The Yorkshire Dales and The Lakes

27 June 2017

The Yorkshire Dales and The Lakes follows a range of remarkable characters who live and work in, were they to be combined, the biggest expanse of protected countryside in Europe - The Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales National Parks.

These two stunning areas inspire millions to visit every year but are more than a playground for tourists and adventurers: These Parks are also home to sixty-thousand people.

From summer through to spring, The Yorkshire Dales and The Lakes celebrates life in the Parks with real, engaging Yorkshire and Cumbrian folk giving context and continuity as the seasons ebb and flow.

Some of our characters can trace their family history back centuries and consider themselves proud custodians of our countryside. Others have made a choice to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy a more considered way of life in the sticks.

As their stories interweave and unfold we celebrate traditional agricultural shows and historic brass band competitions with jaw dropping backdrops and follow adventurers and rescuers who push themselves to the limit in these awe-inspiring landscapes.

There are generational farming families fighting to put a dent in their overdrafts as supermarkets and cheap imports threaten their existence. And there are communities coming together as they battle to protect their unique way of life.

In the Yorkshire Dales, can uphill farmers John and William earn enough to see them through the harsh winter? Will mountain rescuer Pete save a puppy that has fallen down a deep sinkhole? 

In the Lake District, Trudy has saved her village school from closure but can the new community estate agents attract new families to Bootle before it’s too late? We meet the family whose home has been a castle for 800 Years, a sheepdog trainer who can more than handle her own in a once male dominated world and ultra-runners Zac and Mick take on Helvellyn’s epic Striding Edge.

These are stories that will resonate with everyone who loves and cares about rural Britain and will be an eye opener for those eager to understand it more.