THE breathtaking panorama from Scafell Pike at sunrise, through to the challenge of riding a Penny Farthing to Coniston, will feature in a stunning new BBC series filmed in the Lake District.

BBC One's The Lakes with Paul Rose starts on Friday July 20 at 7.30pm, with the opening episode focusing on Windermere.

There are four episodes in the series in all, they feature Derwentwater and Borrowdale, Coniston and finally Eskdale.

Adventurer, explorer and TV presenter Paul Rose has filmed around the globe, but he has long wanted to create a series in the Lake District, his home for the last 20 years.

In episode four viewers will see Paul scale Scafell Pike, the highest point in England, and witness the stunning views at moonlight and then sunrise.

Paul said: "I'm very, very excited about the series because I live in the Lake District, it's my home.

"I've filmed all over the world, but I've always wanted to film a series in the Lake District.

"The Lakes was filmed last summer, it was one of the best summers of my life. The weather had read the script. When we needed rain, sun or moonlight, we got it.

"The views are fantastic, it's just gorgeous scenery. We have told some great stories of people in the Lakes."

Paul can see the central fells from his living room window and within a few minutes he can walk to the shores of Windermere, England’s biggest lake.

"On some of the days I was filming as soon as I came out of my front door, talk about working from home," he said.

In the opening episode Paul explores Windermere and joins the 18 million tourists who make the Lake District the most visited national park in the country. He takes the helm of one the Windermere cruise ships and looks at how Windermere first became a tourist destination for wealthy adventurers who wanted a different kind of wild experience in 18th century Britain. He also looks at hound trailing event that’s been a part of the Lake District calendar for more than 200 years. and he meets one of the survivors of the Holocaust who came to the Lake District in 1945 as part of a mercy mission to help Jewish orphans from the Second Word War. The first episode endswith the ascent of Orrest Head, which offers a spectacular view of Windermere, and was the first hill climbed by Alfred Wainwright when he came to the Lakes in the 1930s.

Derwentwater/Borrowdale are he focus of episode two and Paul heads for Seathwaite to meet the people who live in the wettest place in England and he gets a thorough soaking as flooding hits the Borrowdale valley. He sees were the flood damage from Storm Desmond in 2015 is being repaired. The explorer also joins the crew of a Viking longboat for the Derwentwater Regatta. Back on dry land, Paul heads out on the trail to follow in the footsteps of Millican Dalton, the self-styled Professor of Adventure who spent his summers living in a cave on Castle Cragg. He also meets members of Keswick Mountain Rescue Team on his ascent of Great Gable

Episode three will see the Lake District resident take in Coniston Water, where Donald Campbell lost his life trying to break the world water speed record.

Paul meets Campbell’s daughter Gina and crew member Robbie Robinson who was there on the fateful day in January 1967 when Bluebird crashed on the lake.

Paul then gets his adrenalin levels racing by entering a Lakeland bike ride with a difference – all the way to Coniston on a penny farthing.

He also joins mountain bikers in Grizedale Forest and climbers on Dow Cragg and has a crack at reaching the summit of The Old Man of Coniston.

Eskdale in the Western Lakes is the focus of series finale. Paul climbs Scafell Pike, he gets up close and personal with a vulture from the bird of prey centre at Muncaster Castle, and helps get the steam trains ready for action on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway.

The episode also looks at how the Outward Bound movement has been bringing young people from the cities to the fells since the Second World War. The series culminates at Eskdale Show with Paul having a go at Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling with the locals.