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Thread: Wainwright

  1. #1
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    Wainwright

    What are peoples views on Wainwright? (in particular his books rather than the man himself)

    I for one am a great fan. I first got interested in the Lake District by spending hours pouring over his Lakeland Mountain Passes, and Valleys of Lakeland hardback books.

    This led to me getting the full collection of pictorial quides one christmas, which are still among my most treasured possessions about the fells, and i still refer to them for info to this day.

    Not to mention closing in on completing all the Wainwrights.

    One thing i've never really found interest in is the updated pictorial guides, as i just can't bear to see the new red paths and features over his great maps. And as the man himself said many times, the OS Maps should be your greatest companion, so i see no need to update the guides. I may take a sly glance at sections of the updated guides in a lakeland bookshop if i'm heading to a particular fell, but can't bring myself to buy them.

  2. #2
    Master PeteS's Avatar
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    I pretty much concur with everything you said, Pete.

    I got my first Wainwright for Christmas when I was in my early teens. I think it was the Southern Fells with a cover price of £3.00. I then got the remaining 6 books for the next few Christmases and birthdays, all eagerly anticipated and read from cover to cover, again and again. Looking back now, I was pretty much obsessed with the books. I guess they filled a hole when I couldnt get to the Lakes. I used to backpack youth hostel a lot, alone or with a friend and although it would seem odd today, half my sack seem to be filled with books and maps.
    I don't care much for the updated versions and have none of them. I have made my own notes on the different routes and made notes on times etc. They are all looking a bit battered and bruised but they are all complete and probably one of my oldest and most treasured possessions.

    I didn't get the now out of print outlying fells until recently, basically as I'd nearly completed the other books and wanted to explore the wider lakes area. I missed out getting in new and had to stump £20 for a second hand one.

    Also have the pennine way and coast to coast books, not that I have done either in their entirety.

  3. #3
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    My first lakes climb aged 9 was glaramara and great end and remember the person leading the walk had a wainwright book. Obsession sparked! I still have my originals and got the readers version of them as a wedding present from my wife - enough said 😂

    We moved to Kendal a few years ago and coincidentally live very near where Wainwright lived. Our neighbour knew him (grumpy auld sod in their words).

    The books are good for the lesser known routes / when AW was exploring. These work well as fell runs usually

  4. #4
    Master
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    I have all the books covered the summits and admire and share Wainwrights temperment and love of solitude .

    nuff said
    Last edited by JohnK; 27-05-2020 at 09:12 PM.
    The older I get the Faster I was

  5. #5
    Master Daletownrunner's Avatar
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    A Pennine Journey, one of my favourite books

  6. #6
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    It was 1982, and I was between jobs as a junior doctor. A colleague very kindly offered their family cottage near Newby Bridge for free for a brief stay. I had never heard of Wainwright before, and had no idea what the Lake District offered. The cottage had all the Wainwright books, and I very quickly became enthralled by them, and the fells. There followed many trips to the Lakes, and now of course I live there. I still refer to his books regularly. Feet in the Clouds had a similar effect on me. So Wainwright: life-changing in a big way.

  7. #7
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike T View Post
    It was 1982, and I was between jobs as a junior doctor. A colleague very kindly offered their family cottage near Newby Bridge for free for a brief stay. I had never heard of Wainwright before, and had no idea what the Lake District offered. The cottage had all the Wainwright books, and I very quickly became enthralled by them, and the fells. There followed many trips to the Lakes, and now of course I live there. I still refer to his books regularly. Feet in the Clouds had a similar effect on me. So Wainwright: life-changing in a big way.
    Feet in the clouds never really did it for me.

    A Far better read for me Is Hugh Symonds `RUNNING HIGH` extremly inspiring and life changing for , and is as much refered to by me as my Wainwrights.
    Last edited by JohnK; 01-06-2020 at 09:43 PM.
    The older I get the Faster I was

  8. #8
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    I was aware of fell-running/racing prior to reading Feet in The Clouds. I remember witnessing the finish of the Welsh 1000m one sweltering saturday in the early 2000's on the summit of Snowdon. The bedraggled state of the finishers really impressed me.

    I also recall passing two fellrunners coming down Skiddaw one year between xmas and new year, and thinking they were hard as nails... it was something like -13 that day.

    But it was reading FITC that gave me some proper background to what it was all about, the races etc.

    Having said that, i must have first read FITC in possibly 2007/8, but although the seed was there in my head, i didn't get into fellrunning until 2015...

    One day i walked out of my kickboxing gym, about a month after my last fight, and thought i don't really want to do this any more, i'm going to do what i've always wanted and try fellracing... within 6 weeks i was on the start line at Bamford Sheepdog Trials.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    I was aware of fell-running/racing prior to reading Feet in The Clouds. I remember witnessing the finish of the Welsh 1000m one sweltering saturday in the early 2000's on the summit of Snowdon. The bedraggled state of the finishers really impressed me.

    I also recall passing two fellrunners coming down Skiddaw one year between xmas and new year, and thinking they were hard as nails... it was something like -13 that day.

    But it was reading FITC that gave me some proper background to what it was all about, the races etc.

    Having said that, i must have first read FITC in possibly 2007/8, but although the seed was there in my head, i didn't get into fellrunning until 2015...
    FITC has sold over 70,000 copies in book form in the UK (+ e-sales) so, say, nine times the total number of members of the FRA and possibly more than every other book ever published on fell running in total. Books about fell running sell to fell runners and not many, FITC sold in Waterstones.
    "...as dry as the Atacama desert".

  10. #10
    Master
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    It was 90 years ago today Wainwright at the age of 23 made his first trip to the lakes and up Orrest head which was where it all started for him
    The older I get the Faster I was

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