THE forests and streets of Wales were alive to the sound of the World Rally Championship last weekend, but there was a time when the South Lakes played host to some of the world’s best drivers too.

From the 1970s until 1999, the forests in Grizedale were a regular venue for stages on the British round of the WRC, with rally fans flocking to the area in the hope of grabbing an up-close glimpse of their favourite drivers and cars.

On more than one occasion, Grizedale featured contenders who were battling it out for world championship honours, including in 1991 and 1992 when Spaniard Carlos Sainz and Finland’s Juha Kankkunen were duking it out for the title.

The 1995 edition of the Rally of Great Britain saw the late Colin McRae come to this part of the country en route to victory in the event, which meant he became the first British driver to be crowned World Rally Champion.

We have gone through our archives to find some of the best pictures from those days, which also featured some of the best domestic drivers.

Although the WRC no longer visits, rallying remains alive in South Cumbrian with the annual Malcolm Wilson Rally and Grizedale Stages taking in those iconic routes.