“No one is a prophet in their own land.”

I was born and brought up in the county of Yorkshire, England. And though I love Yorkshire, I have always been drawn to Cumbria, drawn to the beauty of the Lake District and the Eden Valley.

I do feel a bit sentimental about the little coal-mining village where I grew up. But would I go back there? No. That place no longer exists as was, so going back isn’t possible.

I’ve been in Cumbria for just over 30 years. So, Cumbria is my home.

I don’t think I can describe in words how beautiful this county is. So, just as an example, here is a photograph that I took of the bridge over the River Eden. The bridge is between the villages of Lazonby and Kirkoswald. Before the bridge was built, there was a ford, and that road was used to transport coal from pits near Renwick to the town of Penrith.