THE 2021 Lakeland Book of the Year longlist has been announced, showcasing amazing literary talent inspired by the landscapes, history and culture of the Lake District, Cumbria.

The Coronavirus pandemic and national lockdowns of 2020 highlighted to many the importance of natural spaces. From guides highlighting how to enjoy wild swimming and other activities safely, amazing stories of Lake District figures and traditions plus fantastic fictional tales set across Cumbria, the area continues to inspire writing in almost every discipline.

The county’s contribution to national fields is also recognised, with works from restaurant and broadcaster critic Grace Dent and farming personality James Rebanks also featuring.

Seventy four entries, all published in 2020, have now been whittled down to a longlist of 18 books by judges Hunter Davies OBE, Cumbria Tourism President Eric Robson and broadcaster Fiona Armstrong. Judges have had the difficult task of choosing category winners, plus the overall Lakeland Book of the Year ahead of the announcement on October 19.

Awards founder Hunter Davies said: "After 37 years this is the best year we have ever had. Over 70 good books, all newly published, all about Cumbria, with so many original ideas, so much research, so much fun and excellent writing. Is it the effect of Covid? Did Cumbrians rush to their computer to start tapping away instead of to the fridge?”

Cumbria Tourism MD Gill Haigh added “I’m very proud that Cumbria Tourism support the Lakeland Book of the Year Awards, every year I’m blown away by the sheer variety of world-class writing our fabulous county inspires. Every author who entered should feel very proud of their achievement and I can’t wait to see which book is our 2021 winner." Longlist: A Lakeland Boyhood, David Clark; And, Like A Melody, It Flew Away, Stephen Matthews; Boundary Songs, David Banning; Dead Ringer, Nicola Martin; English Pastoral: An Inheritance, James Rebanks; Hungry, Grace Dent; Made in Carlisle, Roger Bolton; Pooley New Bridge, Book of Memories, Various (compiled by Sam Bunting); Radical Wordsworth, Jonathan Bate; Swimming Wild in the Lake District, Suzanna Cruickshank; Life On The Mountains, Terry Abraham; The Fresh and the Salt, Ann Lingard; The Ghost of Gosswater, Lucy Strange; The Stream Invites Us to Follow, Dick Capel; The Testimony of Sal Madge, John Little; The Two Saras: Coleridge in Cumbria, Bethany Askew; Through the Locking Glass, Various (compiled by David Felton) and Tommy’s Tyale, Tommy Coultard.