A VETERAN climber, sailor and cyclist from Ambleside has died at the age of 82.

Frank Carroll crowned a lifetime of outdoor adventures by cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats at the age of 74, but that was only one of countless feats completed by a man who always lived life to the full.

Born in 1936 in Newcastle, Mr Carroll spent World War Two as an evacuee in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

As a teenager, his love of rock climbing began with lone climbs at Simonside near Newcastle.

His job as an apprentice plasterer left him free at weekends and his introduction to Lakeland rock was on Gimmer Crag in 1954.

Every possible weekend was spent staying at Wall End barn, Langdale for a shilling a night.

Mr Carroll was a founder member of the Langdale Mountain Rescue Team with Sid Cross and Frank Davies, and spent every summer in the Alps where in 1964 he was part of an unsuccessful first British attempt on the North wall of the Eiger.

A new chapter in his life came in the 1970s after he bought his son David a Mirror dinghy, and he subsequently competed in many events and once had to recover after his boat sank on Windermere.

However, he never lost first his love of rock, and still climbed into his late seventies.

Mr Carroll also took up cycling late in life to build up his leg muscles before undergoing a knee replacement in 2002, which sparked off his pedal passion.

After meeting former Langdale Chase owner Tom Noblett, together they planned that epic Land’s End to John O’Groats charity cycle ride in 2010 in aid of Kidscape, when he completed 1,360 miles in three weeks. Only recently, he bought himself an electric bike, and had planned to canoe along the 200-mile canal route from Liverpool to Hull, but sadly illness prevented his last big adventure.

A celebration of his life will be held at Ambleside Parish Centre on April 17.