My Lakeland

Jim Watson was born in Penrith and spent his 1940–50s childhood in Pooley Bridge and Threlkeld before leaving Cumbria for work.

Establishing a national reputation as a freelance artist for, among others, Lakeland Walker and Cumbria Magazine, Jim’s first love was always the Lake District – to which he has returned time and again across 60 years, this time as a visitor.

In My Lakeland, Jim brings together almost 400 lavish illustrations alongside memories of Lakeland past: of football matches fuelled by moonshine; of school dips in Derwent Water; of starry nights below Saddleback… and of the first TV set to arrive in the village (“It’ll nivir catch on!”)

Part artistic tribute to a unique place, part evocation of Cumberland past and part travelogue, My Lakeland is most of all the story of a local lad’s enduring love affair with the Lake District.