Sir Chris Bonington

A roster of top names awaits festival-goers at a summer Lake District event.

Among speakers at this year’s Keswick Mountain Festival are elder statesman of climbing Sir Chris Bonington and two record-breaking ultrarunners, Nicky Spinks and Jasmin Paris.

Alan Hinkes, the only Briton to have summited successfully all the world’s 8,000m mountains, will also speak at the June event, along with Terry Abraham, who is working with the climber on a film account of his life.

Andy Beck, who has spent the past 10 years creating his own watercolour renditions of Alfred Wainwright’s Lakeland sketches, will also appear at the festival.

Organisers said more names will be added to the line-up soon.

Festival director Nicola Meadley said: “Once again, visitors to Keswick Mountain Festival will have the opportunity to hear from some amazing outdoor icons.

“For very different reasons, all of our speakers have earned huge renown in their field and they are all hugely engaging characters and speakers. Whether you’re a lover of climbing or running, or the art of capturing the outdoors on canvas or film, we have lined up some great shows at the Theatre by the Lake on 9 and 10 June.”

Jasmin Paris, left, and Nicky Spinks

The festival lectures kick off on the Friday with two of Britain’s top ultrarunners. In May 2016, Nicky Spinks became the fastest person ever to run a double Bob Graham Round, completing the feat in 45½ hours. She followed this by finishing 12th woman at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, adding the result to an already impressive list of long distance achievements.

Jasmin Paris also enjoyed an amazing 2016, hot on the heels of her phenomenal win – first woman and second overall – in the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race the previous year. During 2016, Paris set new women’s record times for the Lakeland Bob Graham Round and the Paddy Buckley in Wales and the fastest time overall for the Ramsay Round in Scotland. In addition, she was the sixth woman in the UTMB, secured bronze at the Skyrunning World Championships and won the Extreme Skyrunning World Series. Nicky Spinks and Jasmin Paris will speak together at an event chaired by Claire Maxted.

Andy Beck

On the Saturday, the focus of the speaker sessions will move to art, film-making and renowned climbers. The first speaker at will be artist Andy Beck. Inspired by Alfred Wainwright, Beck has undertaken a major, 10-year project of producing a watercolour sketch of each of the 1,500 illustrations drawn by Wainwright in his seven-volume Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. Andy Beck will tell tales from his odyssey and provide insights into how the scenes have changed in the 50 years between Wainwright’s project and his.

Next on stage will be arguably the UK’s most famous mountaineer, Sir Chris Bonington. Sir Chris will relate his very personal story of a lifetime of discovery, pushing the limits from his first climb at the age of 16 through to repeating his epic first ascent of the Old Man of Hoy at the age of 80. The six decades between those moments were packed with more first ascents, epic expeditions and incredible survival stories. Sir Chris will introduce some of the great characters from his innumerable adventures around the world and offer insights into the challenges of making a living from climbing while bringing up a family. The session will be illustrated by images and video from many of Sir Chris’s climbs to make for a very special evening.

Alan Hinkes, left, and Terry Abraham

The double act of mountaineer Alan Hinkes and award-winning film-maker Terry Abraham will bring the speaker schedule to a close with what is sure to be a lively and entertaining discussion about the documentary that they are working on together. Terry Abraham’s productions, Life of a Mountain: Scafell Pike, and Life of a Mountain: Blencathra, have received critical acclaim, and expectations are high for his latest project, a biographical film of the climbing legend. The film premiere is due for 14 October and the Keswick Mountain Festival session is a must for anyone who is keen to see exclusive early clips and hear the stories behind the making of the film.

Keswick Mountain Festival also promises a schedule of outdoor activities, live music, sport and family-friendly attractions, running from 8-11 June. More information and ticket sales are on the festival website.