In a highly critical letter, published in The Times, Lord Melvyn Bragg calls for urgent action to stop the charity destroying “what centuries of working men and women have created”.
His remarks come after the National Trust outbid Cumbrian Herdwick farmers to buy a large swathe of land at Thorneythwaite Farm – but not the farmhouse.
The land is home to 413 hefted Herdwicks, although the shepherd has left, and there are concerns over the future of the sheep.
The National Trust reportedly paid £950,000 for the 303 acres, which had a guide price of £750,000.
Farmers and residents of the Borrowdale Valley say the charity’s actions have deprived future generations of farming families.
In his letter, Lord Bragg, who lives in High Ireby, wrote: “The trust considers itself beyond criticism, yet has behaved very badly. It put in a bid way above that which was reasonable for the land, thus making it impossible for local farmers to get a look in. It was a nasty piece of work.
Lord Bragg “The Lake District has been nominated to become a Unesco world heritage site because of its historic farming system and rare native Herdwick sheep, which flourish in Borrowdale.
“If the increasingly arrogant National Trust is there to protect anything of our past, surely this is a prime example.”
He continues: “This is precisely what hill farmers have been doing for hundreds of years and in the process kept together a hard-working, skillful and irreplaceable community.
“The hill farmers are critical to the preservation of the Lake District in every aspect.”
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A spokesman for the trust said it wanted the land for its value to wildlife.
“We believe we can look after this land in a way that benefits nature, visitors and the local community,” he said.
“Managing the land is the best way for us to secure the long term future health of this special landscape, given our available resources.”
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