0:00:27 > 0:00:30The Lake District is a unique corner of England.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35Nearly 900 square miles of dramatic scenery.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Rough-hewn mountains.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Fells and valleys that stretch as far as the eye can see.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52There are all sorts of ways to get round the Lake District
0:00:52 > 0:00:55but the vast majority of visitors come by car.
0:00:55 > 0:00:56And it's been that way
0:00:56 > 0:00:59ever since the internal combustion engine was invented.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04The gradients here were used for testing the first cars
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and the Lakes themselves provided perfect conditions
0:01:07 > 0:01:10for the water speed record-breaking attempts
0:01:10 > 0:01:13of Sir Malcolm Campbell and his son Donald.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Both men are commemorated in the Lakeland Motor Museum.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23Altogether, they captured 21 world land and water speed records.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Donald was tragically killed
0:01:24 > 0:01:28attempting to break 300mph on nearby Coniston Water
0:01:28 > 0:01:32one cold January day in 1967.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38But they weren't the only ones to travel the Lakes in unusual craft.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40This vehicle could also go on water
0:01:40 > 0:01:42but it would never break any speed records.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45It could, though, do seven knots out on the lake
0:01:45 > 0:01:47and 70mph on the roads.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Engineer Chris Lowe is going to tell me all about it.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54- Hi, Chris.- Hello. - It looks more car than boat.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56How do you make it waterproof?
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Well, there is a lever on each door here, which squeezes this
0:01:59 > 0:02:02large rubber seal, and then once you're in the water,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06just down here, is a little handle that engages the propeller.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- Oh, right. And it works, does it? - It does.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Did anybody actually use it round here?
0:02:11 > 0:02:13There was an identical one on Belle Island
0:02:13 > 0:02:15in the middle of Windermere, the only inhabited island.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18The owners there wanted to go north up to Ambleside.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20In the lake, up to the north, out they come.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Or wherever they fancy going that morning.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25- And do you just steer it with the normal car wheel?- It does.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27It just steers with the wheels in the water.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29It has no separate rudder.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31So, not very precise then?
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Not particularly but OK on a quiet lake.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Not so good in the North Sea.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40- Good for escaping the police if you want to.- Absolutely.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42You've got a lot of traditional family cars here,
0:02:42 > 0:02:43haven't you, Chris?
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Yes. Most of our customers, they don't want to see Ferraris and
0:02:46 > 0:02:49the like, they want to see the car they grew up in the back seat of.
0:02:49 > 0:02:50The car their uncle had,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53those family holidays from the 1950s and '60s.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56- Like this A35, eh? - Complete with folding boat.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59But if you couldn't afford a full-size car,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01you could always go for the motorbike and sidecar.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Traditional 1950s family transport.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08Dad and Mum on the motorbike, and then the youngsters in here.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10- In the days before seat belts. - Absolutely.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Well, as a young man, I couldn't afford a car
0:03:14 > 0:03:16but I did love my motorbike.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20It wasn't anywhere near as big or as powerful as this one
0:03:20 > 0:03:22but last July I went to the Isle of Man,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24famous for its TT races,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27for a little ride down memory lane.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33I was in my late teens when I first came here to watch the TT races.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38I came on my bike and this was it. My BSA Bantam 125.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Not very fast but I was tremendously proud of it.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45And that's my sister sitting on the back there. She didn't come with me.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47I came with a pal who had a much bigger bike,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50and he had to keep stopping so I could catch up.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53And, for old times' sake, I want to get back on one.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Well, I never thought I'd see one of these again.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59It's your lucky day, John.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02As you might expect, there's no shortage of bikes on the island
0:04:02 > 0:04:05and vintage bike collector Tony East has
0:04:05 > 0:04:10brought along a couple of classic Bantams from 1949 and 1953.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15I don't think today's generation realise just how important
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Bantams were, Tony, to the likes of you and me.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19No, they were absolutely vital.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23- Everybody used to go to work on them.- All you could afford.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27- Yes.- And they were all this green colour, weren't they?- Mist green.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31- And everybody wanted a Bantam. - They did.- There's me on mine.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- Well, that's absolutely fantastic. - Did you have one?- Yes, I had one.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Did you come to the Isle of Man to watch the races?
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Yeah, I used to come in the '60s.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41I'd go round the circuit - not on race days, of course -
0:04:41 > 0:04:42like everybody does.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46But the Bantam was a bit slow going up the mountain.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48There were some dodgy bits, weren't there?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- Remember that bridge? - Yeah, Ballaugh Bridge.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Over 30mph over Ballaugh,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55particularly on these things, and you'd leave the ground.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Years ago, they used to station a police sergeant there with
0:04:58 > 0:05:03his white helmet, with his stick, and you went over too fast - whack!
0:05:03 > 0:05:05On your backside, just to teach you a lesson.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08And there were some pretty flash bikes around, weren't there?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Not just the ones competing but the spectators bringing theirs as well.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- They looked down their noses a bit at us Bantam riders.- Oh, yeah.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Us Bantam riders, yes.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19They'd forgotten that they'd probably owned them in the past.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22I think they stopped being made in the early '60s.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25But the noise of the engine is something I'll always remember.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28- Yes, you do.- Any chance of going for a spin?- Of course there is.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31ENGINE REVS NOISILY
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Well, it's 50 years since I last rode a BSA Bantam
0:05:36 > 0:05:39but they do say you never forget how to ride a bike.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Let's hope they're right.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Woohoo!
0:05:45 > 0:05:46HE LAUGHS
0:05:46 > 0:05:48This is fantastic!
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Oh, the years are rolling back.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55This is instant transport to the days of my youth.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00The freedom that the Bantam gave us all in those days.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04We must be doing about 30mph now.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- This is life, isn't it?- Yes.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12This is really moving as far as a Bantam's concerned.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Riding like the wind!
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Whoa, bending it over a little bit.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Not done that for a while.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31I had forgotten just what fun it is. What great fun.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35'And I'm not the only one who thinks so.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37'For the last 105 years,'
0:06:37 > 0:06:41these quiet island lanes have been overrun by leather-clad bikers
0:06:41 > 0:06:44ready to take on the challenge of the TT course.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Not for nothing has it been called
0:06:46 > 0:06:50one of the greatest motorcycle sporting events in the world.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54What I would love to do is re-ride the 37-and-three-quarter-mile
0:06:54 > 0:06:58course like I used to all those years ago.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03But I have only ever been round it on a dear old Bantam,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06so maybe this time something a little bit more powerful.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Something like this. A Supertrike.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Now I can let somebody who really knows the course
0:07:15 > 0:07:18do the driving and I can sit back and enjoy.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28As a passenger for once, I get to admire the views.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31And what views they are, whatever the weather.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34The course snakes through picturesque villages
0:07:34 > 0:07:35and stunning countryside
0:07:35 > 0:07:39and up towards the summit of the island's only mountain, Snaefell.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44'It's bends like this, known as The Hairpin,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47'that challenge the most experienced of riders.'
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- Exhilarating, Andy. Thank you very much indeed.- My pleasure.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- It's my pleasure.- It really makes you realise, doesn't it,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05just how demanding this course is?
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Yes, it's 37 and three quarter miles long and it's very much
0:08:08 > 0:08:10man and machine against the course.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13And it seems to me to be much faster than it was in my day.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Certainly, there are certain things being done to the course
0:08:16 > 0:08:18all the time that improve the speed and improve the safety
0:08:18 > 0:08:21of the course as well, which is the most important thing.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23So, what's the top speed these days?
0:08:23 > 0:08:26They're doing well over 200mph in certain places.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Around here is roughly the fastest part of the course,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30coming down off the mountain.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- Well, onwards, Andy. - Onwards.- Onwards.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42There's no doubt that on race days the Isle of Man is a great
0:08:42 > 0:08:45showcase for motorcycling skills.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48But the Lake District can provide its fair share
0:08:48 > 0:08:50of thrills on two wheels.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53And you don't need an engine to experience them.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Long before the car was invented,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00people were travelling round the Lake District by bicycle.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Well, bikes really opened up the Lakes, didn't they,
0:09:04 > 0:09:05- to ordinary people?- Absolutely.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08There was a huge boom in cycling in the 1880s.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10This is a Penny Farthing that the young gentlemen tended to ride.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13They'd bring them up on the train and travel the route ways
0:09:13 > 0:09:15of the Lake District, enjoying the scenery.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19- And for the, shall we say, more sensible gentleman...- Uh-huh.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23..you have three wheels on your tricycle here.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25A safety version of the Penny Farthing, really?
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- Absolutely. It's a little difficult to get on.- How DO you get on?
0:09:28 > 0:09:33You turn backwards and then you put your right foot on the right pedal
0:09:33 > 0:09:35and lift yourself up into position.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38HE GROANS
0:09:38 > 0:09:39It's not so easy, is it?
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Certainly not. Not all that comfortable either.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45- Have you worked out the steering? - No, no idea.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- As you turn the handle, say, clockwise...- This one?- Yeah.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51..the front wheel turns one way and the back wheel turns the other.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Ah, very simple.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57And cycling in the Lakes is still as popular as ever.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Just beyond those fells, there is the Grizedale Forest,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05the Lake District's biggest stretch of woodland
0:10:05 > 0:10:09and, last August, Julia went there and jumped into the saddle to see
0:10:09 > 0:10:13just how much fun you can have on two wheels.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14Ouch!
0:10:15 > 0:10:18'Grizedale is famed for its excellent cycling,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21'with bespoke cycle tracks both on and off-road. '
0:10:22 > 0:10:25There are about a dozen trails for riders of just about every ability.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Beginners, riders in good health, it says here,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30proficient mountain bikers, experts.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33And this is a sinuous, adrenalising section
0:10:33 > 0:10:37of single-track descent with a leg-burning climb.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38Oh, no thank you.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Sounds like really hard work.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45'I'm off to explore the flatter parts of this enchanting forest
0:10:45 > 0:10:48'and, best of all, I get to soak up the views along the way.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52'And, no, not just those views.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55'There are some rather more curious ones here too.'
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Couldn't resist.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08MUSIC BOX MUSIC TINKLES
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Quite spooky, isn't it?
0:11:16 > 0:11:19I know what Matt Baker would say now.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21He'd say, "That's a bit of a wind-up."
0:11:27 > 0:11:32In 1977, Grizedale became the UK's first forest for sculptures.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Very ahead of its time.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Many of the early sculptures have decayed
0:11:38 > 0:11:40but the Forestry Commission is working
0:11:40 > 0:11:42with the next generation of artists
0:11:42 > 0:11:43to develop new works.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48They are beautiful.
0:11:48 > 0:11:49Fantastic piece, isn't it?
0:11:53 > 0:11:55What does it represent then, Hayley?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Well, I think the real sort of inspiration behind the work is
0:11:58 > 0:12:00the forest environment itself.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03All the sculptors that came here have made pieces in response
0:12:03 > 0:12:05to particular locations that they found.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07And how many pieces have you got
0:12:07 > 0:12:09scattered around and throughout the forest?
0:12:09 > 0:12:12There are about 60 works in the forest at the moment.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16If I wanted to do a tour of every single work of art within the forest
0:12:16 > 0:12:18how long do you think it would take me?
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Well, we reckon about three days to get around all of them
0:12:21 > 0:12:23so it's maybe a holiday rather than a day visit
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- if you want to see all of them. - Favourite? Your favourite?
0:12:26 > 0:12:27Oh, there's lots.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Lots for different reasons as well and at different times of year.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32But I think the work behind this is fantastic
0:12:32 > 0:12:34cos all the excitement and drama of the landscape
0:12:34 > 0:12:37has been incorporated into the work.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40- Can we just have five minutes just to look at it?- Yeah.- OK.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46Just five minutes, though.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48If I want to make it round to the rest of them
0:12:48 > 0:12:50I'd better get pedalling.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Grizedale Forest has dozens of purpose-built biking trails
0:12:59 > 0:13:01for all abilities.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Well, I've had a little whirl on the red trail
0:13:05 > 0:13:08and I have to say, I think that's probably about my limit.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11That is the much tougher black trail, the toughest of them all,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15and I'm going to leave that to the professionals.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16I don't want to scrape my knee.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19It hurts when you get the grit under your skin.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24This trail is a magnet for adrenaline junkies.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34The pros can pick up speeds
0:13:34 > 0:13:37of more than 40mph down these runs.
0:13:40 > 0:13:46Local biker Paul Noble runs a bike shop in the heart of the forest.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48I know I said that this was a tough track but, really,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50how tricky is it, Paul?
0:13:50 > 0:13:54It's not that unsafe once you've learnt how to look after yourself.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55But it'd be dangerous if you were a novice
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- and tried to have a go? - Absolutely. Yes, absolutely.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01If you just turned up here on any old bike and threw yourself at it,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03you'll end up in a pile and it won't be nice.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11It's a real community project, this, isn't it? Built with love.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12It was indeed, yeah.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15It was something that the locals wanted and they really badly wanted
0:14:15 > 0:14:18and the Forestry gave them permission to build it
0:14:18 > 0:14:21and helped with it and it turned out it was a real community project.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22We had lads as young as 12
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and people as old as 60s helping out with it.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27It's a superb addition to the forest, no doubt.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Oh! Speedy Gonzales!
0:14:37 > 0:14:39You know, no matter how you get to the Lake District
0:14:39 > 0:14:41or however you travel once you're here,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45it's views like this that make it all so worthwhile.