Countrystride #58: SWALEDALE - Meadows & mines

…in which we cross county lines to visit the internationally-important hay meadows of Swaledale. As we amble out from the Dales village of Muker with local lass and Keld Resource Centre manager Helen Guy, we discuss the traditional farming methods that support a wealth of wild flowers; we delve into the arduous, short lives of Swinner Gill lead miners; we discover David Attenborough's unlikely link with this isolated dalehead; we consider why sometimes you need to leave home to fall in love with it; and we revel in the dialect meanings behind Hartlakes, Crackpot, Buttertubs and 'tow'd man'.

• For more about Keld Resource Centre, see https://keld.omeka.net

• The heritage audio recordings in this broadcast are (c) YDNPA. More can be found at https://keld.omeka.net/collections/show/8

Swinner Gill smelt mill.

Our guest for the walk: Helen Guy.

Muker meadows.

The village of Muker.

Muker meadows.

Cow house - or Cow'us.

A very low River Swale.

The view down Upper Swaledale from Swinner Gill. Hartlakes is in the foreground.