Mystery Lakeland tea-for-two in woods 'not abandoned'

Charlotte said her client wanted a "private birthday surprise" and she had picked a secluded location

The mystery of a seemingly abandoned afternoon tea in a remote Lake District wood has been solved.

A company which stages romantic occasions said it set up the event on Monday to celebrate a birthday for a couple who were on holiday in the area.

It had been thought the leftovers, found above Blea Tarn, had been discarded by thoughtless picnickers

However, Charlotte Manning from company DateMate said the food, table and chairs were cleared away in four hours.

Ms Manning said the event was organised by a couple from Staffordshire who were spending a week's holiday in the Lake District.

She had picked the location because she was looking for a "beautiful forest and secluded area".

"My client came to me with the intention of creating a private birthday surprise while they were holidaying in the Lakes, which is why we chose the forest area, away from the footpath," she said.

The man had ordered an afternoon tea of sausage rolls, cheese and biscuits, scones and cakes, along with fruit and a bottle of champagne as a treat for his partner.

Charlotte Manning said she returned to the woodland to clear everything away four hours after she set it up

Because the location in woodland at the north end of Blea Tarn was so remote, about 300ft (91m) from the path, getting the hired table and chairs to the setting was difficult, Ms Manning said.

"My fiancé helped me lug all the equipment from the road to the woodland, and it took us about four trips to set it all up," she said.

"By the end of the afternoon I'd done about 25,000 steps."

She said once the table was set up, she waited in the nearest car park until the man who had booked the surprise lunch drove past at 13:10 BST on Monday.

Once the couple left at about 15:30 she returned to the woods to clear everything away.

Local photographer Ashley Cooper said he had thought the table had been left behind by someone from the "Instagram generation"

Between the couple leaving and the table being cleared away, photographer Ashley Cooper from Ambleside found the scene.

Mr Cooper, who had thought it was an example of littering in the Lake District, took photos which he later tweeted.

Nearby hotels were contacted by the BBC but all said the set-up was nothing to do with them.

Ms Manning said "The couple had a beautiful day and expected that would be the end of it.

"Seeing this couple in the centre of a social media storm was a huge surprise for us as a business and the couple themselves."