...in which we delve into a remarkable oral history archive to paint a long-view picture of the ever-changing farmed landscape of the Westmorland Dales.

In the company of local-born John Hastwell and project officer Amanda Walters, we listen to farmers past and present as they discuss the hard-graft reality of farming the Westmorland Dales, the northern Howgills and the Orton Fells.

Looking back to the inter-War years – long before the arrival of phones and electricity in remote valleys – we hear crystal-clear memories (in beautiful accents) of life before mechanisation, when fell ponies and draft horses pulled sleds and trailers; and when 400+ farms in the area kept dairy herds.

Proceeding to the arrival of the first Little Grey Fergie, we reflect on the joys and frustrations of hay-making, and the long hours worked by farm children.

Turning to the social context of farm lives and loves, we hear about the importance of church; of the mart; and of the dances and seaside trips that bound scattered communities.

Reflecting on the priceless value of wildflower meadows and the demise of dairy in Ravenstonedale, we close by asking 'What's next?' for the farms of the Dales, and discover that one model may be a 'back to basics' approach inspired by our farming forebears.

• The Westmorland Dales' 'Our Common Heritage' oral history project was inspired by Friends of the Lake District, which owns Little Asby Common in the heart of the Westmorland Dales. It was one of many projects delivered through the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership, led by Friends of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

• Full interviews can be accessed at Cumbria Archives in Kendal and the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes.

...in which we are joined by Gavin Capstick, new chief executive of the Lake District National Park Authority, for a wide-ranging chat about the state of the Park and his ambitions for its future.

Ascending out of Tebay onto the Howgills, we learn about Gavin's Eden Valley upbringing and his first interactions with the Lake District – playing youth football – before a local government career led him to the Park Authority.

Arriving at a stock exclosure fence with emerging woodland, we talk about the balance the Park must try and strike between farming and nature, locals and tourists, conservation and development; and the inherent tension built into National Parks' DNA.

Dropping to the Lune – and a fabulous riverside path below the M6 – Gavin defines 'low impact tourism', notes the 40% real-term reduction in government funding over the past decade; outlines the pressure placed on new honeypots by social media influencers, and describes the highs (ice cream) and lows (rain) of being a Wainwright-bagging family.

Turning to knottier issues, we discuss 4x4s on green lanes; how private car use in the Park might be reduced, the strange silence of Covid lockdowns... and why Rory Delap is Gavin's Cumbrian hero.

• The Lake District is on Twitter/X at x.com/lakedistrictnpa

...in which we visit Keswick Museum for a deep dive into the life of one of Romantic Lakeland's most under-appreciated figures: writer, former Poet Laureate and long-term resident of Greta Hall, Robert Southey (1774-1843).

In the company of Museum curator Nicola Lawson and trustee Charlotte May, we return to Bristol, 1774 and set the shifting social scene for the birth of a young radical – expelled from Westminster – whose education was beset by bullying.

Alongside new wife Edith Fricker and creative soulmate Samuel Taylor Coleridge, we follow Southey north to Keswick and learn about daily life at Greta Hall, where the young poet became sole breadwinner in a busy household of sisters and their home-educated children.

With tragedy a constant in the Southeys' life – four of the couples’ eight children died before reaching adulthood – we discuss Edith's enduring mental illness, the fast-growing Keswick of the early 1800s, and the great joy Southey derived from family and domestic life.

Reflecting on a (sometimes) controversial and (always) prodigious writing talent (Southey's output far eclipsed that of Wordsworth or Coleridge), we namecheck some of his finest works: from the first published version of Goldilocks and the three bears (The Story of the Three Bears) through his remarkable História do Brasil to the onomatopoeic masterpiece The Cataract of Lodore.

Brazing the frosty cold, we conclude our conversation alongside Southey's grave at Crosthwaite Church, where we consider his relationship with Keswick and the great loss felt at the death of a towering talent and an adored family man.

• You can find out more about Southey and Keswick at Keswick Museum: keswickmuseum.org.uk

• The Museum is on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.