Mention Cumbria in the literary sense and most people will think of William Wordsworth, and perhaps Beatrix Potter.
But Potter’s Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tiggywinkle aren’t the only world-famous protagonists to emerge from Cumbria. We have other heavyweights, too, such as Thomas the Tank Engine!
What do you mean, you didn’t know that Sodor was just an enlarged version of Walney Island, at Barrow-in-Furness?
See: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-13872542
And then there’s Postman Pat, a story set in the fictional village of Greendale (inspired by the real valley of Longsleddale, near Kendal).
Famous protagonists? We have truck-loads of them…. It’s just that they’re very small trucks! 🙂
Great article! I’ve had the good fortune to visit England but I am very fond of this part of the country!
Any chance that you will publish in audio format?