The Wainwrights

Between 1955 and 1966, Alfred Wainwright hand-drew guidebooks for 214 Lake District fells. Beautiful books, obsessively detailed, all done in pen and ink. Those 214 fells became “the Wainwrights”, a hillwalking challenge based not on height, but on one man’s selection.

Wainwrights have no height requirement. If Wainwright included a fell in his guidebooks, it’s on the list. If he didn’t, it’s not.

The smallest Wainwright is Castle Crag at 290 meters. The highest is Scafell Pike at 978 meters. Some are afternoon walks. Others are full mountain days.

This variety is part of the appeal. You’re not just collecting high peaks: you’re exploring Wainwright’s vision of what makes a fell worth climbing.

Why Do Them?

Completing all 214 Wainwrights means thorough exploration of the Lake District. You’ll visit the popular peaks that everyone climbs, and the obscure ones where you might not see another person all day.

It’s a manageable challenge. Most Wainwrights are accessible from well-established paths. The terrain is varied: grassy ridges, rocky scrambles, gentle hills, serious mountains.

Like many other hill lists, it’s an achievement worth commemorating. When you’ve finished, you’ve covered a significant portion of one of England’s most beautiful regions.

The Guidebooks

Wainwright’s original seven-volume pictorial guides are worth owning. The hand-drawn maps, route descriptions, and sketches give context that GPS tracks alone can’t provide.

You can find them in most Lake District bookshops, or borrow them from libraries. They’re not necessary for navigation but they add character to the challenge.

Tracking Your Progress

Track your walks with Strava or a GPS device. MunroMapping can then create a map showing all your completed Wainwrights.

The process is the same: 1. Connect your Strava account (or send us GPX files) 2. Generate a preview showing the Wainwrights completed based on your GPS data 3. Order a print

Physical prints are £65 for A2. It’s a way to mark the achievement: all 214 fells captured in one place.

Starting Point

Catbells is a popular first Wainwright. It’s accessible from Keswick, takes about two hours round trip, and offers excellent views over Derwentwater. If you enjoy it, there are 213 more waiting.