Jim said: “It has been a huge privilege to serve as chair of Cumbria Tourism’s Executive Board during the last three years. It’s entirely my decision,” he insists, his mellifluous Cumbrian drawl booming about the empty hall of Manchester Grammar School where we are sitting ahead of his final broadcast. in which we head west to Wasdale to talk with one of Cumbria's living greats; broadcaster, author, film-maker and former sheep farmer Eric Robson OBE.

Sat by the stove in his isolated farmhouse study, we learn about Eric's long love affair with Wasdale, and the decision to donate his OBE to his beloved adopted Cumbria; we take the long view of a broadcasting career that has included Gardeners ' Question Time, Remembrance Sundays and the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales; we talk about Eric's life as a fell farmer, and his passion for rare breeds; and we re-live the many frustrating, rewarding – and amusing – weeks spent in the company of Alfred Wainwright during the making of the TV films that made the great fellwanderer a reluctant star. Robson told the PA news agency that the honour would draw attention to the plight of domestic tourism amid the coronavirus pandemic. There is a huge amount of work to be done following the pandemic and I am proud to be part of that effort. I slackened the mounting bolts for the pump to the bulkhead and going down Edinburgh's cobbled streets it worked fine once on the main roads I drove along the gutters and after a bumpy ride managed to get home.Large Operator – Rachel Bell from Lake District Estates, which operates in five out of the six Cumbrian districts across a wide range of tourism products. I remember the weekend of the ascent of the Old Man of Hoy, and here we find out just how it was brought to the screen. Still, his fingers are green enough to roll his eyes when I enquire what he feels about the latest trend of ‘vegan gardening’ recently suggested by Matthew Appleby, deputy editor of Horticulture Week, who has deemed bird feeders and killing slugs beyond the pale. I remember going into my first programme and it being so nerve-wracking and Eric was very helpful,” she says.

He said: “I am honoured and delighted but this is evidence of how important the tourism and the hospitality sector is to the economy in counties such as Cumbria. John Humphrys is soon to finish up on the Today programme and in February Andrew Neil followed suit announcing his departure from The Week, which the 69-year-old has fronted since 2003. Eric Bell Robson OBE DL (born 31 December 1946) is a television broadcaster, author and documentary film maker who has lived for most of his life in Cumbria, where he has a sheep farm.I made the suggestion too that Walpole, as above all a teller of rattling good stories, doesn’t fit in with the Modernist narrative of the English novel – even though Virginia Woolf and Henry James were both his close friends.

His documentaries range from Great Railway Journeys of the World to the classic BBC series with the fellwalker Alfred Wainwright. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality. Yet in spite of his high academic distinction he retained his old charm and modesty; and above all he kept his affection for his old school.A fellow of the Tourism Society, Jim is also currently chairman of Eden Tourism Network and has been an enthusiastic supporter of Cumbria Tourism during the whole of his 40-plus year career in tourism in the county – including a stint as the organisation’s interim managing director in 2017. His departure marks the latest in a recent spate of male BBC stalwarts to desert their posts – some, it seems, more willingly than others. com/) and they kindly invited us over to talk about Walpole, his work, and why the reputation of this once leading novelist has faded, so that he’s now remembered, if at all, almost entirely for his Cumberland tetralogy.

We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there is something for every literary palate.The world’s best locations are there waiting for you, and you could have a Lakeland Downton on your hands. Does he worry about the prospects of young working class children trying to make it in the media today? The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Eric Robson, who is one of the directors of the company, was Wainwright’s walking companion in the classic television series.