The 2005 anniversary cover of The Eastern Fells. Apart from the bottom banner, the design has not changed since first publication.
A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells (the local word for hills and mountains) of the Lake District in northwest England. Written over a period of 13 years from 1952, they consist entirely of reproductions of Wainwright's manuscript, hand-produced in pen and ink with no typeset material.
The series has been in print almost continuously since it was first published between 1955 and 1966, with more than 2 million copies sold.[1] It is still regarded by many walkers as the definitive guide[2][3] to the Lakeland mountains. The 214 fells described in the seven volumes have become known as the Wainwrights. As of 2013[update] the LDWA register of those who have climbed all the fells listed 674 names.[4] The Wainwright Society maintains a "register of current Society members who have climbed all 214 fells".[5]
First editions
The first five books were originally published by Wainwright's friend, Henry Marshall, Chief Librarian of Kendal and Westmorland, who took charge of publicity and administration. Another friend, Sandy Hewitson (of Bateman and Hewitson Ltd) agreed to print the books using Wainwright's original manuscript, although in fact the printing was done by The Westmorland Gazette in Kendal, who had taken over Bateman and Hewitson Ltd. From 1963, Westmorland Gazette also became the publisher, and their name appears as such on the first impressions of Books Six and Seven. The books, together with details of the first impressions, are:
Book One — The Eastern Fells, published by Henry Marshall in 1955 (no dustwrapper, dark green cloth boards with gold lettering)
Book Two — The Far Eastern Fells, published by Henry Marshall in 1957 (dustwrapper priced 12/6, grey cloth boards with red lettering)
Book Three — The Central Fells, published by Henry Marshall in 1958 (dustwrapper priced 12/6, light blue cloth boards with silver lettering)
Book Four — The Southern Fells, published by Henry Marshall in 1960 (dustwrapper priced 12/6, brownish orange cloth boards with dark blue lettering)
Book Five — The Northern Fells, published by Henry Marshall in 1962 (dustwrapper priced 12/6, reddish brown cloth boards with silver lettering)
Book Six — The North Western Fells, published by Westmorland Gazette in 1964 (dustwrapper priced 12/6, yellow cloth boards with dark blue lettering)
Book Seven — The Western Fells, published by Westmorland Gazette in 1966 (dustwrapper priced 15/-, green boards with silver lettering)
The second impression of Book One, released at Easter 1956, came with a dustwrapper, and customers who had previously bought a jacket-less first impression could obtain a dustwrapper from the printer.[6] As a result, most first impressions of Book One still in existence usually have a dustwrapper priced at 12/6. In 1992, a year after Wainwright's death, Michael Joseph took control of all of Wainwright's books, including the Pictorial Guides, a change of which Wainwright himself was in favour.[6] When they ceased publication in 2003,[7] the rights were bought by Frances Lincoln[8] who shortly afterwards embarked on a revised Second Edition of the guides.
Style and layout
A typical page from The Southern Fells, describing an ascent of Pike of Blisco. The diagrams of ascent are perhaps the most innovative feature of the Pictorial Guides.
Each of the fells covered by the guides has its own chapter, which normally includes a map of the fell, comprehensive details and 3-dimensional drawings of ascent routes, ridge routes to other fells, routes of descent and a description of the summit. Carefully annotated pen and ink drawings of ascents and views accompany the details of each fell. Each book starts with a description of the geography of the area and ends with Some personal notes in conclusion.
Unlike many authors who dedicate books to particular people known to them, Wainwright commences each book with an unusual dedication. These are:
A 50th anniversary edition and a box set of the original edition have been published. Leather bound versions can be found secondhand.
Second editions
Between 2005 and 2009, the series was factually revised by the publishers Frances Lincoln, to adjust the content to the present-day Lake District. Chris Jesty undertook the revisions, using an imitation of Wainwright's hand lettering to make the alterations look as unobtrusive as possible. The most notable changes are that the covers of the revised books show photographs of the Lake District by Derry Brabbs, rather than the drawings that were on the covers of the originals, and the maps show the main paths in red.
The books, with the ISBNs of the revised editions, are:
Revised editions of Wainwright's other Pictorial Guides, A Coast to Coast Walk, The Outlying Fells of Lakeland and Pennine Way Companion were published between 2010 and 2012, with the amendments again being made by Chris Jesty. Revised editions of Walks in Limestone Country and Walks on the Howgill Fells were published in April 2014.[9]
Third editions
As of 2014[update] a third edition of the guides, known as the Walkers Edition, is being prepared by Clive Hutchby.[10] Book One: The Eastern Fells was published in March 2015; Book Two: The Far Eastern Fells was published in October 2015; Book Three: The Central Fells, was published in March 2016. Books Four: The Southern Fells was published in April 2017: Book Five: The Northern Fells was published in March 2018; Book Six: The North Western Fells was published in March 2019 and Book Seven: The Western Fells was published in June 2020. [11]
Wainwright bagging
The 214 fells included in the series are now generally known as 'the Wainwrights'. These range in height from 985 feet (Castle Crag) to 3210 feet (Scafell Pike). Completing all the Wainwrights is a popular peak bagging challenge. The Wainwrights differ from other bagging lists such as the Munros and Marilyns, however, in that Wainwright never set out to compile such a list himself, and inclusion is not based on objective criteria such as elevation or prominence.
Alfred Wainwright MBE, who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the English Lake District. Among his 40-odd other books is the first guide to the Coast to Coast Walk, a 182-mile (293-kilometre) long-distance footpath devised by Wainwright which remains popular today.
Scafell is a mountain in the English Lake District, part of the Southern Fells. Its height of 964 metres makes it the second-highest mountain in England after its neighbour Scafell Pike, from which it is separated by Mickledore col.
Great Gable is a mountain in the Lake District, United Kingdom. It is named after its appearance as a pyramid from Wasdale, though it is dome-shaped from most other directions. It is one of the most popular of the Lakeland fells, and there are many different routes to the summit. Great Gable is linked by the high pass of Windy Gap to its smaller sister hill, Green Gable, and by the lower pass of Beck Head to its western neighbour, Kirk Fell.
The Duddon Valley is a valley in the southern Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. The River Duddon flows through the valley, rising in the mountains between Eskdale and Langdale, before flowing into the Irish Sea near Broughton in Furness. In its lower reaches it is bounded by the Furness Fells and Harter Fell.
Crag Hill is a mountain in the North Western part of the English Lake District. It was formerly known as Eel Crag; however, the Ordnance Survey now marks Eel Crag as referring to the northern crags of the fell. It is not to be confused with another Crag Hill lying on the border of North Yorkshire.
Seatallan is a mountain in the western part of the English Lake District. It is rounded, grassy and fairly unassuming, occupying a large amount of land. However, it is classed as a Marilyn because of the low elevation of the col connecting it to Haycock, its nearest higher neighbour to the north. The name Seatallan is believed to have a Cumbric origin, meaning "Aleyn's high pasture".
Castle Crag is a hill in the North Western Fells of the English Lake District. It is the smallest hill included in Alfred Wainwright's influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, the only Wainwright below 1,000 feet (300 m).
Black Combe is a fell in the south-west corner of the Lake District National Park, England, just 4 miles (6.4 km) from the Irish Sea. It lies near the west coast of Cumbria in the borough of Copeland and more specifically, in the ancient district of Millom. It is 1,970 ft (600 m) high and stands in isolation, some 10 mi (16 km) away from any higher ground; this factor offers an excellent all-round panoramic view of land and sea, weather permitting.
Stickle Pike is an outlying fell located in the southern Lake District near the small town of Broughton-in-Furness, with the summit situated between the lower Duddon Valley and the quiet smaller valley of Dunnerdale. Despite its low altitude the sharp, conical summit is prominent in views from the Broughton and high Furness areas. As with many of the Dunnerdale and Coniston fells, there are reminders of the area's former mining past in the form of many spoil heaps, disused levels and shafts. The fell is also notable for its wide-ranging views despite its low altitude, especially to the Scafells to the north and the sands of the Duddon Estuary to the south. A "stickle" is a hill with a prominent rocky top.
The Fell & Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District is the senior climbing club covering the English Lake District. It was founded in 1906–1907 and, amongst its other activities, publishes the rock climbing guides to the area. It owns many of the early climbing photographs taken by George & Ashley Abraham, who were founding members.
Whiteless Pike, 660 metres (2,170 ft) high, is a fell in the north-western English Lake District. It stands immediately east of Crummock Water and forms a pyramid shape when viewed from Rannerdale. In his celebrated guide to the Lakeland fells, A Wainwright called it "the Weisshorn of Buttermere". There are good views of Great Gable and the Scafells from the summit.
Lingmell is a fell in the English Lake District, standing above the village of Wasdale Head. It is an outlier on the north-west flank of Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain.
Yewbarrow is a fell, in the English Lake District, which lies immediately north of the head of Wast Water. It is 628 metres high and in shape resembles the upturned hull of a boat or a barrow. Yewbarrow is on the left in the classic view of Great Gable and Wast Water.
Slight Side is a fell in the English Lake District it stands 25 kilometres east southeast of the town of Whitehaven and reaches a height of 762 metres (2,499 ft). Slight Side lies at the south western edge of the Scafell Massif, a four-kilometre-long crescent of high ground which includes the highest ground in England. The fells names derives from the Old Norse language and means "The mountain shieling with the level pastures", it is a combination of the Norse words "sletta" and "saetr". With a shieling meaning a shepherds hut or a mountain pasture used in the summer.
Iron Crag is a mountain in the English Lake District, standing between Crag Fell and Caw Fell. The name of the fell is the source of some confusion, as the summit is unnamed on Ordnance Survey maps. Iron Crag apparently refers to the rocky outcrop below the summit, while the lower slopes are referred to as Ennerdale Fell. The Western aspect of the lower slopes, facing Ennerdale Water is known as The Side.
The Outlying Fells of Lakeland is a 1974 book written by Alfred Wainwright dealing with hills in and around the Lake District of England. It differs from Wainwright's Pictorial Guides in that each of its 56 chapters describes a walk, sometimes taking in several summits, rather than a single fell. This has caused some confusion on the part of authors attempting to prepare a definitive list of peaks. The Outlying Fells do not form part of the 214 hills generally accepted as making up the Wainwrights, but they are included in Category 2B of the Hill Walkers' Register maintained by the Long Distance Walkers Association.
Staveley Fell is an upland area in the English Lake District, near Staveley-in-Cartmel, Cumbria, east of the southern end of Windermere. It is the subject of a chapter of Wainwright's book The Outlying Fells of Lakeland, but he admits that: "Strictly it has no name, not even locally, being referred to on Ordnance maps as Astley's and Chapel House Plantations, which are new forests severely encroaching upon it". He says it "commands a fine aerial view of the foot of Windermere." The fell reaches 870 feet (270 m) and Wainwright's route is a clockwise loop starting from Staveley-in-Cartmel. Chris Jesty in his revised edition of Wainwright's book provides an alternative route and comments that "There must be many people who, encouraged by the ordnance Survey map, or by the first edition of this book, have ... been turned back by an uncrossable fence."
Chris Jesty is a British author and cartographer who revised Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells to produce the second edition (2005–2009) of the books, which were originally published in 1955–1966. He used GPS to survey all the routes and the work involved 3,000 hand-drawn changes in the first volume alone, reflecting changes such as walls having fallen down or a quarry being opened on the line of a footpath, and adding information such as car parking.
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