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29I thought I'd try something out, something I've never done before,
0:37:29 > 0:37:33and went completely against the grain.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35Brought the iPod with me,
0:37:35 > 0:37:40settled myself here about half five one morning
0:37:40 > 0:37:47and just as the sun was beginning to rise over the back of Gable...
0:37:48 > 0:37:53..I put on this piece of music that meant so much to me.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56The feeling that was engendered...
0:37:56 > 0:37:57Wow!
0:37:59 > 0:38:02It's just something that you can't replicate cos you only have
0:38:02 > 0:38:06this sort of 10 or 15 minute window for sunrise or sunsets.
0:38:06 > 0:38:11I took out the earbuds and just listened. And I was...
0:38:11 > 0:38:15I think I was probably the only person on this water.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19And the feeling of specialty was just unbelievable.
0:38:19 > 0:38:25Ravens were going overhead then. You could hear the Herdwicks. Staggering.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27Just staggering.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02Yeah, it's quite unique, Wasdale.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05I mean, everywhere has the four seasons
0:39:05 > 0:39:09but each season here in Wasdale is very different to another.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12And there's different jobs throughout the year we have to do.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15We're currently in autumn and, yeah, it's a little bit frosty
0:39:15 > 0:39:17this morning, a bit chilly,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20hence we decided to have a bit of a warm up after work.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26But, yeah, the process at the moment is basically breeding for next year
0:39:26 > 0:39:29so whether that's the goats or the Herdwicks that we have,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32we've got to plan for next year.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34And a lot of work goes into getting
0:39:34 > 0:39:36the tups ready and the billies ready.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39We need to make sure they're fighting fit and strong
0:39:39 > 0:39:42so that beforehand they all get extra feed
0:39:42 > 0:39:46and build up their strength. So that when they go out to the girls,
0:39:46 > 0:39:48because of the amount of work they have to do,
0:39:48 > 0:39:52they lose a lot of weight, a lot of...
0:39:52 > 0:39:55They put a lot of energy into the work they do.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59So they lose a lot of condition throughout the breeding time.
0:40:16 > 0:40:17Steady.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22Good girl. Good girl. Steady on.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Steady on. That's it, good girl.
0:40:26 > 0:40:27Good girl.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32And down. Good girl!
0:40:32 > 0:40:34Good girl.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40She's a top dog, top dog! Good girl.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44But, yeah, the Herdwicks come down from the fells.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48All the breeding is done on the in-bye land.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50And the goats as well. They come down from the high ground
0:40:50 > 0:40:54and they do all the breeding as well on the lower in-bye land.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55It's...
0:40:56 > 0:40:58It obviously adds to the...
0:41:00 > 0:41:04..the diversity of the work from being either up on the higher ground
0:41:04 > 0:41:07and then the animals being on the lower pasture ground.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09For the Herdwicks themselves,
0:41:09 > 0:41:13they're not overly keen on being on low, flat, square fields.
0:41:13 > 0:41:18By the time their breeding season's out of the way,
0:41:18 > 0:41:20they're telling you they want to go.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23They're knocking walls down, they're clambering over fences.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26You can tell when it's time for the Herdwicks to go back to the fells.
0:41:32 > 0:41:33Steady on.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44Herdwick sheep's an important breed of sheep for this part
0:41:44 > 0:41:48of the Lake District. It is the figurehead of the Lake District.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52It's what makes the Lake District looks like it does.
0:41:52 > 0:41:58So, when you're out walking the fells, climbing the mountains,
0:41:58 > 0:42:02just take a moment of your time and look around and see why it looks
0:42:02 > 0:42:06the way it does. And that's because of the Herdwick sheep
0:42:06 > 0:42:09and the generations of farmers that have farmed these valleys,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13and these fells, that make it look the way it does for you to enjoy.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56SIREN COMES ON AND GOES OFF
0:43:05 > 0:43:08THEY CHAT INDISTINCTLY
0:43:13 > 0:43:16The Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team are based in Gosforth,
0:43:16 > 0:43:19which covers the valleys of Eskdale and Wasdale.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21We are quite a busy team.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23We deal with lots of things, from the sad fatalities,
0:43:23 > 0:43:25to just dealing with people who need
0:43:25 > 0:43:27a bit of a helping hand on the Fell.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29They just need a bit of a telephone call to tell them,
0:43:29 > 0:43:32"Yeah, you're on the right path, keep going."
0:43:32 > 0:43:35But also, every now and then, we get called out to help the local farmers,
0:43:35 > 0:43:36the communities, and we'll go out
0:43:36 > 0:43:38if the farmer's got a sheep that's cragfast.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41We have been called out once to a cow that was missing up on Scafell,
0:43:41 > 0:43:43and some of the team turned out to that.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46Nowadays, we do ask ourselves some certain questions before we go out,
0:43:46 > 0:43:49especially in the summer season when the Three Peaks Challenge
0:43:49 > 0:43:51is going on, we need to be thinking,
0:43:51 > 0:43:52"Well, do we want to turn the team out
0:43:52 > 0:43:55"at one o'clock in the morning to get some lost people?"
0:43:55 > 0:43:56And then the team are tired,
0:43:56 > 0:43:58so we start looking at, "Well, is a life that risk?
0:43:58 > 0:44:00"Is there any medical problems? Is anybody injured?"
0:44:00 > 0:44:03If there's no severe weather forecast, the chances are,
0:44:03 > 0:44:05if people have got the right equipment, we are going to
0:44:05 > 0:44:07leave them and expect them to come out in the morning,
0:44:07 > 0:44:10that is general mountaineering. People should start to recognise
0:44:10 > 0:44:12that they should be doing that in some cases.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24And I think it's important for people to remember that we are
0:44:24 > 0:44:27a voluntary organisation when they make that call.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30We are coming from work. We may be coming from dinner,
0:44:30 > 0:44:33or we may be taking our wives out for a nice meal.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35It never goes down very well.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37So people need to remember that sometimes,
0:44:37 > 0:44:40that we are volunteers, we come out of our own good will to do this job.
0:44:45 > 0:44:46So, just sit yourself there.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49Do you recall losing consciousness at all?
0:44:49 > 0:44:52I went a bit delirious at the start, yeah.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55So, Scafell Pike usually attracts most of our attention.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59England's highest mountain and all. We get all sorts of rescues up there.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03So, you know, we get the odd turned ankle.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05There was one recently where we had a turned ankle.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08The husband thought it was just a simple twist and we got up there,
0:45:08 > 0:45:10and it was quite a nasty fractured dislocation.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12We get really serious ones.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15The serious ones on Scafell Pike tend to be around
0:45:15 > 0:45:16Broadstand's sort of area.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20People venture onto Broadstand, slip on the rock and, unfortunately,
0:45:20 > 0:45:22usually fatality.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26But winter approaches, people tend to be going out without crampons
0:45:26 > 0:45:30and ice axe, and you just tend to attract a few more incidents,
0:45:30 > 0:45:34twisted ankles, but we do get the odd serious one where, you know,
0:45:34 > 0:45:38people have taken considerable falls from the top
0:45:38 > 0:45:40of Lord's Rake path, for example.
0:45:40 > 0:45:46We had a devastating fatality just on the Lord's Rake path last year.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48I think it was December sort of time.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52He took a fall and he come down the front of Red Gill area.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56It was quite a sad time for the family. Yeah, he was in a bad way.
0:46:03 > 0:46:04Well, today
0:46:04 > 0:46:08I'm exploring slightly lower down this area.
0:46:08 > 0:46:09This side of Scafell
0:46:09 > 0:46:13on the Lakes I think is the wildest side.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Here, it's quite complex terrain.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18There's all sorts of interesting little knolls.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20There's little bowls, there's streams,
0:46:20 > 0:46:22there's waterfalls, there's pools,
0:46:22 > 0:46:24so it's changing all the time.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27You're in this fantastic bowl of hills,
0:46:27 > 0:46:31stretching right round from Crinkle Crag, right the way round
0:46:31 > 0:46:35to Bowfell and Esk Pike to Scafell, which is behind me.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Well, I've been exploring round these crags,
0:46:43 > 0:46:48and it's really quite interesting what you find and what you see.
0:46:48 > 0:46:54On the crags behind me here, you can see a line of dark juniper bushes
0:46:54 > 0:46:57growing on soil on the cliffs themselves.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00But there's none above and below there
0:47:00 > 0:47:02and that's because of the sheep.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04And that's one of the things with this landscape.
0:47:04 > 0:47:09Whilst it feels really wild, it's not an untouched wilderness.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13If there were no sheep, there would be juniper bushes
0:47:13 > 0:47:16and probably other trees scattered all over this area.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20As it is, they can only grow where the sheep, good though the sheep are
0:47:20 > 0:47:23at some mountaineering, but there's a limit to what they can do,
0:47:23 > 0:47:26and if the sheep can't get there, the bushes can grow.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32One of the great things about wild camping somewhere like this
0:47:32 > 0:47:35is that because I'm staying in one place for a while,
0:47:35 > 0:47:40while I'm in camp, I can look at the hills and see the details,
0:47:40 > 0:47:44see the changes as the hours go by in a way that, if you're walking,
0:47:44 > 0:47:49you miss because you're moving on. And it's always a different view -
0:47:49 > 0:47:53I'm seeing new details, new bits and pieces, little valleys, and so on.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34One of the great things about being here at night is that you can see
0:48:34 > 0:48:38the whole sky. There's no light pollution at all.
0:48:38 > 0:48:43There's no glow on the horizon from even a house, let alone a town.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47So, when the stars are out, everything is absolutely
0:48:47 > 0:48:49clear and sharp.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52At the moment, there's the moon, there's some stars,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54there's drifting clouds.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57But it's all natural, it's all what's up in the sky,
0:48:57 > 0:48:59that's not affected by town lights.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29I'm Alan Hinkes, mountaineer and mountain guide.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32I've climbed all over the world but I love climbing in Britain.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40It's an absolutely brilliant place to rock climb and winter climb.
0:50:40 > 0:50:44You can see the black streaks where icicles form and then,
0:50:44 > 0:50:46behind me, is the main cliff with all the famous climbs on,
0:50:46 > 0:50:50like Botterills Slab, Central Buttress, Moss Gill, Steep Gill,
0:50:50 > 0:50:53Deep Gill, you can see the full nine yards.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57Fantastic. One of the best cliffs in the British Isles.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59In fact, one of the best cliffs in the world.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02It's just sheer quality, from bottom to top.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04And you can have a fantastic experience.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07You can have a whole day out on the Scafells.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11Usually, you need a whole day to get something done, a long day in winter.
0:51:11 > 0:51:15You'll set off predawn and come back in the dark with a head torch.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19This is Mickledore, which is between Scafell and Scafell Pike.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23It's a rocky col that separates Wasdale from Eskdale.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26And I came up here as a teenager,
0:51:26 > 0:51:29one of my first big fell walks I ever did.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32And I stayed in Black Sail Youth Hostel,
0:51:32 > 0:51:35and then I came over here to Mickledore, intending to get
0:51:35 > 0:51:40to Scafell Pike, and I got sucked in in the mist, the clag, the cloud.
0:51:40 > 0:51:45So I managed to get up here and I bivouacked here in the cloud,
0:51:45 > 0:51:48bivouacked in the thick mist next to this rescue box.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51I actually thought it was going to be a hut,
0:51:51 > 0:51:55so I spent a night here alone in the mist.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58And then, afterwards, I carried on up to the top of Scafell Pike.
0:51:58 > 0:52:03But this place is absolutely rich in climbing and walking heritage.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07You've got Broadstand here, which leads up to the top of Scafell,
0:52:07 > 0:52:11but that's not to be attempted by hillwalkers.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13In fact, a lot of climbers can't even do Broadstand.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15It's never been done by Wainwright.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19I think it was possibly the first climb ever done or ever recorded
0:52:19 > 0:52:21by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
0:52:21 > 0:52:26The Scafells definitely feed my passion for the hills
0:52:26 > 0:52:30AND the mountains, whether it be rock climbing in summer,
0:52:30 > 0:52:32on the fantastic cliffs,
0:52:32 > 0:52:35or winter mountaineering, snow, and ice climbing
0:52:35 > 0:52:37they've just got everything you need.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41Sometimes it's frustrating cos the weather can be very,
0:52:41 > 0:52:44very inclement, very bad, and then you can't get out and do anything.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46So it's pleasure.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49You could almost say it's pleasure and pain on the Scafells,
0:52:49 > 0:52:53and certainly a test of your stamina and resilience and determination.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56They're as testing as any mountain.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59You only need to go out for a day, really, on the Scafells,
0:52:59 > 0:53:04and get back for a decent pint and a meal unless you get benighted,
0:53:04 > 0:53:06or unless you decide to go and camp.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Fat Man's Agony, here we go.
0:53:18 > 0:53:19Squeeze through this.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30Open up, get me arm stuck, so I've got to bite it off to escape.
0:53:41 > 0:53:46So many accidents happen here. People try to descend it in the summer.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51Some people have mooted putting a ladder. I think that would only
0:53:51 > 0:53:54increase accidents cos it would encourage more people to come here.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Let's hope it doesn't get any wetter.
0:54:00 > 0:54:01That's wet.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06Some wet hand holes here. Other than that, the rock's not too bad.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11People often ask me to compare the 8,000 metre peaks,
0:54:11 > 0:54:16like Everest and K2, to the Scafells. It's not really...
0:54:16 > 0:54:19There's not really a comparison as such, other than
0:54:19 > 0:54:24they're all mountains, and Scafell is, obviously, a lot smaller.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27In many ways, I'd rather be on Scafell than Everest or K2
0:54:27 > 0:54:30because you can have a fantastic experience and it's just a day trip,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33or you can go and camp and have a couple of days there.
0:54:33 > 0:54:39To commit to Everest or K2 is accepting that you may get killed.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42Well, I don't think I'm going to get up this slimy rock today.
0:54:42 > 0:54:47It's still draining from the winter and there's a lot of lichen
0:54:47 > 0:54:50and moss on it, so it's very greasy and slippery.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54And the holes are slabby, slipping out, not any good...
0:54:54 > 0:54:58particularly good hand holes, and even a bit of overhanging rock here.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01So I think retreat is the better part of valour.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05No point in dying on this.
0:55:05 > 0:55:09So, this is Broadstand, a very tricky, rocky step,
0:55:09 > 0:55:12not to be recommended to hillwalkers or fellwalkers.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14It's not the way up Scafell.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22Or it's not an easy way up Scafell anyway.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25In summer, if you're a rock climber, it may be possible.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28But it's very tricky.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32And a slip has generally very serious or fatal consequences here.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34So I'd better get down.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41Not laughing. I'd better get down!
0:55:43 > 0:55:47Tell you what, don't you know the rescue team?
0:55:47 > 0:55:50Could they get to the top and lower me a rope, do you think?
0:55:50 > 0:55:53The Wasdale Rescue Team. "Wasdale Rescue Team!"
0:55:53 > 0:55:55Yeah, that'd be embarrassing.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58Just nip round to the top and lower me a rope.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00I'll get down.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02I hope.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05In winter, the whole area can change.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08It sort of has, in a way, menacing friendliness.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12I mean, the whole area seems friendly to me. It's like an old mate.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15I love going back to Scafell.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17You could be going up in a blizzard,
0:56:17 > 0:56:19fighting against the teeth of a gale, or, if you're lucky,
0:56:19 > 0:56:24it can be fantastic blue skies and crisp, perfect snow and ice.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27Like any mountains, though, the Scafells shouldn't be underestimated.
0:56:27 > 0:56:32In fact, I often point out to people I've been avalanched on Great End.
0:56:32 > 0:56:33People can't believe it.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36They say, "What, you've been avalanched in the Lake District?"
0:56:36 > 0:56:40And, yeah, I escaped by the skin of my teeth.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44It was me who set the avalanche off at the top of a climb on Great End.
0:56:44 > 0:56:48I'd soloed without ropes up a Grade IV route,
0:56:48 > 0:56:50through Grade III, IV.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53Somehow, I managed to crab crawl and swim out of the avalanche,
0:56:53 > 0:56:55and got away.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59Whenever I'm mountaineering, rock climbing, or ice climbing,
0:56:59 > 0:57:02or even just fellwalking, I feel in my element.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05That's when I feel alive, in the Scafells.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07I'm as alive as anywhere.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11It just feels like you're on one of the best mountains
0:57:11 > 0:57:14in the world really, and it's fantastic.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17Other peaks in the Lakes and all over Britain, but, for me,
0:57:17 > 0:57:20I've just got to be out in the fells and then that's it.