When Alfred Wainwright was working on his pictorial guides to the Lake District, in the 1950s and '60s, he did not drive and would use the public transport of buses and trains to travel from Blackburn and then Kendal to access the fells. His first books, The Eastern Fells and The Far Eastern Fells, were relatively close but transport became more complicated when working further afield – though he did make use of a car later with his wife and friends. In those days there would have been more public transport and fewer cars on the roads. Over the years the number of visitors to the Lake District has grown greatly and also the use and reliance on cars.
The Eden Valley Mountaineering Club is based in Penrith and the Eden Valley, and at the AGM at the end of 2022 Robin Illingworth, a member of the Club, suggested that the Club collectively ascend all the Wainwrights without the use of a car during 2023. This challenge was duly taken up and members made their ways by bus, train, boat, bike and foot during the year to ascend the 214 fells detailed in the pictorial guidebooks of Alfred Wainwright.
The ascents were recorded on the EVMC website and details of the various routes taken were recorded on a special Facebook page.
This book presents a wide range of information about the Lake District and should be seen as a reference book to inspire and help plan trips out onto the fells. It emphasises the pleasure and benefits of getting to know the Lakeland fells and emphasises the importance of planning any excursions.
It is not meant as a walking guide to the fells (there are plenty of guides already, not least those by Alfred Wainwright himself!), but as a guide to using public transport to access the fells.
Beautifully laid out and well illustrated.
By Ron Kenyon.
Card cover, 21cm x 15cm, 203 pages.
Published 2025 by Jagged Lakes Publications.
ISBN: 978-1-3999-8168-2.
Most of the profits from the book will be donated to local charities, causes and organisations, with a third going to Fix the Fells, a charity involved in footpath maintenance on the Lake District fells.