What does it smell like when you're sitting up on Kinder Scout Plateau? ‘Patron of the Bog’ Bella Hardy describes it as sweet and earthy. During this episode she shares memories of growing up in Edale, ‘beating the bounds’ with the local community, stories about sleeping dragons and giants from her childhood, and reflects on what makes her wild about Kinder. It’s a place that both inspires her music and gives her brain a break. You’ll hear Bella play the fiddle - ‘Broadlee Bank’ and ‘Crowden jig’ at the beginning and the end of this interview.

Bella is a folk musician, with many of her songs inspired by the landscape and folk tales of the Peak District. The ‘Dark Peak and The White’ album is her first collection of music specifically from the area, with adaptations and new tunes to works from ‘The Ballads and Songs of Derbyshire’ published 1867, and original songs written for the history, folklore and legends of the area. Bella attended Edale CE Primary School and Hope Valley College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from York St John University in 2005 and a Master of Music degree from the University of Newcastle in 2007. You can read more about Bella on her website.

Listen now to find out why Bella thinks Kinder Scout is a unique place.

Links

Bella’s website

Follow Bella on Instagram

Listen to Bella’s songs on Spotify

Follow Bella on Bandcamp

References

The Dark Peak and The White

With the dawn

First light of the morning

Hares on the Mountain

Loving Hannah

Africa’s Mountains of the moon by Guy Yeoman

Moors For The Future

Recording date

This interview was recorded at Bella’s home in Edale on 15th January 2024.

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email sarah@sarahventurer.com to send in your comments and suggestions.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

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