Wainwright Society members hand over the donation

Aficionados of the late author Alfred Wainwright have raised thousands of pounds to help improve a footpath on a Lake District mountain.

Sales of the Wainwright Society’s annual calendar produced £9,100 and donations from members’ annual challenge boosted the total to £10,600.

The cash will go to the Fix the Fells organisation for work repairing the path on Long Stile, the final ascent on a route to the top of High Street.

The writer, who produced his famed Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells, considered the ascent from Mardale on the shore of Haweswater the finest approach to the mountain’s summit.

Fix the Fells programme manager Joanne Backshall said: “The Wainwright Society has raised a fantastic amount for Fix the Fells and we can’t thank everyone enough for all their hard work and contributions.

“The money will be spent on repairs to the path on the Long Stile ridge, where it steepens towards the summit plateau of High Street, because this has eroded into a loose, unpleasant gully.

“A helicopter lift is required to bring in stone to stabilise the gully and discourage use of the vegetated sides. The site is particularly remote and will require a long journey and walk to site for the rangers each day.

“The National Trust North Lakes Upland Rangers will first find and bag the stone to be flown to site, and then work for an anticipated 130 days on the repairs to this path. We hope all those enjoying this lovely part of the Lakes will appreciate the more resilient route created.”

The society will be producing a 2019 Calendar which will go on sale later this year. The profits from sales of the 2019 Calendar will be donated to the Great North Air Ambulance Service, the Wainwright Society’s main beneficiary for 2018.