Walking the Wainwrights: With Stuart Marshall

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Indeed, if you are really dedicated - you could easily complete all 59 Walk the Wainwrights walks in a single year - something very few people manage and an achievement to be truly proud of.

Some of the routes within the challenge are at times difficult and arduous, and will require full days on the fells. Often reaching between fifteen to twenty miles per walk. So as you can imagine, the weather forecast will have a huge influence on whether a walk goes ahead or not. As frustrating as this maybe, it is crucial that I don't dive in head first when taking on such a challenge in bad weather. This is why there is no completion date to finish by. Lessons were learned during my two thousander challenge last year so this new approach takes the stress out of needing to complete by a certain date. The Wainwrights are a group of 214 fells (hills and mountains) in the Lake District. They are all connected by featuring in Alfred Wainwright’s famous guidebooks: A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. The guidebooks have been in continuous publication since the first book was released in 1955 (the last was published in 1966 – they took him many years to write) and have sold over two million copies. Choosing the most appropriate routes was surprisingly difficult and took a great deal of time and effort to achieve. But the overriding emphasis is on the quality of each of the 59 walks we have chosen to ensure that you'll get the true flavour of the Lake District from every angle, every corner and every view point. 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! Furthermore, using our professionally produced walk routes, you can Walk the Wainwrights and avoid the potentially vertigo inducing arétes of Sharp Edge and Striding Edge if you want to.

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Of course to fully appreciate the above you really need to possess the guides, they are readily available in most good bookshopsor directly from their publishers Frances Lincoln. The guides have all been updated with a second edition by Chris Jesty. First published in the Westmorland Gazette in the 1950's, Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells comprises seven volumes listing 214 mountains and tops - each with its own chapter. It is an ambition of many people to reach the summit of all 214 of these lakeland fells. This is a complete set of all the Wainwright's in one place and split in edible chunks. Most of these hikes are still quite hard with the rare exception of an easier route.

What you need is a series of circular walks that connect all 214 Wainwrights together in a series of 59 day walks that includes all the latest route information but that are not exhaustingly long so anyone can complete them and enjoy the experience. Lastly I want to touch on the subject of how can I take in the splendor of what Lakeland has to offer whilst collecting so many summits at one time. Surely things aren't meant to rushed; and that I agree on. Last year I was spending up to twelve hours per walk on the fells were at times I witnessed sunrise and sunset during the same walk. I witnessed seasons come and go which left a hole in my heart once completed, which is just the reason why I have set myself this new and exciting challenge. I couldn't think of a better reason to spend so much time in a place I love while experiencing all that Lakeland has to offer.

IN SHOP

It took me the best part of five weeks to come up with the routes. Chopping and changing them became somewhat frustrating at times, until, in the end, I believed that I had come up with a mixture of challenging walks and indeed normal routes that would balance the project out. Nab Scar - Heron Pike - Stone Arthur - Great Rigg - Fairfield - Hart Crag - Dove Crag - High Pike - Low Pike Complete the Wainwright's in 36 Walks Thirty-six circular walks covering all the peaks in Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. With the success of completing the Harry Griffin two thousand footers last year this year I have set myself a new challenge; which is to visit all 214 Wainwrights in 30 Walks. The challenge of completing all the Wainwrights in such a short number of walks is a personal one. Having really enjoyed the arduous two thousanders so much, I wanted a new challenge that would equal or excel what I have already achieved.

I have been drawn to the work of The acclaimed Lake District walker and writer Alfred Wainwright for as long as I have been visiting the Lake District. His 'Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells' are the most famous walking guide books ever written and they were an early reference point for me when planning my first walks in the National Park during the early 1990's. I use the Pictorial Guides to this day, the 50th anniversary edition of the original works. A591 - Butharlyp Howe - Easedale Road - Helm Crag - Gibson Knott - Calf Crag - Brownrigg Moss - Broadstone Head - Sergeant Man - Broadstone Head - Brownrigg Moss - Steel Fell Tarn - Steel Fell - Cotra Breast - Helm Side - Low Mill Bridge - Goody Bridge - Grasmere - A591 Rannerdale Farm - Rannerdale Knotts - Whiteless Breast - Whiteless Pike - Whiteless Edge - Wandope - Grasmoor - Coledale Hause - Sand Hill - Whiteside - Hopegill Head - Grisedale Pike - Coledale Hause - Eel Crag (Crag Hill) - Sail - Scar Crags - Causey Pike - High Moss - Outerside - Barrow Door - Barrow - Braithwaite Walk the Wainwrights in 59 Walks - The huge cairn on Bleaberry Fell in the Lake District Central Fells Birkhouse Moor - Catstye Cam - Helvellyn - Nethermost Pike - Dollywagon Pike - Seat Sandal - St Sunday Crag - Birks - Arnison CragThe 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. For the uninitiated, a Wainwright refers to one of 214 fells in the Lake District named after Alfred Wainwright, and hill bagging (also known as peak bagging and mountain bagging) refers to having climbed a particular hill, and the objective for some people is to climb as many as you can.