Wainwright's Lake District 'connoisseur route' to be repaired

The ascent was described as "classic" by Wainwright in his book The Far Eastern Fells

A Lake District path expert fell walker Alfred Wainwright described as the "connoisseur's route" is to be repaired thanks to a charity set up in his name.

The Wainwright Society, formed after his death in 1991, has chosen Fix the Fells as its main beneficiary for 2017.

Up to £20,000 will be used to repair badly eroded Long Stile, the final ascent on to High Street summit between Ullswater and Haweswater.

A Fix the Fells spokesman said the group was "delighted" to be chosen.

Derek Cockell, secretary of The Wainwright Society, said: "Next year is the 60th anniversary of Wainwright's Far Eastern Fells book, which came out in 1957.

"We approached Fix the Fells and asked them if they had any paths that they were going to repair in that area and they told us about Long Stile which of course Wainwright pioneered as a wonderful route up High Street."

Alfred Wainwright produced his Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells between 1952 and 1966

Fix the Fells, which repairs eroded and damaged footpaths in the Lake District, is expected to complete the work in 2018 with the help of National Trust rangers and Lake District National Park Authority volunteers.

Mr Wainwright, who was born in 1907, was a significant figure for Cumbria, compiling drawings of 214 fells over more than 10 years of exploration in the 1950s and 60s.

The Wainwright Society was formed to keep alive the things he promoted through his guidebooks.