The real star of BBC2's The Trip, which concluded on Monday night, has not been Steve Coogan or Rob Brydon, but the stunning landscapes of north-west England. Viewers have drooled over not just these epic winter vistas, but the hostelries and fine-dining establishments the two comedians have notched up with relish along the way. The show has been to the Lakes, Lancashire and the Dales what the 2004 hit movie Sideways – again, two self-absorbed men on an epicurean road trip – was to California's wine country. And the restaurants and hotels featured say the phone hasn't stopped ringing since.
"Compared with the same period last year, we've seen occupancy up 12.8%," says Andrew McPherson, manager at Holbeck Ghyll, the Lake Windermere hotel from episode three. "I estimate that we've seen £18,000 worth of extra business as a result." He says the series has been "as good a half-hour advert for the Lake District as you could ever ask for. We're hoping it will have the so-called 'Hobbit effect' as seen in New Zealand because the rights have apparently been sold to show it as a film in America next year."
Simon Rogan, chef and proprietor at the Michelin-starred L'Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria, has also had an exceptionally busy month, but admits he had some reservations about taking part: "We were a bit worried, as you open yourself up for ridicule by letting two comedians in to film. The scene where they referred to one dish as 'Ray Winstone's snot' was a bit derogatory, but we all had a laugh about it. Hopefully it will benefit not just us, but everyone in the area."
Local tourist officials expect The Trip to fuel the popularity of culinary road trips. "Since foot-and-mouth hit us a decade ago, we've seen a food revolution here in the Lake District," says a spokesman for Cumbria Tourism. "The Trip has really helped to push us beyond the stereotype that all we eat here is Kendal mint cake."
