Jack's Yak

A unique journey through time with the special trees of the Lake District and Cumbria and the remarkable stories they have to tell.

By Keith Richardson. Colour photography by Val Corbett.

‘Jack’s Yak’ is a one off. Its beginnings were an interest in trees that goes back as far as my first attempts to climb into the branches of a tree when I was a lad. It appears that most people have a special affection for trees and I suspect it is one that is almost subliminal and, like most things, probably has its origins somewhere in childhood.

I found the idea of writing simply about trees alone far too limiting.

But if only trees had eyes what stories they would tell.

And so I hit upon the concept of writing a book with a theme line of trees and gave myself the freedom to tap into a wide range of related topics that also interested me. ‘Jack’s Yak’ takes you on a unique journey as I followed my instinct and zoomed in on areas of particular fascination. People, place, environment, history, land and sea all come under scrutiny as I throw a novel slant on the significance of trees and their surroundings.

Extensive research on specific trees and events that surround them – some not for the faint hearted – take you into another world but one with which you can readily relate because the trees, most of which still stand, are modern day sentinels and reminders of the past and their relevance in the greater scheme of things.

The Rebel Tree at Clifton, near Penrith, resulted in a study of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 and the battle and bloodshed that ensued, much of it in the old counties of Cumberland and Westmorland; the spectacular windblown hawthorns on Humphrey Head, looking out over Morecambe Bay and the Levens Estuary, lead to an exploration of the Cumbrian coastline and its shipbuilding and maritime tradition – the starting point for a fantastic sea journey exploring the Cumbrian coast and extending back to Roman times when galleys sailed into Ravenglass.

The oak on the cricket ground at Lowther Cricket Club gave me the perfect excuse (did I really need one?) to write about cricket in the Eden Valley and beyond, including the Eden Valley Cricket League as a whole, its grounds and its characters, before rediscovering my own cricketing roots at my hometown club, Keswick CC. Those are just three examples of the way in which the many trees in 'Jack's Yak' were the coat hooks on which I took the liberty of hanging a rich variety of material, information and observations, as I embarked on what was to become an amazing journey through time with the trees as signposts en route.

Also featured are the yew trees at Borrowdale, Lorton and Martindale, thousands of years old and eulogized by poets; the Spanish chestnut at Muncaster Castle; Shakespeare’s Oak at Kendal Green; The Robin Hood tree on Hadrian’s Wall; Alfred Wainwright’s rowan near Buttermere; a Scot’s pine on the shores of Derwentwater; an oak near Dufton; 'Jack's Yak' itself at Lowther; the heart–shaped wood at Tebay; the giant fir at Thirlmere; the Holker lime; trees carried away on the floods; gamekeeper David Imrie’s favourite cherry tree near Newlands and more.

With one exception, the sycamore at Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland, all of the trees are in the Lake District and Cumbria. Not all of the notable trees in this wonderful part of the world are here but I think you will find most of the more exceptional ones. I hope that the stories will enable you to see this area in a novel and unusual light . . . through words and thoughts, the lens of photographer Val Corbett’s camera and, last but not least, the eyes of the trees.

‘Jack’s Yak’ is far more than a book about trees. It is also a fascinating, entertaining and informative book about life and is beautifully illustrated throughout with the work of the highly acclaimed photographer Val Corbett. Val’s work for this book is something else and, apart from all the illustrations for specific trees, she has been given a special chapter in 'Jack's Yak' for a variety of other work, all related to trees. And finally, the book’s title comes from the oak tree of that name on the Lowther estate, yak being Cumbrian dialect for oak. Who Jack was remains a mystery.

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THE WRITER

Keith Richardson lives in the Lake District town of Keswick, a stone’s throw from the River Greta. ‘Jack’s Yak’ is his third book under the banner of the River Greta Writer publishing house, the others being the award winning ‘Ivver Sen’, portraits of Lakeland shepherds - which also featured the impressive artwork of Keith Bowen - ‘Joss’ a biography of the legendary Lake District fell runner and shepherd Joss Naylor, and 'The Greta', a fourth book about the river that flows through Keswick. www.rivergretawriter.co.uk

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Val Corbett lives on the eastern fringe of the Lake District where she has worked as a freelance photographer for over 25 years. She is widely known for her landscape photography that captures the unique light of the Lake District. Besides having several books of landscape images published, she has photographed gardens throughout the UK and her work regularly appears in books and the gardening press. Val’s work was also prominent in ‘Ivver Sen’, ‘Joss’ and 'The Greta'. www.valcorbett.com

SALES OUTLETS

Jack’s Yak retails at £25 plus £7.90 for postage and packaging in the UK.

River Greta Writer, Keswick. Tel (017687)74284. keithr@rivergretawriter.co.uk
The Keswick Reminder, Station Street, Keswick.
Bookends bookshop, Main Street, Keswick & 56 Castle St, Carlisle.
Michael Moons Bookshop, 19 Lowther Street, Whitehaven.
Fred Holdsworth Bookshop, Central Buildings, Ambleside.
The New Bookshop and Coffee Shop, 42/44 Main Street, Cockermouth.
Sam Read's Bookshop, Broadgate House, Grasmere.
Just for Ewe, Fairfield House, Coniston.
Suttons Book Shop, 48 Market Street, Ulverston.
Treeby and Bolton, Lake Road, Keswick.
Viridian Gallery, St John's Street, Keswick.
Waterstones, Kendal, Barrow in Furness and Carlisle.
Pete Bland Sports, 34A Kirkland, Kendal (‘Joss’ book only)
Front Runner, 296 Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield (‘Joss’ book only)