FAMOUS comedian and TV presenter Griff Rhys Jones had plenty to say about the many wonders - both in the past and present - of the Lake District in the first episode of his new series.

The first programme of 'Griff's Great Britain', looked at all that is great about the Lake District, and was set the challenge of 'beating a record' in the region.

Beginning out in typically tranquil surroundings at the Duke of Portland on Ullswater, Griff's journey didn't just take in the scenery, but also some of the great figures and records that the Lake District National Park holds, meaning breaking a record would not be so easy.

First of all, it was a day out to visit Gary McClure, from Broughton, who back in 2012 earned the world record for the world's largest Cumberland Sausage at 3.3 metres, and weighing a colossal 135kg.

Mr McClure said in the run-up to the show: "He was fantastic he really was, It was like walking through a park with somebody you know."

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Mr Jones then saw how much of a head he would have for heights, as first he was given a high-speed run through the Hard Knott Pass.

After that, a test of his nerve on his visit to Honister, as he took on the Infinity Bridge across the perilous cliffs where miners would make the journey everyday to collect the slate that was mined from the site.

At around 350-feet high, it is considered one of the highest wire bridges in the world, and crossing it, Griff said was "one of the hardest things I've ever done."

Jones also visited the spot on Coniston water where the famous speed record attempt by Donald Campbell took place in 1967.

On his return journey for the record, at more than 300mph, Campbell was tragically killed when his boat was catapulted into the air before it crashed.

On a meeting near Derwent water with a Japanese tourist, he learned that Beatrix Potter and the Lake District as a whole was a famous attraction, even on the other side of the world.

The show reached a conclusion as Jones, desperate to break a record, attempted the slowest water-skiing speed on Lake Windermere. 

But despite several attempts to get going, he couldn't quite beat the record of just over 6mph.

What the show and Jones highlighted, was not just the many wonderful visual attractions of the Lake District, but also of the people who live there and the wonderful achievements of those in an area that is renowned across the globe.