How many wainwrights are there

Wainwright was a fell walker and author of a seven-volume pictorial guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between , which became the definitive guidebooks to walking the Lake District Mountains and are still considered classics to this day. Each of the books describes each of the fells and the area which surrounds it, with plenty of helpful information and beautiful hand-drawn pictures.

He has helped and inspired many walkers for the past forty years, and he was awarded an MBE for it. Alfred Wainwright at work. Photo: Cumbria Archive Centre, Kendal. As there are so many Wainwrights to explore, it means there is a real variety of fells in terms of terrain and incline level which is great as it means there really is something for everyone. Some of the more popular fells that people of an average fitness level can enjoy include Catbells, Hallin Fell and High Rigg, Binsey.

Latrigg is one of the lowest fells, and so it's a great walk for almost everyone that still boasts beautiful views. Although they are not the highest at m and m respectively, the ascents are steep making them a real physical challenge. Beautiful golden light over the popular Catbells.

Planning is a crucial aspect of Wainwright bagging, not just from a route planning perspective but a safety one as well. When planning your route , you must consider many factors such as the weather, terrain and is everyone who's going of the same ability.

The Wainwrights will not need any special mountaineering gear as you can walk all of them without the need to climb. Your general essentials should include a map, compass, torch, whistle, watch, and first aid kit. Although you cannot rely on your phone for a lot of the journey, as there will be no signal, still make sure that you charge it fully before the trip — it can act as an excellent tool for different situations.

Before you leave, you should let someone know of your intended route and estimated time of return. Even on a fine day, the weather high up can change quickly, so if you don't return at least someone can alert local rescue teams. There are excellent and experienced rescue services all around the Lake District to help you if you ever should need it. Pink skies over Skiddaw and Blencathra. Once the planning is done, and you have covered the safety aspects, all that's left to do is to get out there and enjoy walking the Wainwrights!

If you are determined and focused it is possible to tackle all of the fells within a month, fell runner Steve Birkinshaw completed them in just six days and 13 hours. With that said, most people take their time when walking them as it is a much better experience to take in all of the beauty that the Lake District has to offer.

The fells are perfect places for creative souls; there is so much to sketch, photograph and write about; countless amounts of people have created beautiful works from their inspiration of the fells. A great way to keep track of how many Wainwrights you have completed and which Wainwrights you have left to complete is by getting a map where you can tick them off as you go along, or test your memory with the Top Wainwright card game!

Please feel free to leave a comment below of what your favourite Wainwrights are! From 4 October, the European climbing dream has become easier, as Covid travel restrictions have been reduced. Read more about the Covid-travel FAQs here. Almost inevitably with lists there becomes a sense of friendly competition, which Wainwright himself would no doubt frown upon:. Wainwright arranged the fells into volumes by their location, for example the Western Fells. Tackling all volume by volume is a logical approach, providing seven significant milestones that help break the enormity of it all into bite-sized chunks.

However, this volume by volume approach doesn't lend itself to taking an optimal route. The fastest route will minimise distance and ascent, whilst also taking into account the ground underfoot. To get through one volume in 24 hours is a considerable achievement.

In Chris Bland from Borrowdale attempted to do a book a day for seven consecutive days. In that single week he completed five out of the seven, and got about two-thirds through each of the other two. In Alan Heaton decided to tackle all in an order that linked them by the best route - not book by book. Starting and finishing at the Moot Hall in Keswick - where most Lakeland endurance fell running feats begin and end - Alan experienced trouble with his feet.

After 5 days he visited hospital and was put on a course of antibiotics. He finished after 9 days, 16 hours and 42 mins. Enter Joss Naylor. A Wasdale sheep farmer with a string of endurance fell running records and fell racing wins to his name. Not bad for a man who as a teenager was told he should not take part in strenuous activity and who spent five years in a special corset for his back. To top it off, before he took up running he even had two discs removed from his back and all the cartilage from a knee!

He made a Wainwright attempt in , modifying Alan's route to one he felt was more efficient. He ran through a heatwave, cut holes in his shoes to release the pressure on his ankles, suffered from terrible blisters, and struggled to eat.

He stood on top of his last Wainwright within a week of starting, and ran back to touch the door of the Moot Hall 7 days, 1 hour and 25 minutes after starting. In this time he spent a total of just 44 hours resting. Perhaps unsurprisingly, for 28 years his record stood unbeaten - a huge testament to the achievement of Joss. Then, in , Threlkeld based Steve Birkinshaw set out to beat it. An accomplished fell runner winner of the Dragon's Back Race — which heads down the spine of Wales Steve spent many hours improving the optimal Wainwright route.

As he points out, there are no computer programmes to answer this question, just a lot of hard graft poring over maps for hours on end. Steve set out on a sub 7 day schedule, aiming to cover a distance of km and over 35, metres of ascent not forgetting 35, metres of descent. Some of the walks are as Stuart detailed them and some are designed with changes made by myself.

For example I have moved the accomplishment of High Raise in the Langdales from Route 14 to Route 12 as I determined the change makes the particular walks more balanced experiences.

I have actually done both walks myself and they feature in my Lake District section as do some more of the walks in this compilation. So here we go, follow the 36 routes and you will complete the Wainwright's in quick sharp time. Where routes are exactly complimentary to my walks in the Lake District the links will take you to my journey where you can read personal reflections and see some of the pictures I took along the way.

Important Note: I provide maps, statistics and route files in. For more extensive route guides I advise you to get hold of the 'Walking the Wainwright's' book by Stuart Marshall. I am always pleased to received feedback on the structure and content of the website.