A POPULAR Lake District man best known for founding the hugely respected travel company The Mountain Goat has passed away aged 81.

Chris Taylor started up the business after returning to the UK in 1972 after a spell living in Australia.

His father, who was originally from the London area, had retired to the Coniston area and when Mr Taylor arrived there, he noted the growing numbers of tourists visiting the areas.

And he spotted an opening when he realised there were hardly any regular services across the mountain passes that tourists, walkers and climbers could use.

Mr Taylor began his business with a single bus which he drove on a route over the Kirkstone Pass from Windermere to Glenridding and back.

And within two to three years, he had expanded the operation to five buses and ran additional services to Hawkshead and Tarn Hows and to Wastwater via the Wrynose and Hardknott passes.

He also renamed the company ‘Mountain Goat’ after a passenger said the buses reminded him of such creatures as they battled over the fells.

In 1976, the company acquired a pre-war Bedford OB 29 seater bus which, painted in the company colours of white and green, was affectionately known as ‘Li’le Billy’ and became a familiar sight on the Kirkstone pass run even though it famously had a sliding roof which was not wholly waterproof.

The company continued to expand, acquiring larger coaches and an operational base in Keswick, and also began providing package holidays built around guest house or hotel accommodation.

Mr Taylor was also a fount of unconventional ideas, saving the business huge amounts when he and company engineer Chris Dobson converted Ford and Renault vans into buses rather than buying expensive ready made minibuses.

Mountain Goat were also one of the first companies to convert their petrol vehicles to run on environmentally friendly LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas).

Mr Taylor eventually sold up in the late 1990s and retired to the Isle of Wight.

He had a lucky escape around 10 years ago when he collapsed while driving and his life was saved by CPR given by an off-duty policeman in a following car.

Sadly, his health deteriorated in later years and he died peacefully in Trinity Hospice, Clapham, London, surrounded by his family, just four days short of his 82nd birthday.

Mr Taylor, who will be greatly missed, leaves a wife, Carol, children Ben and Charlotte and grandchildren Ottilie and Cecilia.

The funeral is being held today, Thursday May 2 at St Bartholomew’s Church, Haslemere.