The Wainwrights
A General Overview
Alfred Wainwright wrote the best walking guides that have ever been released in this country. In broad terms they detail a variety of routes up individual peaks in the Lake District. There are 214 individual fells and each fell usually includes 3 or 4 routes to the summit, outlined in great deal and including text and a route guide. In addition each individual fell included a general description, a hand drawn map of the fell (taken from his own observations and the old 1 inch to 1 mile Bartholomew maps), ridge routes, a summit viewfinder, hand drawn illustrations (drawn from his own photography – not done on the hill) and quirky observations on significant features of the fell (such as Napes Needle on Great Gable). Each individual fell is then packaged in to his 7 separate guide books which form the different areas of the Lake District. He did add an 8th in his later years ‘Outlying Fells of the Lake District’ but his reputation and fame was established by the publication of the first 7, over 50 years ago.
Today they are still comfortably the most popular guide books of the Lakes; the detail, the humour and the accuracy combining to make them the first port of call for those walking in the Lakes. There is an argument that the routes he categorized have been altered in the intervening 40 to 50 years due to a number of factors; the main one being the number of walkers tramping variations of his original routes, paths being altered by the authorities to prevent erosion and alternate start points with the establishment of car parks rather than bus stations being the prime access to the fells. The improvement in mapping and in particular the publication of the O/S 1 to 25 series has usurped the guide book as the must have guide on the mountains, and so it should be. However even if Wainwright’s guide books are seen less on the hill than previous years they are still bought and read in massive numbers because they are simply a great read with detailed information in beautifully produced books. The simple fact that the pages of the books were hand written in a lovely personalised script expressing a genuine love and passion for the Lake District and the hills in particular should be enough for most of us with a similar ilk.
I was brought up with Wainwright and used them as a guide book on the fells; soon after my Dad stopped taking me on the hills Wainwright did. It was inevitable that I would want to tick them all and I have described my memories of them below but unlike the Munros the details are somewhat sketchy in retrospect. I am now closing on a second completion but many of the more famous fells I have done 10 or more times – I know them well. However I still go back to the Wainwright guide books regularly, rarely for the route (I prefer using maps and planning my own routes) but more because I appreciate his philosophy on walking and his unbridled enthusiasm for being on the hills. Many books now carry the Wainwright name but aside from the guide books the only one worthy of reading is the excellent ‘Fellwanderer’. Not really an autobiography Fellwanderer rambles on about the experiences that Wainwright remembers best about his times in the fells; night walks, surreptitious visits to popular summits, differing weather conditions and simply why he was there. With today’s obsession with safety, wearing the correct kit, sticking to the big paths and walking in large groups it is comforting to read that the best walker in the history of the Lakes, sneered at such conventions, preferred walking on his own, insisted the mountains were completely safe and that it was people getting in to trouble and not the fell itself creating problems.
Full List of the Hills
Coming soon…
Useful Links
There are 7 main guides in the Wainwright series split in to Geographical areas within the Lake District:
Eastern Fells
Far Eastern Fells
Central Fells
Southern Fells
Northern Fells
North Western Fells
Western Fells
There are two further Wainwright books I heartily recommend; his 8th guide book which details the ‘Outlying Fells of the Lake District’ and the closest book he ever wrote about himself ’Fellwanderer’ – quite excellent.
The official website for the Wainwright Society is at www.wainwright.org.uk
My Personal Journey
I am writing this well after completing the Wainwright fells for the first time (1991) so it is a random set of thoughts based upon memories combining first and subsequent visits to the fells. The Wainwright guides did have a couple of fundamental flaws when confronted with planning the walks. The first problem is that a number of the fells barely register as hills with the shortest climb being so insignificant from its neighbouring peak that it really failed to justify any entry as a separate mountain; the second problem was that it is difficult to create a proper walk from the guide books or to see the links to other neighbouring fells as Wainwright described each one of his 214 individual fells as if they should be climbed separately.
There is no doubt that some mountains are more worthy than others; it is the case when climbing the Munros but is more so whilst climbing the Wainwrights. This is bad enough when climbing the peaks for the first time but when hunting for the summit of Mungrisedale Common for the second time really does test the sanity – it did mine. There are groups of Wainwights to the west of Bassenthwaite, north and south of Ennerdale and dotted around Windermere and Coniston which are really a waste of time. They are usually trackless affairs (inevitably wet and boggy), I rarely met anyone on them and they are completely interchangeable. The acid test is if you would ever take anyone on them once you have visited them for the first time – I reckon the answer is certainly not to a good 1/4 of the Wainwrights.
In addition to the worthless lumps there are those fells situated on a ridge between more prominent peaks which are passed with barely a backward glance. These are mainly towards the eastern side of the Lakes on the long ridges of High Street, Kentmere and one of my absolute favourites , Helvellyn going north. From Helvellyn there is an 8 mile ridge to where it ends dramatically at Clough Head, a great ridge for walking but really worth only one extra peak on its length, Great Dodd. Wainwright added an extra 5 with a further top just off the main ridge. How many people have made Watson’s Dodd the sole objective on a separate walk? Not so many me thinks and those who have…… Small rises on long ridges or even insignificant satellites off more major fells (Pavey Ark springs to mind) account for at least another quarter of all Wainwrights. Therefore probably half of the Wainwrights are little more than lumps reducing the number of worthy fells to less than 100 and even then not all of them are worth of a visit. In many ways the Marilyns (500 foot ascent on all sides) of the Lakes give a more accurate picture of the mountains than the Wainwrights.
However the Marilyns only give us 55 fells (including some of Wainwright’s outliers and bizarrely a fell called Swinside on the banks of Derwentwater which Wainwright missed) in the Lakes and really only scratches the surface of what the Lakes and the Wainwright guides are about. As insignificant as the rise from the High Street ridge is Kidsty Pike is worthy of a visit and may be visited on its own, certainly for those looking for the nesting eagles, similar status go to Steeple, Fleetwith Pike, Bannerdale Crags and Whiteside amongst many other – simply great spots, worth being there. The ridge along to Whiteside from Hopegill Head is one of the very best in the Lakes, not hairy like Sharp or Striding Edge, but consistently steep sided with stunning views over the full Buttermere Valley. If including Whiteside as a Wainwright means more people tramp along to its summit then so it should be. Causey Pike and Catbells in the same area are two of my most climbed hills but they are both really just the terminus of a higher ridge, iconic landmarks which characterise so much that is good about the Lake District.
I love the smaller rugged peaks of the Lakes. The rocky outcrops, heather clad slopes and hidden hollows all criss crossed with sheep tracks which lead nowhere are all part of the variety that makes up the Lake District. I have just been up Hallin Fell, recently returned from Loughrigg Fell and they are fantastic family peaks. I am told by my eldest daughter that a lot of walks are boring; however if there is a little bit of mild scrambling this is deemed acceptable. Hallin Fell was interesting and heaven forbid fun! Other fells that fall in to this category are Gowbarrow Fell above Aira Force, Angletarn Crags and Place Fell near Patterdale, Glaramara, Harter Fell and even little Gummer’s How to the south of Windermere. They are a long way from the Lakeland giants or the long ridges of the east but they involve less effort to get up and defy the rule that the greater the effort the greater the satisfaction. Wainwright himself had his ashes sprinkled on one; beautiful yet rugged Haystacks.
So where is the best Wainwright? My view is biased but I have visited the top of Blencathra (or as I was brought up – Saddleback) about 20 times and fannied around its slopes innumerable times. It is a tremendous mountain, steep serrated edges to the south, lonely moorland to the north and a perfect summit. I have slept twice on the summit, once a reckless ascent after a face full of beers, the other a more controlled climb from the north as I practised a variety of navigational skills a couple of weeks before my ML assessment. Experiencing sun rise from the summit of Blencathra is one of the great experiences; the sun rises over Cross Fell and its Pennine neighbours creating a wonderful light and views that is something that will live with me forever. Camp high if you can, it is an unforgettable experience. I am sure I was still full of Jennings bitter as I headed down after my first overnight stay. Wainwright named 6 favourite fells and Blencathra was one of them, myself I put Blencathra top of the pile without competition.
I have always found something dramatic (even slightly scary) about Pillar and Steeple. When I was young I clearly remember my dad setting off from Threlkeld to Wasdale with my older brothers for an epic trip up Pillar and Steeple – forget Everest this was the mountain trip of a lifetime. Much later I camped at Wasdale Head and it seemed fairly straightforward, it must be the inaccessibility of the Wasdale Hills which create the impression that there is something special around Pillar. The reality is that there isn’t although Steeple overlooking Ennerdale is a dramatic and fantastic viewing point. I am really looking forward to a return visit to Wasdale Head in a few weeks though partly as the valley reminds me so much of some of the more remote Scottish glens. The hills are relatively empty and the walking is therefore more exciting than other areas of the Lakes…more of an adventure. The hills round Ennerdale should be similar but forestry has done untold damage, nothing stands out although I do prefer climbing the Red Pike trio from here rather than the steep slog from Buttermere.
I climbed Scafell Pike as a young teenager, we crossed to Scafell on the same trip via Lord’s Rake and returned via 3 Tarns. My dad refused to take responsibility for ending our days on Broad Stand, visiting it years later I don’t blame him. It was a hot day and we never seemed to be take much water, I am sure I was wearing green flash gym shoes as well but I got the batch at the end of the day and as I remember that was all that counted. The whole Scafell massif is one large stony plateau, not what I find particularly attractive, but I always have a feeling of pleasure when I am breaking my feet on the summit slopes. Great End is a great view point, Scafell I prefer climbing from the south and the excitement of Great Gable has always passed me by. I am off hunting for Napes Needle in the next few weeks, a route I have never been up, preferring the boring trudges over Green Gable from Borrowdale or Honister Pass.
I would include Langdale valley in the central belt, the core of the Lake District. Crinkle Crags is in my top 5 mountains, I have climbed it in balmy summer conditions, a frozen winter and the more normal cloudy westerly but whichever it is a fascinating rocky ridge with much to enjoy. Over the other side I remember regular visits up Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle, Jack’s Rake and Easy Gully part of my upbringing – I was so confident on the hill that I even took my daughter up Easy Gully in a back pack, however like my father on Broad Stand years earlier I did not take on the more difficult option. Lingmoor Fell is a smaller, less well known little gem not to be ignored in the valley. As the years go on some of the lesser peaks become more important rather than just trying to grab a ‘name’ Still attached to the central Lakeland massif I have always enjoyed climbing Glaramara, partly it is the name but it is a wonderful little peak, full of interest and I chose Glaramara 5 years ago as my peak when the Wainwright Society put someone on the peak of every single one at roughly the same one.
The great thing though about climbing the Wainwrights is that the options are endless, whether you have or have not completed them is irrelevant. There are endless routes, endless combination of fells and endless weather conditions, I will certainly go on as long as the legs will carry me, Wainwright once said that anyone who cannot get up Gummer’s How on the banks of Windermere should put away his boots and put on his slippers, I was up last week so I am still ok.
