BBC's Simon Reeve praises Cumbria and Lakes in new series

When lockdown put a stop to global travel, Simon Reeve was forced to look closer to home.

Last year the adventurer, who in two decades has visited more than 120 countries, set his sights on Cornwall but now he journeys further north to explore the landscapes of Cumbria for new two-part BBC series, The Lakes With Simon Reeve.

The 49-year-old, who has rare wildlife to discover, impressive energy efforts to ponder, and plenty of locals to meet, explained why he decided on the Lakes for his latest trip.

"It's part of the country that everybody thinks they know, but experience suggests to me that we can still find stories they haven't heard before," he said.

EXPLORE: Simon in the Lakes

"There's so many things going on that none of us know about.

"I've been to the Lake District many times over the years, but I still thought it was an area that I'd love to rediscover and learn about.

"Of course, part of the reason was that I tend to do foreign exotic adventures, but global travel wasn't very possible during the old lockdown, so it was a case of finding somewhere fascinating and beautiful closer to home.

"And my goodness, the Lake District delivers on that."

Simon said he was most surprised by the discovery that some of the work being done in Cumbria will be 'key to life going forward'.

Undated BBC Handout Photo from The Lakes with Simon Reeve. Pictured: Simon Reeve with farmer, David Thompson and his Fell Ponies, Lake District National Park. PA Feature SHOWBIZ TV Quickfire Reeve. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/BBC/The Garden

"It's the energy coast, so they're producing huge amounts of energy – that we will rely on – just off the coastline in some of the world's biggest offshore wind farms," he said. "And the farming in the Lake District, the mining that's under way, these are all really important stories for the rest of the country.

"But more than anything, as I would hope with all of my journeys, it's the people of Cumbria that were the real joy and surprise."

Simon also highlighted a meeting with a young farmer – Angus – as a standout moment of his visit.

He said: "One of the most inspiring encounters I had was with an 18-year-old young farmer, whose parents had passed away rather tragically close together, and he's been left running a 1,500-acre sheep farm on his own, helped by a couple of teenage school friends.

"I was so struck when I was with them, in their lambing shed.

"There was life and death happening there and this lad, Angus, was dealing with it so calmly, stoically, and maturely.

"And his friends were cracking on with their roles as well.

"I was so impressed.

"It made me think back to when I was his age and how impossible handling that situation would have been for me and what a credit he was to his family – he gave me real hope for the future.

"We denigrate the young; we fail to give them opportunities and responsibilities so often, but my goodness, they are capable of such amazing feats."

The Lakes With Simon Reeve starts on BBC Two on Sunday.