Sir Chris Bonington is Britain’s best known mountaineer.

He’s made 19 expeditions to the Himalayas, climbed Mount Everest and made history as the first-ever Briton to defeat the North Face of the Eiger.

But his illustrious climbing career started in more humble, local beginnings.

Sir Chris – who turned 80 back in August – made his first climb in Kent, on Harrison’s Rocks just outside Tunbridge Wells.

The sandstone crag, which stands at about 15 metres high, played an integral part in launching the career of Sir Chris. He visited the rocks for his first-ever go, after discovering climbing by chance, and immediately found a natural affinity with the challenge.

“Harrison’s Rocks are very, very important to me,” Sir Chris said.

“You can climb to the limit there and it is technically very hard. From that very first day, climbing has dominated my life and continued to do so until the present day.”

Now – 64 years after his first ascent aged 16 – the Lake District resident is returning to his Kentish climbing roots. But he won’t be donning his harness and hard hat, instead, Sir Chris will pick up a microphone and hit the Assembly Halls Theatre stage in Tunbridge Wells, just a few miles up the road from the site of his first-ever climb.

He’s bringing his Life and Times lecture show to the county on Sunday, October 5, in which he charts a lifetime spent climbing to the top of the world.

With so much history to cram in, it was tough to pick what to include in the show.

His first visit to the Alps plays a key part in the illustrated lecture, as does his conquering of the North Face of the Eiger in 1962, which helped launch his career as he began to tame the most notorious mountains across the globe.

“I show the audiences an adventurous, exciting career,” he said.

“The message I hope I give is that you should follow and pursue the things that you love doing – anyone can do almost anything, provided they’ve got a certain amount of natural talent and work very hard.”

The show, which lasts 90 minutes and includes photo and video slides, isn’t just about the ups. Over the years, Sir Chris has faced true tragedy and these sad experiences play a key part in the presentation.

“I have to tell the story,” he explains.

“Climbing, especially at altitude, is incredibly dangerous and an awful lot of my friends have died – and an awful lot of my friends have died on expeditions that I have led. That is the risk that we’ve all got to take.”

Despite the sadness, Sir Chris is looking forward to returning to Kent.

“That’ll be very special because I’ve obviously got a terrific sense of tradition by coming back to my roots and beginnings in Tunbridge Wells,” he finished.

“Sadly, I’m in the middle of doing a busy lecture tour and can’t go for a climb at Harrison’s Rocks but it’s great to come back – for me it will be very nostalgic.”

Life and Times with Sir Chris Bonington is a theatre lecture tour which visits the Assembly Hall Theatre, in Tunbridge Wells, on Thursday, January 22. It is suitable for ages 10 and over and tickets cost £19.50, concessions £12. The show starts at 7.30pm. Visit www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk or call 01892 530613.

Harrison's Rocks

Harrison’s Rocks are near the Sussex and Kent border one mile south of Groombridge, just outside Tunbridge Wells. The soft sandstone crag is a popular destination with rock climbers. It is the biggest of the cluster of local outcrops known by climbers as Southern Sandstone.

It is managed by the British Mountaineering Council and owned by the Harrison’s Rocks Management Group – which is a group of local climbers – with funding support from the English Sports Council.

All climbs at Harrison’s are relatively short but offer a good challenge, with around 200 short climbs available. Details at www.thebmc.co.uk