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Reflecting on the Lake District with an 80 year old guidebook

Emma Jane Kirby has been driving around England with the 1939 Penguin county touring map guide, to find out what has and hasn't changed since the start of the Second World War.

In this episode, she visits the Lake District to hear about the origins of the Youth Hostel Association, how Kendal mintcake, Grassmere gingerbread and Hawkshead wigs (a rich spiced bread), got the county it's reputation for having a sweet tooth, and to discover a local forgotten literary giant, Hugh Walpole, who produced more than 50 novels in his lifetime.

(Photo: A steamer on Bowness water, in the Lake District Credit: Â鶹ÊÓƵAV)

Release date:

Duration:

13 minutes

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