Wainwright's Outlying Fells guidbook is being republished
An out-of-print guidebook the author of which said he would never write has been republished by the Wainwright Society.
The late author Alfred Wainwright dismissed suggestions that he should add The Outlying Fells of Lakeland to his Pictorial Guides, which detailed the main Lake District mountains.
But he relented and in 1974 he published the guide to walks on hills on the periphery of the national park, including Orrest Head, the ascent of which first inspired the taciturn fellwalker’s love of the Lake District.
Andrew Dawson of the Wainwright Society, which promotes the study of the late author’s works, said: “It is interesting to note Wainwright’s reflections in the personal notes section of his final Book Seven, The Western Fells, written at Christmas 1965. He considers future publications such as A Lakeland Sketchbook (there were five between 1968 and 1973); Fell Wanderer (Fellwanderer, 1966); and A Pictorial Guide to The Pennine Way (Pennine Way Companion, 1968).
“Then he says: ‘Regretfully I reject suggestions of a Book Eight, The Outlying Fells, so this is farewell to the present series of books’. We are certainly glad he changed his mind.”
The society re-issue is of the second edition, a revision by Chris Jesty, which brought the routes up-to-date with amendments to paths and other features made since the first publication.
Mr Dawson said: “It is pleasing that this coincides with the 90th anniversary of Wainwright’s first visit to the Lake District in 1930.”
Chris Jesty stands with a copy of his revised book on Orrest Head
The society last year republished Wainwright’s A Pennine Journey, an account of the Blackburn-born man’s first long-distance walk in 1938.
Chris Jesty said: “I should like to say how pleased I am that The Outlying Fells of Lakeland is being republished by the Wainwright Society.
“I enjoyed revising that volume more than any of the earlier seven volumes, finding it easier to plan my research walks for this book than the Pictorial Guides: I simply worked my way from page one to page 269.”
The new publication is available via the Wainwright Society’s website.
