Loved ones of hiker Esther Dingley have said they will scatter her ashes “in places close to her heart” after she was found dead in the Pyrenees.

The 37-year-old’s body and equipment were found together earlier this month.

Her family, including partner Dan Colegate, say they will hold an intimate cremation near the mountains she loved, once her body has been released by the authorities.

Ms Dingley disappeared in November last year after she went adventuring alone in the Pyrenees, with her remains discovered nine months later following extensive searches by specialist teams in France and Spain.

Mr Colegate, 38, had spent months looking for her to no avail.

The Durham couple, who met at Oxford University, began travelling around Europe in a campervan six years ago and blogged about their adventures.

Ms Dingley was on a three-day solo trek when she disappeared. Her death is being treated as an accident but a full investigation is under way, according to overseas crisis charity LBT Global.

Ms Dingley’s mother Ria and stepdad Terry joined Mr Colegate in paying tribute, thanking the public and LBT Global for their support.

In a statement, they said: “Dan, Ria and Terry are saddened by the passing of their beloved Esther who, after nine painful months of uncertainty, has now been found among the mountains she loved so much.

“In lieu of cards and flowers, the family ask that people consider a donation to the charity Sightsavers, who work to tackle preventable blindness around the world.

“This is a charity Esther long supported in line with her commitment to sharing the beauty of the planet.”

A fundraising page, Remembering Esther, has been set up at this GoFundMe link and has already surpassed its £5,000 target.

Messages sent with any donations, or to [email protected], will be read out at the funeral service.

Related posts:

More than 100 people arrested at ‘Kill the Bill’ protest in central London Snow day! UK braced for ‘bitterly cold’ Easter Monday with flurries in some parts Man held by police despite winning legal fight over his British citizenship released Post Office contacts hundreds more postmasters who may have been wrongfully prosecuted Minister defends ‘cautious’ holidays restart amid industry criticism ‘Glimmer of hope’ for breweries after pub reopenings beat expectations Southgate says Germany hoodoo ‘is an irrelevance’ for his young England team How Britain’s taekwondo athletes went from training at Asda to medal success in Tokyo More than one million children in England were off school for COVID-related reasons towards end of term Women in British army facing bullying, sexual harassment and assault, study finds One of world’s first postage stamps to fetch up to £6m at auction Cosmetic surgery adverts targeting teenagers to be banned from next year