[2] When Griff Rhys Jones was invited to make the series, he was a mountaineering novice: "Ten years ago I trudged up [Italian volcano] Stromboli in a hard hat; and seem to recall once taking a long walk in the Borders (it was hilly).
Poor visibility on the day of the climb was cited as causing the confusion despite the presence of several professional mountain guides with detailed local knowledge of the terrain.
It includes a succession of hairpin bends and a 1 in 3 gradient, rising to 1,200 feet (370 m) in little over a mile, and Rhys Jones travels it riding pillion on a motorcycle.
The stone circle at Swinside serves to illustrate the mysticism of the Lakes, and Rhys Jones attends a meeting of Quakers, whose founder, George Fox, preached from an outcrop on Firbank Fell.
The presenter then follows Samuel Taylor Coleridge's perilous descent of Broad Stand, a series of sloping steps on Sca Fell.
After discovering how the climber's fuel of choice, Kendal mint cake, is made, Rhys Jones then heads for a bookshop to examine the works of Alfred Wainwright, whose guide books about the region became best-sellers.
Despite its great height, "pretty much anyone" can climb Ben Nevis because of its zigzag footpath; indeed, 100,000 people do every year and Rhys Jones attempts to run to the half-way point.
Rhys Jones hails Scottish literature (especially Sir Walter Scott's Waverley) as the catalyst for tourism in the region, and the West Highland Line's run over the marshy Rannoch Moor is an example of Victorian engineering innovation.
The range runs for 268 miles from the Derbyshire Peak District to the Scottish borders, and in order to traverse it, Rhys Jones procures a Volkswagen Transporter.
The highest point in the Pennines is Cross Fell, and the presenter visits it in inclement weather to find a stream, the River Tees, which provides water for the area.
He then views a limestone pavement at Malham Cove, whose cliff wall allows him to practise the art of yodelling, before descending into the Derbyshire caves – specifically Giant's Hole.
He visits England's highest pub as it plays host to a latter-day War of the Roses in the form of a ladies' darts match between Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Finally, the presenter participates in a recreation of the mass trespass of Kinder Scout, which eventually led to the right to roam being enshrined in British law.
The human presence has left its mark: Rhys Jones accompanies Robin Kevan, a retired social worker who collects Snowdon's litter.
In Dinorwic Quarry, Rhys Jones meets with Johnny Dawes to witness him scale a near-smooth, 70 feet (21 m)-high slate wall with apparent ease.
Finally, Rhys Jones accompanies George Band, the youngest member of John Hunt's successful 1953 Mount Everest expedition (and now aged 77), on an ascent of Tryfan.
[9] An accompanying 256-page hardback book, Mountain: Exploring Britain's High Places by Griff Rhys Jones (ISBN 0718149890), was published by Michael Joseph Ltd on 26 July 2007.