214 Wainwrights in 52 walks

After a year of pounding the gym, thinking that pumping iron would relieve the stress of running a hectic company, I took to fell running in the Peak District. I started walking the Wainwrights after speaking to a dog walker who recommended I take on the challenge.

I got a book called ‘Doing The Wainwrights‘. It was a personal diary of a man called Steve who did the 214 fells of Lakeland over the space of a year. My enthusiasm grew after just a few pages, I was determined to make a start and headed for the Lakes with my nine-year-old son for the weekend.

Inspired

After a few walks: Wansfell with my son, Sallows and Sour Howes with my wife, and a solo Kentmere Horseshoe, the bug had well and truly got me. I was on the journey.

The next book I got, after Wainwright’s Pictorial Guides for reference, was ‘Walking The Wainwrights‘ by Stuart Marshall. It’s a well-known book, partly because of the promise of upping the challenge. He writes about completing the 214 fells in 36 walks!

Stuart was an experienced fell walker and some of the walks, although I was spending 5 days a week in the gym, were brutal for me. I remember coming down off the last Wainwright of a walk, looking over towards where the van was and counting three valleys that I must trudge through to get there. The sun was getting tired of its elevated position in the sky, the clouds darkening, patches of snow lay peacefully along my route with large areas of bog accompanied them. When I returned to the van my body was wasted and my mind was determined to burn the book. That night, huddled in a cheap sleeping bag in the back of a Ford Transit, parked on a dirt track in Swindale, I promised myself that one day I would write my own version: a realistic guide for walkers taking on the Wainwrights, a version that would guide them, should they desire it, on a journey of discovery; physically, mentally and spiritually.

This page is the start of that project, and it’s long overdue.

A Practical Way Around the 214 Wainwrights

This is not meant to be the only way to do the Wainwrights. That would be daft. There are countless ways of joining the fells together, depending on fitness, weather, transport, daylight, confidence, appetite for rough ground and how much you enjoy finishing a walk wondering where every muscle in your body went. This is simply my version: a practical, personal attempt to turn the whole Wainwright round into a manageable set of routes that make sense on the ground.

Mark my words, there are summits that, once missed while you’re already up on the ridge, take a hell of a lot of energy to retrieve.

What You’ll Find in Each Walk Guide

Each blog in the list below includes my story, a map, GPX where available, useful notes and a bit of honest judgement about the hike. I was never just interested in collecting summits. I want to know what the walk feels like, see interesting things, record the awkward bits, find places where I can get an awesome photograph, and know whether it is the sort of route I’d recommend to someone else.

Short Walks, Long Days and Everything Between

The walks vary massively. I’ll give each walk a difficulty rating: Gentle, Easy, Moderate, Challenging, Tough or Severe. If you see a Wainwright walk here that’s severe, it’s there because I did it, and I want you to know exactly how hard it felt. You might be mega-fit and find it a breeze but most humans should proceed with caution. Rest assured, these walks probably won’t be in my 52.

A few are ideal if you want a first Wainwright, a family outing, or a short fell with a big view at the end, perfect for a late Lakes arrival or the morning before you go home. Others link together whole ridges and multiple summits into full-value mountain days. Some are best saved for good weather and strong legs. Some need proper navigation. Some are the sort of thing you might only want to do once, but you’ll remember them and tell the story for years (even if you’re the only one who listens). Some of the stories include a wild camp, but the routes themselves should still be achievable with an early start.

Use This Page to Plan Your Own Wainwright Round

As I add more of the 52 walks, this page should become a practical hub for anyone planning their own Wainwright round. You can browse the routes in order, read the notes, compare the difficulty, download the GPX files where I’ve added them, and decide which walks suit your own stage of the journey.

Conclusion

For me, the Wainwrights are not just a list of 214 tops. They’re a long, unfolding excuse to keep returning to the Lake District: to walk with family, camp high, get battered by weather, find quiet corners, revisit old memories and make new ones. This page is the map drawer for the whole thing.