Alfred Wainwright and the Wainwright Fells

No one could have foreseen the enormous impact that an impromptu bus journey with a friend on the 7th June 1930 would have on the English landscape. It was the catalyst for a series of unique pictorial guides of the Lake District fells that generations of walkers the world over continually cherish, lovingly consult and know as The Wainwright Fells.

Alfred Wainwright’s collective series of seven pictorial guides are now established as the walkers bible, ever since the first one was published in 1955. Alfred was born in Blackburn in 1907, and in 1941 moved to Kendal to work in the Borough Treasurers department. His visit to the top of Orrest Head on that auspicious day, inspired these words.“I was totally transfixed, unable to believe my eyes. I had never seen anything like this. I saw mountain ranges, one after another.” And so the age of the fell walker accelerated.

Alfred Wainwright – ‘Memories of a Fellwanderer’. Published by Frances Lincoln Ltd

Wainwright’s Pictorial Guides

Following his move to Kendal, he spent the majority of his spare time wandering over summit and dale. In 1952 he began working on the first personal guidebook to record his days on his beloved Lakeland fells, diligently preserving his memories through pen and ink sketches and, in prose and humour, detailed the routes he took and the observations he made during his journeys.

The Eastern Fells, his first book, was published in 1955. For thirteen years he illustrated and described 214 mountains. He spent days quietly watching and experiencing the aura, beauty and moods of the mountains. His reticence to engage in conversation while on the fell, and his aversion to crowds have been well documented.

AW, as he is affectionately known among the fell-walking fraternity, passed away on the 20th January, 1991 in Kendal Green hospital. His ashes were scattered over Haystacks. He leaves a timeless legacy revered by hill walkers and mountaineers who daily venture onto the Lake District’s crags and hillside.

The Wainwright Fells

The  Wainwright fells, or as walkers call them, ‘The Wainwrights’, are seen as a challenge to complete. For some people this has been achieved in a year, for others many years. In 2015 a man completed a challenge that began when he was just eight years old. It took him 40 years.

The Wainwright Society, established on November 9th, 2002, honours and commemorates AW’s life and achievements. After the inaugural meeting, the founding members walked to the summit of Dove Crag – the first mountain AW had climbed. His last mountain was Starling Dodd in the Western Fells.

The Wainwright Society

The aims of the society are “to keep alive the things which AW promoted through the guidebooks and the many other publications which were the ‘labour of love’ for a large portion of his life.” The society now has close to a 1000 members.

Our Wainwrights for Tearfund

Below is a table of all the Wainwright Fells – showing the ones we have completed and also the dates we climbed them. Our objective is to climb them all and to enjoy the fells with the aim of raising funds for Tearfund in their work to prevent children being trafficked. We aim to raise £7,704, that is £36 for each mountain we climb. We have now climbed 117. Click on the mountain to read about the walk. Thank you for your support.