Lady Cobham with, from left, Clive Allen, Steve Scott, and James Berresford. Photo: Karen Dexter

An outdoors festival that attracts more than 10,000 visitors has knocked a test-cricket event for six in a tourism contest.

The Kendal Mountain Festival beat the Trent Bridge Ashes Test and the Elemental Force event to win gold at the VisitEngland awards.

The Cumbrian gathering was named tourism event of the year at the agency’s awards for excellence this week.

VisitEngland’s chief executive James Berresford said: “We received hundreds of applications of an exceptionally high quality making the competition for a gold award extremely tough.

“It is therefore a tremendous achievement for Kendal Mountain Festival to win a gold award, the highest accolade for excellence in tourism.

“They have raised the bar for excellence for others to aspire to and I warmly congratulate them on their exemplary contribution to tourism in this country.”

Clive Allen, one of the three Kendal Mountain Festival directors alongside Steve Scott and Matt Burke, said: “It’s a huge award, and a massive tribute to all involved.

“The judges recognised that ‘Kendal’ is the biggest and best event for outdoor enthusiasts in the UK, attracting well over 10,000 people each November, and bringing over £2m into the local economy.

“We’d like to thank our sponsors, many of whom have partnered with us for many years, and who recognise it’s a hugely effective way to reach a big, grassroots audience. And of course the award is a brilliant thumbs-up to our organising team.

“With recent developments such as our link-up with Channel 4 television, and a new KMF on the Edge summer event in Langdale this July, it’s an exciting time for us.”

The three directors received the award from Viscountess Cobham, chair of VisitEngland, at a ceremony at Cheltenham Racecourse.