I have a copy of The Good Guide to the Lakes, written by Hunter Davies and published back in 1984. I was still at school in Bolton that year so it was a very, very long time ago. This was one of the few books that Hunter published himself. I don’t think he particularly liked being a publisher. Too much admin, I imagine.

The book describes a Lake District and a Cumbria that seems archaic and distant. It was a time before bus deregulation when we depended on the Ribble and Cumberland bus companies to transport us between towns. It was a time before Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake came into being (then called The Century Theatre and housed in a series of cabins on the road down to the lake). It was a time when £10,000 could still buy you a house in Workington or Carlisle. Distant days indeed.

Of course, the guide is written with Hunter’s usual good humour and mischievousness. I particularly like the hotel and restaurant section where the author declares “personally, I have eaten in several of these 5 and 6 graded hotels and I found the food, décor, service, décor appalling”.

I would like to think that things have changed a lot over the last 35 years. Cumbria is now known for its raft of excellent hotels and award-winning restaurants. We all have personal opinions but I think we’re in a very different place when it comes to food today.

There are still parts of the guide which are relevant and interesting. The sections on the lakes and mountains still offer a good read. Hunter is never a boring writer so even when he’s talking about something as mundane as estate agents he is still entertaining. There is even a much- heralded quiz for the reader to attempt once you have absorbed all the knowledge.

I have collected quite a few of Hunter’s books over the years from various bookshops and boot sales. His book on Wordsworth is worth seeking out and also his famous biography of The Beatles. I don’t see Hunter as much as I used to. When he kept his house at Loweswater, he would pop into the café for lunch from time to time and you would often see him on the streets of Cockermouth. The Good Guide to the Lakes may not be his most literary work but if you see a copy, I’d recommend buying it. It might make you chuckle.