Walking the Wainwrights: 64 Walks to Climb the 214 Wainwrights of Lakeland

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Wainwrights are the 214 English peaks (known locally as fells) described in Alfred Wainwright's seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells (1955–66). They all lie within the boundary of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, and all but one (Castle Crag) are over 1,000 feet (304.8m) in height. [a] Over two million copies of the Pictorial Guides have been sold since their publication. [1] In 1974, Wainwright published a supplementary volume The Outlying Fells of Lakeland (1974), which includes another 116 summits (described in 56 walks); these are the Wainwright Outlying Fells. [2] [3] Sitting in the far eastern fells, the hill is part of a 15.1km Fusedale Circuit which features in Karen and Dan's book, with 860m of ascent involved. If you fancy bragging about bagging half a dozen Wainwrights during your Lake District holiday but don’t feel like your legs are quite up to scaling over 3,000 feet up the dizzying heights of Scafell or Helvellyn and the likes, or if you are coming on holiday with children and are looking for lower, safer summits to conquer without missing out on the spectacular scenery the Lakes has to offer then we’ve put together a list of some the easier, but no less rewarding, fells to climb during your stay.

If you’re starting out, though, you perhaps don’t want to be reaching for the highest heights right away. Wainwrights such as England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, and the infamous ridge of Helvellyn can be left for another day. For now, why not warm up and ease yourself into it with these easy Wainwright walks? They’re the perfect Lake District walks for beginners! Scafell Pike, one of the Lakes’ most well-known mountains (or range, as Wainwright argues), deserves respect. Standing at 978 meters, it’s England’s highest mountain, doubling up as a National Trust war memorial.

This is a particularly pleasant walk from the centre of Grasmere village and is likely to be a quieter affair than the previous, popular Loughrigg walk. The views, however, are as just as impressive, and you may just get them all to yourself! The walk begins down a lane next to the Emma’s Dell café signposted “Allan Bank”. Continue down the lane and cross a cattle grid into Allan Bank and when you reach the fork in the road take the lane to the right and follow it until you see a signpost for “Silver How” on the left. Pass through a gate into a field and bear left to follow the wall. Climb to where the field narrows and enter the narrow stony gulley. After about 100m climb out and continue on up to another gateway. Go through onto the open fellside and bear left. Continue on the grassy path above a gill and past some spikey juniper bushes, (crush a berry to release the smell of gin!). Veer left and after around 200m you reach Wray Gill. Bear left on a narrow path to drop down into it and cross the river. Once on the other side follow the path across the plateau to the obvious hill ahead. Your destination is marked with a summit cairn. From here you can enjoy a beautiful 360-degree view of the Langdale Pikes, Grasmere, Helm Crag and the surrounding countryside. A full description of this walk and a route map can be found below.

W. A. Poucher – whose mountain guidebook style and intensive use of photographs were in contrast to Wainwright's. Wainwright Bagging” has become a popular challenge over the years. If you haven’t heard of it, it involves climbing to the top of all 214 Cumbrian fells that author Alfred Wainwright described in his famous walking guides. It’s an amazing way to see different parts of the Lake District and to challenge yourself to get to know the mountains. Smith, Bob (7 May 2022). "Runner John Kelly sets new record for completing round of Wainwright fells". Grough . Retrieved 9 May 2022.Wainwright felt that, although Castle Crag wasn’t technically a fell, he couldn’t help but include it because of its rugged beauty. And quite right too. There’s something uniquely interesting about it. Runner sets a new record summiting all 214 Wainwrights". ITV News. 20 June 2019 . Retrieved 20 June 2019.

The Wainwright Guides – A Third Edition of the Walks". wainwrightguides.co.uk. 21 February 2014 . Retrieved 6 April 2014. Important Note: I provide maps, statistics and route files in .gpx and Google Earth .kmz data forms for each walk in the compilation. Presently the 'Walking the Wainwright's' book is not available. Listed below are two alternative Wainwright's completion books, the first to be done in 45 walks and the second in 64 walks. This lot are some of the ‘less challenging’ in the collection, good to get you started and for building up your confidence. And don’t forget your camera – you’ll regret it! From here, the walk starts to be a little more strenuous as you head up to the summit of Gowbarrow Fell. Kurt, Alex (18 July 2016). "This Sheep-Farming Fell Runner Is Still Going Strong at 80". Trail Runner . Retrieved 16 December 2018.

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Hopefully, now you have a good understanding of the Wainwrights, their history and whether you’ve got the determination and fitness to climb them or not. It’s a magical feeling to even conquer just one of the beautiful fells; your journey will certainly inspire you and make you even more keen to climb the others. Please feel free to leave a comment below of what your favourite Wainwrights are! You can expect magnificent views, patches of woodland and easy grassy paths. It makes for a beautiful walk that will be manageable for most. The hardest walk in this collection is 12½ miles long and you can complete them all without any special equipment or knowledge. All you need is some good quality walking boots and clothing, food and water, accurate & up-to-date route instructions and the desire and stamina to do something truly memorable. We also have available a series of Seven Area Maps showing the locations of all 214 Wainwright fells with an outline of the 59 Walk the Wainwrights walks.

Wainwright, A (1955). A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Book 1: The Eastern Fells. London: Frances Lincoln. ISBN 0-7112-2454-4. It’s also manageable for beginners. A gentle stroll from Rosthwaite along the River Derwent will make for a good warm-up before visiting Lodore Falls Hotel for lunch or afternoon tea. 3. High Street Such is the artistry of nature,” pens Wainwright in his characteristically poetic way, “such is the mellowing influence of the passing years, that the scars of disarray and decay have been transformed in a romantic harmony, cloaked by a canopy of trees and a carpet of leaves… Naked of trees, Castle Crag would be ugly; with them, it has a sylvan beauty unsurpassed, unique.”The Jenkin Hill Path is the best route up to the summit of Skiddaw, made popular by the Victorians as a pony route for tourists. The panoramic views from the summit, however, are some of the best in the Lake District. 8. Scafell Pike Wainwright, A (1957). A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Book 2: The Far Eastern Fells. London: Frances Lincoln. ISBN 0-7112-2455-2.