AN illustrator who recreated Alfred Wainwright’s famous fell sketches in watercolour and an iconic waterfall have triumphed in a national contest.

Teesdale Artist Andy Beck has been awarded Book of the Year in the annual BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards for Wainwrights in Colour, a “labour of love” inspired by the fell walker’s pictorial guides.

The artist, who lives at Bowes, spent ten years taking photographs from the same locations as Wainwright stood in more than 60 years ago, and reproduced 1,500 scenes in colour.

Last year, Mr Beck scooped the Outdoor Book of the Year prize in The Great Outdoors Magazine Awards.

High Force in Upper Teesdale, meanwhile, was named runner up in the Landmark of the Year category, narrowly missing out to the Minack Theatre in Cornwall.

The waterfall, which attracts thousands of visitors a year, forms where the River Tees crosses the Whin Sill and carries the largest volume of water over an unbroken drop in England.

Fergus Collins, editor of BBC Countryfile Magazine , said: “To have nearly 30,000 people vote in our awards shows how passionate they are about the British countryside they love. “

He added: “I’d like to congratulate the 20 very worthy winners and runners up and thank everyone for taking part.”