Well known Lake District Peak For Sale, But Who Owns Our High Profile Mountains?

The decision of The Earl of Lonsdale, Hugh Lowther, to sell Blencathra the 2850 ft (869m) peak in the Lake District is certainly interesting news.  Not many British mountains become available during your average working day, but it has also served to shine the spotlight on the ownership of other mountains in Britain.

Blencathra - yours for the best part of £2 million

With modern legislation and relaxed access attitudes, we take their accessibility to the public for granted, but of the Top Ten mountains as highlighted by Trail Magazine who has the title deeds safely tucked up in the bank?

The top rated mountain, Tryfan in Snowdonia, along with at least part of another five in the top ten has the National Trust as its owner. It was gifted a number of fells in 1923 by the Fell and Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District.

Second in the poll, carried out at the beginning of the year by Trail magazine, was Helvellyn, England's third highest peak, which is shared between the Lake District National Park Authority, on the east side, and United Utilities, on the west.

The summit of Snowdon, which came third in the poll, is jointly owned by the Snowdonia National Park Authority, the National Trust and a private estate, the park authority said.

Two of the other Scottish peaks in the top 10 are owned by charitable organisations.

Suilven, in the northern Highlands, was purchased in 2005 by community group The Assynt Foundation, while the upper slopes of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest peak, are owned by the John Muir Trust, named after the Scot who was credited with helping to establish the US's national parks.

The John Muir Trust is weighing up the possibility of bidding for Blencathra, its chief executive Stuart Brooks said on the social media site, Twitter. But the National Trust will not be adding the mountain to its portfolio, also using Twitter to say that this was because of the "existing high levels of protection and public access".

Trail magazine editor Simon Ingram said Blencathra was, for many people, "the perfect Lake District mountain", and the idea of it being sold was "surreal".
But whoever owns the mountain tops in years to come, climbing up there shouldn't be a problem - the Countryside Rights of Way Act 2000 covers mountains and moorland in England and Wales, while Scotland's "right to roam" laws allow widespread access to walkers.

The Top Ten mountains as shown in the Trail Magazine poll are as follows:

• Tryfan, Snowdonia, north Wales
• Helvellyn, Lake District, England
• Snowdon, Snowdonia, north Wales
• An Teallach, northwest Highlands, Scotland
• Buachaille Etive Mor, central Highlands, Scotland
• Great Gable, Lake District, England
• Blencathra, Lake District, England
• Ben Nevis, central Highlands, Scotland
• Suilven, northern Highlands, Scotland
• Liathach, northwest Highlands, Scotland

                                  What Trail Magazine has to say on the subject