Top 5 Lake District Mountain and Nature Series’ to Watch this Season
From old to new releases
Classics to Trends
We’ve got you covered
right until the end…
It’s highly likely you’d rather be in the Lakes than watching it on a screen, but for those days where the forecast is looking a bit bleak or you just fancy a cosy winter night in front of the TV, we’ve got you covered with must-watch mountain and nature series’ based in the Lake District, from old to new releases.
The Lakes with Simon Reeves
Follow Simon Reeve on his unique adventures through the Lake District and Cumbria as he sleeps in the most remote youth hostel in England, goes wild swimming in Buttermere, climbs Scafell pike, meets the farmers of the Lakes, explores the Cumbrian coast… the list is endless. Released this year, the three-part series is both informative and moving, exploring the personal lives of the genuine locals who live here to get involved with conservation projects and learn about the unique environment of Lakeland. Simon creates a fresh, new take on the usual Lake District documentary’s exploring so many different aspects of the national park; it’s guaranteed you’ll learn something you never knew before…
2. Life of a Mountain: A Year on Scafell Pike
Life of a Mountain: A Year on Scafell Pike
Award-winning filmmaker and photographer Terry Abraham created this masterpiece documentary back in 2014, exploring the beauty of Scafell Pike and capturing the lives of those who live beneath the mountain. The film boasts beautiful, artfully captured scenes of the mountain, plus interviews with extraordinary people who work to protect the landscape including farmers, climbers, mountain rescue volunteers, and residents. The highly praised documentary is the first part of Terry’s trilogy; following the success of ‘A year on Scafell Pike’, the videographer goes on to create two more epic documentary’s ‘A year on Blencathra’ in 2017 and ‘A year on Helvellyn’ in 2021.
3. The Yorkshire Dales and The Lakes
The Yorkshire Dales and The Lakes
The Yorkshire Dales and The Lakes is a well-loved Channel 4 documentary,
which began in 2017, releasing its fourth series in January 2021. Presented by poet and playwright Ian McMillan, the four-part programme follows the lives of those who live and work in England’s largest expanse of protected countryside made up two national parks; the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. Follow this series to meet some inspiring names including wheelchair adventurer Debbie North, mountain rescue volunteer Pete Roe and numerous hard-working farmers and shepherdesses. Each series follows the development of live in the national parks from winter through to autumn. With each season having between 4-10 episodes, there’s plenty of adventure here to keep you occupied…
4. The Lake District: A Wild Year
If you love stunning mountain imagery, seasonal time-lapses, and beautiful nature photography, this is a programme for you. Released in 2017 and narrated by Bernard Cribbins, this one time BBC show uses unique camera techniques to visualise the ever-changing landscape of the Lake District, capturing extraordinary wildlife, scenery, and people throughout a year in one of the most beautiful national parks. Fixed cameras dotted about all over the Lake District show how the scenery transforms throughout the seasons, presenting months of seasonal changes passing on your screen in seconds. The stories of local shepherds, farmers, and climbers intertwine with nature shots, exploring how people change and cope with the challenge of changing seasons in the lakes.
5. A Lake District Farm Shop
Released on Channel 4 this summer, the first four-part season of ‘A Lake District Farm Shop’ follows the farmers, food producers, and crafters who work at the unique, family-run Tebay Service Station on the M6 near Penrith. The series proves this service station is unlike any other you’ll find on motorways across the country; it has a restaurant serving home-cooked food from local suppliers, a farm shop including its very own butcher counter, and it promotes and sells gifts from local crafters. The series ran in July this year, but the shop has returned this month for a new Christmas special episode, which aired on Saturday 18th December and is available to catch up on All 4!
Keep an eye out for Snowflake Mountain
Find on Netflix in 2022
Due to being released in 2022, Netflix’s new reality survival show ‘Snowflake Mountain’ follows a group of ‘clueless’ young adults who are used to being pampered in the city and are challenged to facing life in the Lake District wilderness. Netflix’s teaser statement claimed their survival camp has ‘no running water, no parents, no waiting on them and no Wi-Fi. By connecting to nature they’ll learn to graduate as fully functioning adults.
Written by Kate Dawson, Content Writer for One Lake District