Harry Griffin MBE

Born in Liverpool in 1911 he moved to Barrow-in-Furness as a young boy and eventually to Cunswick End, two miles from Kendal. Every fortnight, for fifty-three years, he wrote his Lake District Country Diary column for The Guardian.

When I moved south to work in 1969 his Diaries kept me in touch with home. I enjoyed every one. His love and passion for the Lake District came through in his writing.

I met him briefly on Seat Sandal when I was doing a Bob Graham recce. He was sat with a colleague, taking in the view, puffing on his pipe.

I thought I would produce an image in homage to him and I chose this particular quote from a Country Diary from 1998. A Lifetime of Mountains is a collection of Harry Griffin’s Country Diaries edited by Martin Wainwright.