Thousands of fans of mountains and movies have converged on South Cumbria for one of the country's most unusual film festivals.

Visitors to the Kendal Mountain Film Festival have filled hotels and guest houses in an area which was hit badly by last year's foot-and-mouth outbreak.

It is the third festival of its kind and has been staged at several sites, including the Rheged cultural centre, Kendal leisure centre and the town's Brewery arts centre.

The festival, which has Sir Chris Bonnington as its patron, featured documentaries and sports films.

Final cut

The highlight of the week-long festival, which concludes on Sunday, features a woman from Cumbria in her 60s, who had a film made about her ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Cumbrian author and historian Audrey Salkeld, from Penrith, climbed the tallest peak in Africa as part of a five-strong team aged from 13 to 64.

Her experiences in Tanzania were revealed in a final cut of the film, which premiered at the festival.

Kilimanjaro - to the Roof of Africa, follows the progress of the trekkers up the 19,340ft mountain.

Tourism minister Dr Kim Howells also attended a special event featuring some of the world's greatest extreme film-makers.