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Richard Macer

Chris Durlacher

Ben Barden

Tales from the National Parks: Episode 1: The Lake District

The Lake District

Episode 1

Episode 1: The Lake District

Tales from the National Parks

BBC Four - Tales from the National Parks, The Lake District

How an entrepreneur tried to build a giant zip-wire ride on a Lake District mountain.

In the Lake District, filmmaker Richard Macer follows the story of entrepreneur Mark Weir's attempts to build a giant zip-wire ride from the top of a mountain.

The National Parks are Britain's most treasured landscapes, but they are increasingly becoming battlefields. They were designated 60 years ago as places for everyone, but is that still the case? In this series the award-winning film-maker Richard Macer spent a year amid conflicts in three different parks, on a journey to discover who they are really for. 

In each park the stories are very different, but there is something that unites them all - fiercely divided communities who are prepared to fight in order to preserve their right to enjoy the countryside. In each film, Macer has secured access to the National Park Authority - an organisation which looks after the landscapes and decides upon planning matters. In all of these stories the Park Authorities have a key role to play in trying to find amicable solutions to the problems which confront them.

In the Lake District, entrepreneur Mark Weir wants to build a giant zip-wire ride from the top of a beautiful, remote mountain. But does it have any chance of getting permission when there are over 400 objectors to it? Unfortunately a tragic accident during filming means that Mark will never see if his zip-wire becomes a reality.

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Richard Macer spends a year amid conflicts in three different British National Parks.

Richard Macer spends a year amid conflicts in three different British National Parks, on a journey to discover who they are really for.

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