Product Description

Like "Coast", the book is a celebration of the British landscape, specifically the Lake District, and it tells the remarkable story of Alfred Wainwright who in 1952, decided to hand draw a series of guides to the fells of Lakeland. For the next 13 years, he spent every weekend walking, and every weekday evening drawing and writing - completing one page per night. The result was Wainwright's "Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells". Although initially self published they have now sold over a million copies and are still popular and much loved today. He went on to present a series of TV shows on the BBC about walking in the Lake District that made him even better known. Like Fred Dibnah he was an unlikely celebrity, he preferred his own company and thought walking in the countryside should be a solitary rather than group pursuit. This year marks the 100th anniversary of his birth and this TV series and book are sure to introduce him to a new generation of lovers of the countryside. It features some of Wainwright's favourite walks and is lavishly illustrated including a large number of aerial shots of Lakeland.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47802 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From the Author
Alfred Wainwright is an inspirational figure and his love of the Lake
District is infectious. I hope this book will help to pass it on. My top
tip to anyone new to fell-walking is: learn to overcome fear of mist. When
you climb through it on to sunlit peaks, the experience is as close to
Heaven as we may find on Earth.

About the Author
Martin Wainwright (no relation) is the Guardian's highly respected Northern correspondent. He has edited two books about the British countryside, A Life of Mountains and A Gleaming Landscape.

Customer Reviews

A lovely, warm, reminder of a great man and some great work
If you like walking and hiking and enjoy the English Lake District, then you can't go much wrong with this book.

'The Man Who Loved the Lakes' has been written by Martin wainwright (no relation) as a tie- in to the BBC series Wainwright Walks. But this is not simply a book to accompany a TV series. Martin (no relation to AW) is a keen hill walker himself and also is a great admirer of the lakes.

This is a wonderfully written and affectionate tribute to Wainwright and his work. The book is in three sections. First comes an extended essay on the life of AW. This is followed by a second essay on the Lakes, fells and summits themselves, reflecting on how AW experienced and remembered them. And finally, there are a selection of walks included - all of those that featured in the TV series.

A fine book. Martin Wainwright's writing is simply in a league above that found in most outdoor books and guides.