Skiddaw has long stood proud in the northern Lake District, a distinctive, treeless peak that is England’s sixth highest mountain. But now the fell’s barren heights will spring back to life after its purchase for rewilding by Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

More than 1,200 hectares of Skiddaw Forest, once a royal hunting ground, will become England’s highest nature reserve and the UK’s biggest project to restore Atlantic rainforest, after the site came up for sale for £6.25m.

“We can’t believe it, to be honest,” said Stephen Trotter, the chief executive of Cumbria Wildlife Trust. “It’s not every day you get the chance to buy a mountain – in fact, you never get the chance, especially in the Lake District. It’s really exciting to have the opportunity to put some nature back into this landscape.”