Product Description

The North Western Fells are bounded by the River Derwent and the River Cocker - an area lauded by A. Wainwright as first-class fell-walking territory. The ridge walking here is some of the finest in the Lake District, offering views of unsurpassed beauty. There is something for all walkers: steep, high mountains such as Grasmoor, rugged individualists such as Castle Crag, and destinations such as Catbells, which Wainwright calls 'a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together, a place beloved'. This second edition of The North Western Fells has been brilliantly revised by Chris Jesty, a trained cartographer who worked with Wainwright on some of the maps in his later large-format guides. All footpaths have been rewalked, all routes checked, all maps and text updated. Paths and routes have been picked out in red to make them easier to follow, and parking information has been added. This new edition of the classic walking guide is Wainwright for the 21st century.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18263 in Books
• Published on: 2008-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 312 pages

About the Author
Born in Blackburn in 1907, Alfred Wainwright left school at the age of 13. A holiday at the age of 23 kindled a life-long love affair with the Lake District. Following a move to Kendal in 1941 he began to devote every spare moment he had to researching and compiling the original seven Pictorial Guides. He described these as his 'love letters' to the Lakeland Fells and at the end of the first, The Eastern Fells, he wrote about what the mountains had come to mean to him: "I suppose it might be said, to add impressiveness to the whole thing, that this book has been twenty years in the making, for it is so long, and more, since I first came from a smoky mill-town (forgive me, Blackburn!) and beheld, from Orrest Head, a scene of great beauty, a fascinating paradise, Lakeland's mountains and trees and water. That was the first time I had looked upon beauty, or imagined it, even. Afterwards I went often, whenever I could, and always my eyes were lifted to the hills. I was to find then, and it has been so ever since, a spiritual and physical satisfaction in climbing mountains -- and a tranquil mind upon reaching their summits, as though I had escaped from the disappointments and unkindnesses of life and emerged above them into a new world, a better world. In due course I came to live within sight of the hills, and I was well content. If I could not be climbing, I was happy to sit idly and dream of them, serenely. Then came a restlessness and the feeling that it was not enough to take their gifts and do nothing in return. I must dedicate something of myself, the best part of me, to them. I started to write about them, and to draw pictures of them. Doing these things, I found they were still giving and I still receiving, for a great pleasure filled me when I was so engaged -- I had found a new way of escape to them and from all else less worth while. Thus it comes about that I have written this book. Not for material gain, welcome though that would be (you see I have not escaped entirely!); not for the benefit of my contemporaries, though if it brings them also to the hills I shall be well pleased; certainly not for posterity, about which I can work up no enthusiasm at all. No, this book has been written, carefully and with infinite patience, for my own pleasure and because it has seemed to bring the hills to my own fireside. If it has merit, it is because the hills have merit." A. Wainwright died in 1991 at the age of 84. Chris Jesty trained as a cartographer with the Ordnance Survey. He devised Scafell Pike Panorama, a guide to the view from the highest mountain in England, for which Wainwright provided illustrations. When Wainwright's health deteriorated, Chris helped him with the maps for two of his large-format books. Shortly before he died, Wainwright said that if ever the Pictorial Guides were to be revised, Chris Jesty should be given the job. He lives in Kendal.

Customer Reviews

A Perfect Companion To The North Western Fells
If you have used a Wainwright guide before, you won't need to be informed any further just how wonderful these pocket books are. However, if you are a newcomer to the fells, or haven't come across this series yet, then please believe me when I say that there is simply no better companion to exploring the peaks of the Lake District.

For those whose interest is purely to walk the fells, these books cover every angle of the mountains to a remarkable extent, including route descriptions, maps, summit views, and some beautiful hand-drawn pictures by the author. Be aware that these guides cover the fells only, though, so for a wider coverage regarding attractions, etc. within the Lake District, you will require another guidebook in addition. I know that for me, at least, these books are more than enough!

Wainwright's books were fastidious and personal account of his Lakeland, which makes them a thoroughly enjoyable read - all too often now, most guides just describe facts in an incredibly detached manner, and how to get the most for your money.

Though I have a great deal of affection for the original books, I would recommend the revised editions, updated by Chris Jesty, which are distinguished from the original editions by the colour photographs on the cover. Wainwright himself was more than aware that in the future his guides would become steadily inaccurate, since mountain paths come and go over 50 years, and Mr Jesty has done a diligent job in detailing changes that have occurred to the original routes and their environment, whilst maintaining the spirit of the original guides. In addition, the paths are marked in red ink on the maps, making them much easier to follow whilst on the fells.

Though the book of each area is, in my opinion, essential whilst walking in that region of the Lakes, I must make some comment regarding the specific details of this book, The North Western Fells. The fell density is a lot greater in this region than in most of the Lake District, and as such ascending the slopes can be more tiring due to the relative steepness. However, this is compensated for by some spectacular ridges joining the peaks, and I can quite happily spend a day up on the fells, crossing from summit to summit. For a quick and relatively painless walk, though, Catbells is a pretty little fell, and ideal for a family walking trip.

In short, if you are new to walking in an area of the fells, or merely want a new perspective, these books are essential!

Essential To The Fell Walker
In response to the first reviewer of this book, I would contend that this is an essential purchase for anybody proposing to walk in the higher and more remote areas of the North West (and this goes for the other six areas) Fells. Whilst a good map is useful for back-up, none of them can be completely trusted to accurately show footpaths. These second editions are as good as it gets and the route notes and "summit" layouts provide far more that either OS or Harveys could ever give you.
For those who cannot get to the fells, Alfred Wainwright (and Chris Jesty) will remind you of what you are missing.

this book completes my wainwright set
what can one say about a Wainwright book.look at the sketches, look at the descriptions, and you have a superb idea of what your walk will be like.I already had books 1 to 5 and also book 7.so buying book 6 completed the set.I am getting on a bit now so I can open any of Wainwrights books and dream of "days of yore".