Complete the Wainwrights in 36 Walks

Thirty-six circular walks covering all the peaks in Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. All the walks include maps, statistics, and GPS files for download.

I have been drawn to the work of the acclaimed Lake District walker and writer Alfred Wainwright for as long as I have been visiting the Lake District. His Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells are the most famous walking guidebooks ever written and they were an early reference point for me when planning my first walks in the National Park during the early 1990s. I use the Pictorial Guides to this day, the 50th anniversary edition of the original works.

The Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books which detail the character of, and the various routes available to reach the summits of, 214 individual Lake District mountains and fells. They range from Scafell Pike (England's highest mountain at 3,210 feet / 978 metres) to diminutive Castle Crag in Borrowdale which reaches just 951 feet (290 metres) in height. To climb all 214 of the Wainwrights is a right of passage for many walkers and to some an obsession. Some take it leisurely, knocking their list off slowly on irregular visits to the Lake District; others want to get the job done as quickly as possible, and the point of this 'Walking the Wainwrights' list is to help them do just that.

The maps and routes in this section are for just 36 walks which when done will see the completion of the 214 Wainwright fells. The maps and routes are inspired by the book Walking the Wainwrights by Stuart Marshall, which was first published in 2000. Some of the walks are as Stuart detailed them, and some are designed with changes made by myself — for example, I have moved the accomplishment of High Raise in the Langdales from Route 14 to Route 12 as I determined the change makes the particular walks more balanced experiences (I have actually done both walks myself, and they feature in my Lake District section as do some more of the walks in this compilation).

So here we go — follow the 36 routes and you will complete the Wainwrights in quick sharp time. Where routes are exactly complimentary to my walks in the Lake District, the links will take you to my journey where you can read personal reflections and see some of the pictures I took along the way.

Important Note: I provide maps, statistics, and route files in .gpx and Google Earth .kmz data forms for each walk in the compilation. Presently the 'Walking the Wainwrights' book is not available. Listed below are two alternative Wainwright completion books: the first to be done in 45 walks and the second in 64 walks.

Alternative Book 1: Complete the Wainwrights in 45 walks
Alternative Book 2: Complete the Wainwrights in 64 walks

Walking the Wainwrights Check List Walking the Wainwrights Routes Map

The 36 Walks Collection

Title	Miles	Climbing (m)	Wainwrights
The Greater Grisedale Horseshoe	13.2	1,644	8
A Glenridding Circuit	10.7	1,240	6
The Greater Fairfield Horseshoe	10.0	1,211	9
The St John's Vale Skyline	10.5	1,146	5
A Kirkstone and Dovedale Circuit	12.8	1,577	7
A Mell Fell Medley	8.3	714	3
The Eastern Martindale Fells	13.1	1,107	10
The Western Martindale Fells	12.7	1,417	6
A Swindale Round	10.7	755	4
The Greater Kentmere Horseshoe	13.3	1,223	10
The Troutbeck Medley	9.6	1,066	4
Grasmere to the Langdale Pikes	11.9	1,139	10
The North Central Fells	11.1	1,000	6
The Greenburn Round	7.1	662	4
A Stonethwaite Medley	13.0	1,229	6
The Scafell Group	8.0	1,325	4
Great End and Glaramara	12.3	1,415	5
The Head of Langdale	12.0	1,466	6
The Coniston Fells	12.2	1,464	7
An Elterwater Excursion	12.1	1,160	4
An Eskdale Medley	8.5	922	3
The Skiddaw Group	12.0	1,382	8
The Blencathra Group	10.3	1,067	5
Back o' Skiddaw	14.5	1,388	7
Back o' Blencathra	12.1	933	4
The Coledale Horseshoe	8.7	1,334	5
The Newlands Watershed	13.8	1,765	10
The Wythop and Lorton Fells	10.8	1,242	7
A Whiteside and Grasmoor Round	9.4	1,218	6
Great Gable and Neighbours	5.5	966	5
The Mosedale Horseshoe	10.9	1,745	6
A High Level Tour of Wast Water	12.5	1,433	5
A Buttermere Marathon	14.6	1,724	7
The Loweswater Fells	8.2	1,073	5
Low Fell and Fellbarrow	4.3	432	2
The Far Western Fells	13.2	1,146	5

Feedback and Suggestions

I am always pleased to receive feedback on the structure and content of the website. I also welcome suggestions on how I can improve the website which may include new areas to cover, new walks, or route alterations to existing walks. To get in touch with feedback and/or suggestions, please contact me on one of my social media links. Thank you.

(Note: Walking without proper preparation can be dangerous. Information and downloads on this website are provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check the material and use accordingly.
Postscript: My walk reports are not route guides and should not be treated as such. They are written with personal reflections of my walks.)

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