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Robert Gambles takes us on a journey round the spokes of the Lake District wheel bringing out the different character, history and stories of each dale. You will all have your favourite and this book is full of little known gems of history, geology, literature and the attractions presented to the first tourists.
Buttermere was never the same again after the first lady of quality to cross Honister Pass in 1794, the Hon Mrs Murray reported that the Buttermere Inn was 'quite acceptable, admirable ale, bread and cheese and a joint of mutton', though she was less impressed by the bed linen and brought her own. She also turned up at the King's Arms, now the Patterdale Hotel, but was obliged to pass the night in a chair by the kitchen fire 'there not being a bed in the house fit to put myself on'.
Robert Gambles was born and grew up in Derbyshire. He was a scholar of St John’s College, Oxford, where he took an Honours degree in Modern History and a post-graduate Diploma in Education. He also has a Licentiate Diploma in Music. His professional career was spent in Education, mainly in Ely and Liverpool.
"We may think we know our dales but The Lakeland Dales will inform and entertain for a long time whichever area you are exploring either on a first foray or as a regular visitor."
– Conserving Lakeland (Friends of the Lake District)
"A useful and very readable guide for the discerning visitor and resident"
– Newsletter of the Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society
"A volume that expands our horizons, widens our perspective and broadens our knowledge [...] It is firmly rooted in an encyclopaedic knowledge of Lakeland and its history and the forces, natural and human that have shaped its evolution [...] A vigorous and evocative investigation of Lakeland's lively past."
– The Keswick Reminder
"Its very readable and well-illustrated narrative will be enjoyed by both general readers as well as Lakeland specialists [...] You can't do better than invest in this volume."
– North West Evening Mail
"A must for teachers and students and Lakeland lovers worthy of the name."
– Cumberland News
"A very readable and well-illustrated narrative [...] A most enjoyable volume ."
– Lakeland Walker
"Wordsworth first emphasised the different character of the various Lakeland dales and Robert Gambles successfully captures these variations for the modern reader."
– Professor Ian Whyte, Lancaster University
