53 min listen
Countrystride #99: PEAT, POWER & THE PUBLIC – Caring for Watendlath
FromCountrystride
ratings:
Length:
46 minutes
Released:
Mar 31, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
...in which we explore the much-loved hanging valley of Watendlath and the High Tove ridge above in the company of veteran National Trust ranger Roy Henderson and Cumbria Wildlife Trust's Sean Prokopiw. Posing the question: 'How do we balance the management of such precious landscapes with increasing tourist demands?', we take a whistle-stop tour of projects that are building resilience into the fells, woodlands and communities around the isolated dale head. After a brief history of the valley – from glaciation through Norse settlement to the busy days of the pack-horse trains – we visit a remarkable pollarded ash tree. Heading downstream, we are introduced to one of three hydro schemes in Borrowdale, which collectively generate enough energy to power virtually the whole valley. Passing newly-planted hillsides on an age-old pitched way, we emerge at the Pewits, once a desolation of peat hags, now a thriving upland bog, to learn about the value of these remarkable upland habitats.
Released:
Mar 31, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Countrystride #12: Great Langdale - A heritage landscape: ...in which we celebrate World Heritage Day by exploring Great Langdale with National Trust archaeologist Jamie Lund. Setting out from Sticklebarn, we talk dry stone walls, the remarkable Cumbrian commons and the legacy of campaigner George Trevelyan, be... by Countrystride