A new audio walk developed by University researchers is to help walkers unlock the rich history of a Cumbrian beauty spot buffeted by a notoriously strong wind.

The audio walk, written by a team in the School of Geography, will be narrated by weather broadcaster John Kettley, who will guide visitors on a 10-mile walk up Great Dun Fell, the second highest hill in the Pennines.

A  smartphone app to accompany the walk is also being developed by the team.

The walk is part of The Royal Geographical Society’s (with the Institute of British Geographers) Discovering Britain project. The guide is freely available to download in mp3 and printed formats.

The area is home to the UK’s only “named” wind, the Helm Wind, which was studied by the celebrated climatologist Gordon Manley FRGS in the late 1930s.

Professor Georgina Endfield, Professor of Environmental History, said: “The British weather is very much a part of our national identity — in fact you could argue that we are obsessed with it. But it’s also the case that people often remember key events in association with the weather. Weather becomes parts of peoples’ lives, in this way. Manley recognised and was intrigued by this association and it is his work on weather, place, and culture that is framing this overall study.”

John Kettley, who began his career at the BBC in Nottingham in 1980, said: “I love to hear people getting excited about weather, and from my own upbringing in West Yorkshire I’m also a big fan of getting out in the great outdoors.

“If you combine that with the connection to Gordon Manley — whose book Climate and the British Scene was the first I ever owned on weather as a 10-year-old boy — this project presented me with an ideal opportunity.”

The 2,782ft Great Dun Fell is famed for its connection to the Helm Wind. Shaped by the landscape and climatic conditions, the Helm Wind — referred to by Manley as a “roaring torrent of air” — has caused devastation and even death. Locals tell of farm machinery being blown away and sheep flying around like pieces of wool. One gardener fled Brussels sprouts being blown off their stalks by the wind and ricocheting like bullets!

The guide and app has been funded as part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) project Weather Walks and Weather Talks: Exploring Popular Climate Histories and Futures.

The team is recruiting volunteers to test the walk and app.

Visit: http://tiny.cc/UofNGreatDun