New Wainwright Coast to Coast series for BBC4
Published on 19 September 2008
TV presenter Julia Bradbury has just completed the 192 mile Coast-to-Coast walk in a Skyworks TV follow-up to the Alfred Wainwright walks series. The new six-part series is scheduled to be screened on BBC4 in Spring 2009 and will also be shown on BBC2 shortly afterwards.
Julia and her film crew have been working behind the scenes, prior to the film being released, chatting to tenants who live on the National Trust land they cross to do the Coast-to-Coast - plus they take advice on just what they can do to help Fix the Fells.
The third series started at St Bees and followed Wainwright’s footsteps through Rosthwaite, Grasmere, Patterdale and on to Shap, Kirkby Stephen, Keld, Reeth, Richmond, Ingleby Cross, Clay Bank Top, Glaisdale and finally ending in Robin Hood’s Bay on the East coast.
National Trust tenants, staff and volunteers were delighted to have the opportunity to talk to the camera crew about how the National Trust manage the beautiful Lake District landscape.
Julia Bradbury said: “I am very grateful to the National Trust for all their help they have given the camera crew and myself, in filming this TV series. It has been fascinating to meet the tenant farmers and the volunteers to learn about all the work which goes on here every day.”
John Atkinson, National Trust Footpath Supervisor, met Julia Bradbury and the film crew out on Kidsty Pike, above Haweswater (the highest point of the walk at 2560ft), to talk about the work of the Fix the Fells Partnership and their teams.
John Atkinson said: “I spoke to Julia about Kidsty Pike, because this part of the Coast-to-Coast route has particular erosion issues. We want walkers to continue to enjoy this popular walk, but it’s also important they are aware of the on-going repair work needed for these paths - and just what the public can do to help us. Julia was keen to help us get these messages across.”
Producers of the new TV series used the Fix the Fells Partnership’s new DVD to help with background information on the fell paths in most need of care. Much of the Lake District section of the Coast-to-Coast route comes under the care of the Fix the Fells project. After watching the DVD, Julia Bradbury said:
“Walking the Coast-to-Coast is a marvellous experience and it’s wonderful that people from far-and-wide come to walk this world-famous route, but it is also important we enjoy the fell paths responsibly. Both myself and the film crew found the Fix the Fells DVD most helpful, both for its background information - and how treading more lightly and keeping to the path can really make a difference. The advice seems simple, but such measures will help enormously, to ensure this part of the world remains the beautiful place people have come to enjoy.”
Fix the Fells is a partnership that works together to prevent further erosion of upland paths, through work carried out on them by contactors, staff and a large volunteer force. The partnership is run by the Lake District National Park Authority, the National Trust and Natural England - and is further supported by Friends of the Lake District, The Tourism and Conservation Partnership and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Fix the Fells is a five-year programme, which needs to raise £3 million to pay for upland path repair.
