A WALK across a notorious Lake District ridge ended in tragedy for an experienced mountaineer who stumbled and plunged 300 feet to his death.

Retired headmaster Martin Harris had travelled the world climbing some of its most treacherous peaks, but fell and broke his neck while on a hike across Striding Edge on Helvellyn.

Giving evidence at an inquest in Kendal, his long-time walking companion, retired GP Eric Simpson said that he and Mr Harris had been rock-climbing and walking together for 33 years.

The pair were regular visitors to the Lake District from their homes in Laughton, near Sheffield, and the previous day had climbed Blencathra without difficulties.

The hearing was told that on the day of the tragedy it was a beautiful spring morning, dry and sunny when they set off.

They had been on the ridge for about half an hour with Dr Simpson, aged 60, stopping occasionally for Mr Harris, aged 75, to catch up.

“I was about ten minutes ahead of him and I waited but he didn’t come. I left my ruck-sack and walked back shouting. There was a group of people, with one on the phone and two scrambling down the steep mountain side,” Dr Simpson told the inquest.

He then realised that his friend had fallen and carefully climbed down to him, but he was already dead.

Jonathan Bayes, one of the other walkers, said he saw a man who he had passed earlier stumble and fall sideways off the ridge.

Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team, air ambulance and an RAF helicopter were involved in recovering Mr Harris’s body which was taken to Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, where a post mortem examination was carried out by Dr Zouheir Maarouf.He gave a cause of death as a broken neck.

Mr Harris was said be on pain-killers for arthritis of the shoulders and neck, but was otherwise of robust good health with a cheery outlook on life and a great lover of outdoor pursuits.

His widow, Florence, said Mr Harris had picked up the climbing bug while serving as a science officer with the RAF in the 1960s.

They had lived in Kenya where he climbed Kilimanjaro, and frequently tackled the mountains in the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, including Mont Black and the Matterhorn, “by the tough routes.” He had later gone sports climbing in Spain and Turkey, and was a regular skier.

Coroner Robert Chapman recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

He said: “This was clearly a case of a fit man, albeit one of 75, having a pleasant trip out on a beautiful day. It is unclear what made him fall, but he stumbled and fell over the edge.”