Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells facts for kids
A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a popular series of seven books written by A. Wainwright. These books describe the fells (which is the local word for hills and mountains) found in the beautiful Lake District in northwest England. Wainwright spent 13 years, starting in 1952, creating these guides. What makes them special is that they are entirely made from Wainwright's own manuscript, hand-drawn with pen and ink. There's no printed text from a computer or machine!
These books have been available almost continuously since they were first published between 1955 and 1966. More than 2 million copies have been sold! Many walkers still see them as the best guide to the Lakeland mountains. The 214 fells described in these seven books are now famously known as the Wainwrights. By As of 2013[update], 674 people had officially climbed all of them.
Contents
The Story of the Books
The first five books in the series were initially published by Wainwright's friend, Henry Marshall. He was the Chief Librarian of Kendal and Westmorland. Another friend, Sandy Hewitson, helped print the books using Wainwright's original drawings. Later, a company called The Westmorland Gazette took over the printing and publishing. They published the last two books, Book Six and Book Seven.
Over the years, different publishers have taken care of Wainwright's books. In 1992, after Wainwright passed away, Michael Joseph took over. Then, in 2003, Frances Lincoln bought the rights. They decided to create updated versions of the guides.
How the Books are Designed
Each fell in the guides has its own chapter. This chapter usually includes a map of the fell. It also has detailed, 3-dimensional drawings of how to climb up. Wainwright also shows routes along the ridge to other fells and ways to climb back down. He describes the top of each mountain too.
Detailed pen and ink drawings of the climbs and the views from the fells are included. Each book starts by describing the geography of the area. They all end with "Some personal notes in conclusion" from Wainwright himself.
Special Dedications in Each Book
Wainwright had a unique way of dedicating his books. Instead of dedicating them to specific people he knew, he chose unusual dedications:
- Book 1: "The Men of the Ordnance Survey" (map makers)
- Book 2: "The Men who Built the Stone Walls"
- Book 3: "The Dogs of Lakeland"
- Book 4: "The Sheep of Lakeland"
- Book 5: "The Solitary wanderers on the fells" (people who walk alone)
- Book 6: "My right leg and my left leg"
- Book 7: "All who have helped me"
Wainwright's Hidden Self-Portraits
Wainwright was known for being quite shy. Because of this, he included only one drawing of himself in each book. These drawings usually show him from behind, admiring a beautiful view. Here are some examples:
- Book 1: Looking at Blencathra from Clough Head
- Book 2: Looking at Haweswater from Harter Fell
- Book 3: Looking at Thirlmere from Raven Crag
- Book 4: Looking at the Pinnacle, Scafell
- Book 5: On Binsey summit with an "ancient Briton" (which is him!)
- Book 6: Looking at High Stile from Lanthwaite Hill
- Book 7: Looking at Yewbarrow from Gatherstone Head
At the end of Book 7, Wainwright listed what he thought were the 'finest half-dozen' fells in the Lake District. His top picks were:
Updated Editions of the Guides
Between 2005 and 2009, the publisher Frances Lincoln updated the series. This was done to make sure the information was correct for the modern-day Lake District. A person named Chris Jesty made these changes. He even copied Wainwright's handwriting so the updates would blend in!
The biggest changes were on the covers. The new books have photographs of the Lake District by Derry Brabbs, instead of Wainwright's drawings. Also, the main paths on the maps are now shown in red.
Here are the updated books with their publication years:
- Book 1 — The Eastern Fells (2005) ISBN: 0-7112-2454-4
- Book 2 — The Far Eastern Fells (2005) ISBN: 0-7112-2455-2
- Book 3 — The Central Fells (2006) ISBN: 0-7112-2456-0
- Book 4 — The Southern Fells (2007) ISBN: 0-7112-2457-9
- Book 5 — The Northern Fells (2008) ISBN: 0-7112-2458-7
- Book 6 — The Northwestern Fells (2008) ISBN: 0-7112-2459-5
- Book 7 — The Western Fells (2009) ISBN: 0-7112-2460-9
Other guides by Wainwright, like A Coast to Coast Walk, The Outlying Fells of Lakeland, and Pennine Way Companion, were also updated by Chris Jesty between 2010 and 2012.
The Latest Editions
As of 2014[update] a third edition of the guides, called the Walkers Edition, began to be published. Clive Hutchby is preparing these new versions. Book One: The Eastern Fells came out in March 2015. Book Two: The Far Eastern Fells followed in October 2015. Book Three: The Central Fells was published in March 2016. The rest of the books are planned to come out in the following years.
The Wainwrights Challenge
The 214 fells described in Wainwright's series are now commonly known as 'the Wainwrights'. These fells vary greatly in height. The smallest is Castle Crag at 985 feet, and the tallest is Scafell Pike at 3210 feet.
Trying to climb all of the Wainwrights is a popular challenge for walkers, known as 'peak bagging'. Unlike other lists of mountains, Wainwright never intended to create a list for people to complete. The fells he included were chosen by him, not based on strict rules like how high they are or how much they stand out from other hills.
