July 17

After our action-packed night in Carlisle, we headed off into the Cumbrian countryside. Beautiful rolling hills covered in impossibly green lush grass and dotted with frequent huge wind turbines, strongly and effortlessly powering away.

We came to the coast at Maryport, a small and seemingly poor seaside town. It was windy and a bit cold, with a churned-up dirty ocean held back with huge fortifications to protect the port.

Here a big bold Brexit flag proudly flew on a fishing vessel. The fishermen – of all the people I’ve met – seem to have lost the most with the EU, due to the fishing regulations. Here, they are proud and happy they’ve been heard and there is even some hope that what’s left of their industry may be able to re-group and grow again. 

People live small here. Small houses, small pubs, small towns, small streets and small shops. There doesn’t seem to be much employment apart from farming and fishing and what supports those, but the people are happy and warm-hearted and good to talk to. My challenge is that it’s really hard to interview someone when you can’t understand what they’re saying; so I awkwardly laugh along with them when they laugh and I ask a staccato run of questions, unable to find the natural segues due to my lack of comprehension.

We head into the Lake District and the rolling hills become steeper and the forests more impressive. The houses become bigger and detached and you feel the affluence of an area fuelled by holiday-homes and tourism, although it’s pointed out to me that the Cumbrian tourism industry rides on the back of cheap eastern-European labour. While so many people were happy to vote “out”, I’m told they might be in for a shock when they lose access to the cheap labour doing all the dirty work.

Into Windermere, the home of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit. We walked up onto Brandmere, met a lot of very friendly sheep and some campers, and enjoyed a spectacular view over the lake.

Britain is gripped by a “heat-wave” with temperatures over 30. The Times reports “experts say the roads may melt’, with temperatures of 34 forecast. I think of our 44-degree days at home and doubt that to be the case.