Alfred Wainwright 1907 - 1991
Born in Blackburn, Lancashire he first visited the Lake District when he was 23 and fell in love with the area. He later moved to Kendal and devoted his life to mapping the area, writing seven guidebooks. His Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells are a unique mixture of beautiful pen-and-ink sketches, maps and musings.
Wainwright died in 1991 and there is a memorial to him in the church at Buttermere. His ashes were scattered above the village on his favourite mountain, Haystacks.
Definition of a Wainwright
There are 214 ‘Wainwrights’ which many walkers try to get to the top of or ‘bag’. A Wainwright is the summit of what A.W. - as he preferred to be called - thought were true fell tops.
Quotations
“Haystacks stands unabashed and unshamed in the midst of a circle of much loftier fells, like a shaggy terrier in the company of foxhounds… For a man trying to get a persistent worry out of his mind, the top of Haystacks is a wonderful cure.”
“Time is intended to be spent, not saved”
“Much of Lakeland’s appeal derives from the very lovely names of its mountains and valleys and lakes and rivers, which fit the scenery so well. These names were given by the earliest settlers, rough men, invaders and robbers: they were here long before Wordsworth – but they too, surely had poetry in their hearts?”
More information
The following links open in a new window:
- Wainwright Society
- Full list of Wainwrights
- Wainwright podcast - Podcast of Wainwright describing the walk up to the Lion and the Lamb above Grasmere
