Peak Bagging: Wainwrights: 45 routes designed to complete all 214 of Wainwright's Lake District fells in the most efficient way

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The Birketts are another list of peaks, described by Cumbrian writer and climber Bill Birkett in his 1994 guidebook Complete Lakeland Fells (Image credit: joe daniel price) Like the Munros in Scotland, bagging all the Wainwrights has become a popular and significant challenge for walkers and runners, often taking many years in fits and starts because of the absence of a clear plan for how to link them together. With this problem in mind, Peak Bagging: Wainwrights by Karen and Dan Parker features forty-five routes designed to link up these iconic fells so you can enjoy the challenge of completing them at your own pace - over years, months or even just a few weeks. The Wainwrights are a collection of 214 fells in the English Lake District. Collected together for no other reason than they were the favourites of Alfred Wainwright, a British walker, illustrator and author. The books fall into seven volumes, each featuring a specific area of the Lake District national park. Hive Store Ltd 2020. (hive.co.uk) is registered in England. Company number: 07300106. VAT number: 444950437. When I first started winter fell walking with Dan and his family, we went up Fairfield,” says Karen. “It was actually the first time I had ever been out and about in the winter. I almost didn't know that you were allowed to go up proper mountains at that time of year. It was just very memorable for that! There was snow everywhere, and I think that changed my view of walking in the mountains.”

Blencathra is obviously a very popular hill,” Dan says. “It's very accessible from the motorway, so a lot of people stop there en route to somewhere else, or go there because it's easy to get to. But it's also got so much variety. There's the standard five tongues leading off it, each of which you can go up, and there's the excitement of Sharp Edge and Hall's Fell. There's a bit of scrambling, too. Then there's the sort of northern routes; with a mix of smooth and bobbly terrain."Alfred Wainwright completed a seven-volume series called A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells , in which he detailed the 214 Lake District Fells now known as The Wainwrights. What is interesting about this selection of Fells is that they were not chosen for their scale or grandeur… they were chosen because they were his favourites. What Are The Wainwrights An enticing challenge among avid hikers and trail runners is to conquer all 214 summits—a feat known as peak-bagging—within their lifetime. Each fell, varying in height, shape, and size, offers a different experience. Each Wainwright Fell, ranging from the highest, Scafell Pike, at 3,210 feet, to the smallest, Castle Crag, at 985 feet, presents a unique journey for walkers to explore the Lake District's diverse landscapes. All but one of these fells exceed 1,000 feet in height, lying within the boundary of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria​.

On each one you will find room to record which mountains, peaks and hills you have climbed (or 'bagged') and offer mouth watering inspiration for your next walk. It differs in format from Wainwright's Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells (which comprises seven volumes listing 214 mountains and tops - each with its own chapter) in that each of its 56 chapters describes a walk rather than a single fell - often taking in several minor tops along the way.These ‘Wainwrights’ have now become the definitive list for anyone wanting to visit the summits of all the fells in the Lake District,” writes endurance athlete Steve Birkinshaw, who ran all of the Wainwrights in 2014, in the introduction to ' Peak Bagging: Wainwrights'. The new guidebook, written by Karen and Dan Parker (sister and brother-in-law of Steve) and published by Vertebrate Publishing is a complete guide to climbing all 214 of Wainwright’s Lake District fells in the most efficient way - with 45 routes included in the book. Unlike, say, the munros of Scotland, which are mountains over a certain height, the Wainwrights are simply a list of peaks – better known locally as fells – that were outlined in British walker and author Alfred Wainwright's seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells which were published between 1955 and 1966. My method of Wainwright Bagging is being methodical and geographical. I aim to complete my Wainwrights a book at a time, focussing on an area. You can find all my walks below. Who Should Walk The Wainwrights Based on The Mountains Of England And Wales books by husband and wife duo John and Anne Nuttall, a ‘Nuttall’ is defined as any summit of 2,000ft or more which rises above its surroundings on all sides by at least 50ft or, in metric terms, 610m and 15m. There are 257 in England and 189 in Wales – that should keep you busy for a few years.

Wainwright eventually settled in Kendal, in the southern Lake District, where he worked as an accountant. He spent countless hours exploring the fells in his spare time, mapping out routes and writing about his adventures in his famous guidebooks. Wainwright's writing style is distinctive and charming, and his books have become enduring classics, loved by walkers and outdoor enthusiasts worldwide. Arguably the Lakes’ loveliest short outing, this circular walk takes you to the top of iconic Latrigg Though not easy, bagging the Wainwrights is a popular pastime in part because the majority of the peaks are relatively accessible. If you want to get started, here’s what we recommend: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. Peak Bagging the Wainwrights is a way of discovering and experiencing new mountains, peaks, tops and hills that you might have not otherwise thought of walking on - often in glorious solitude well away from the crowded honeypots. Karen adds: "And you can run along the main ridge, the east-west ridge, and take a gentle route down. So it's a really good route." A person who summits all the Wainwrights doesn’t have a special name, and in fact, Alfred Wainwright probably never considered that doing so would become a significant feat to others. However, it is a popular pastime and if you have completed all of the Wainwrights, you can apply to be listed on a register held by the Long Distance Walkers Association. Possibly the Lake District’s finest horseshoe hike, this rugged ramble takes in a handful of Wainwrights

Eastern Fells01 Fairfield Horseshoe 19.1km02 Glenridding Horseshoe 16.4km03 Deepdale Horseshoe 16.5km04 The Dodds 18.1km05 The Dunmail Loop 12.5km06 A Tour of Matterdale 16.1km The featured routes include a round of the Scafells, and the Glenridding Horseshoe, taking in Helvellyn and Catstycam. The routes are split into seven sections, reflecting Wainwright's seven Pictorial Guides, and to simplify logistics, all of the featured routes are circular with an emphasis on making practical links between the summits.That round from Patterdale is a wonderful route. It's not the standard route either, so it's slightly quieter than certain other routes, even in the summer.” Wainwright Five: Glaramara (783m) Rosthwaite Fell as seen from Glaramara. Photo: Getty Central Fells14 The Langdale Pikes 11.6km15 Above Thirlmere 21.4km16 Grasmere Common 17.2km17 Stonethwaite Fells 17.9km Stuart is a Scottish travel writer, and editor of the Much Better Adventures Magazine. 2022 Travel Media Awards Finalist: 'Young Travel Writer of the Year', 'Sustainability Feature of the Year'.