Matt Brereton

My first car was a classic Mini in distinctive applejack green. My dad worked hard to keep it running and to patch up the bodywork, and together we completed many thousands of happy – and occasionally not so happy – miles! My brother took it on after I bought my first Saab, and it is still in the family, currently in storage awaiting restoration. My son hopes it will be restored to its former glory and on the road again soon!

I was firmly a cassette man in the early days, but my first vinyl record was probably a seven-inch single of The Joker by Steve Miller Band, which had re-entered the charts owing to a TV advert for a brand of jeans. I have recently rediscovered my love for vinyl records, and we are rapidly running out of room to house the collection we have built up!

Any of the peaks along Wastwater, where you get such magnificent views of both England’s highest peak and the Irish Sea out to and beyond the Isle of Man. The view from Gummer’s How over Windermere at dusk is also quite magical, while the view up through the Lakes from the sands of Duddon Estuary, near to where I live are positively magisterial.

I love the walk up Helvellyn via Striding Edge, an exhilarating challenge in all conditions and so rewarding when you reach the top. In terms of more low-level puruits I enjoy walking the old railway line around Coniston and Torver, which is a great way to access some of Lakeland’s most lovely scenery for those who are less confident or able to climb the high peaks.

Every season in the Lakes has its special qualities, but my favourite in many ways is winter, when the locals reclaim the place for themselves and the roads and car parks are considerably less crowded! A clear and frosty day alongside Coniston Water, stilled like mirrored glass, or a walk around Tarn Hows in freshly fallen snow, are special experiences that those who only visit during the main tourist seasons don’t usually get to enjoy!

Without doubt a badger. It is a nickname from my university days that has stuck to this day, and one I’m quite proud of. Who doesn’t love these cheeky and industrious nocturnal animals, a characterful emblem of Britain’s diverse and distinctive wildlife?

As a real ale enthusiast and a railway buff, living next door to the Prince of Wales pub overlooking Foxfield Station on the Cumbria Coast Line would seem the perfect combination (though at time of writing the Prince is closed for refurbishment)! I’m also a passionate and devoted follower of Liverpool FC.

Despite the above-mentioned passion for football, my real obsession is cricket, having fallen in love with the sport during the 1993 Ashes series. After I returned to Cumbria from more than 20 years away living in Edinburgh and then London, I resumed playing cricket for my boyhood team following the return to competition after the pandemic; this keeps me busy most Saturdays from late April till early September.