Arnside...

Last week I headed up to a place that I'd never been  before, and what a very pleasant surprise.

Arnside is a stunning little town, about 6 miles from junction 36 on the M6. I had an appointment to see Bill, and was greeted at the door by his lovely wife Shirley. I spent a couple of hours there and recorded a great interview in which Bill told me all about his childhood and family links to the Sedgwick Gunpowder Mills. He remembered keeping the raw ingredients, sulphur and saltpetre in the house, the latter was used for meat processing. He also remembered the gunpowder which they kept in a jar for personal use! Bill showed me a photo of himself as a young lad on a motorbike which he bought for £3 and he had so much history laid out on the table that I will have to visit again. He has done his own research and as far as Juniper is concerned, Bill doesn't think that it was a major source of wood for the charcoal, and that much of the wood was imported, brought in on the canal, which was diverted from its planned route to service the mill area. Much of this interview along with many others will form part of my final piece in trying to conclude the roll that Juniper had to play back in the days of the Gunpowder Mills.

It's cold outside, yes, but not as cold as I think I might be tomorrow! I am joining Mike and other members of the Cumbria Wildlife Trust on a walk up to Busk Pike (NY306 040). Not just for fun of course because they are going up to plant Junipers and I am tagging along to film and hopefully interview some of the planters. After all, why would you climb up there on a winters day, rather than sit at home drinking coffee?

If you can cope with it, winter on the Cumbrian fells is the most magical place, but come prepared, it's no walk in the park.