THE WAINWRIGHT SOCIETY MAGAZINE

Issue 38 - Summer 2012
T H E WA I N W R I G H T S O C I E T Y M A G A Z I N E
Two Visits to the Bishop
Wainwright on the Web
After the 214
Society Walk: Reston Scar
What I love about the
Lakes – Hunter Davies
A Dutch Passion for the Lakes
Fundraising News
The Wainwright Society 10th
Anniversary Party
and much much more ...
THE SOCIETY FOR LOVERS OF THE
LAKE DISTRICT AND FELLWALKING.
www.wainwright.org.uk
RemembeR, WainWRight Society membeRS get
20% off WainWRight titleS at fRanceS lincoln!
the coaSt to coaSt Walk
by keren frenkel
beSt WalkS on exmooR
by Richard Webber
£12.99
£16.99
isbn
isbn
9780711232877
9780711232174
Walking With the bRontËS
in WeSt yoRkShiRe
beSt day WalkS in
SnoWdonia
by John gillham
by norman and June buckley
Note from the Editorial Team
This Summer issue includes a mix of regular
features and one-off articles, provided by
established and new contributors, which is
very pleasing.
Coincidentally, there are two articles with a
similar theme – what to tackle after completing
the Wainwrights. Martin Roberts writes about
visiting the summits covered by AW’s Outlying
Fells of Lakeland and the Birketts – and here is
a further link with Jenny Whalley’s ‘Favourite
Walk’ article, which describes her completion,
on Pike de Bield, of the Birketts, with differing
views of Pillar Rock – while Bill Honeywell
describes how he cycled round the British
coastline last year for charity.
Whilst many members live in the north of
England, others live far afield. One, Riekie Tonk
from Holland but currently living and working
in Germany, has written an article describing
her passion for all things British and the Lake
District in particular. Nearer to home, but away
from the Lakes, Chris Grogan tells us about a
relatively new long-distance walk through the
Yorkshire Dales and Howgill Fells that members
might like to undertake.
By the time you receive this, the Society’s 6050-40 Challenge will be over. Our hope is that
participants will have experienced fine weather
(in contrast with last year’s Challenge and, this
year, the wettest April and early May on record)
and that there will have been a return to the
excellent conditions of late March, enabling us all
to enjoy the outdoors to the full this summer.
We hope you enjoy reading this issue of
Footsteps, from the wide-ranging articles to the
regular features and will perhaps take part in
the prize quiz mentioned on page 27. As ever,
we will welcome any comments or suggestions
about Footsteps you may wish to make.
David Johnson and John Burland (Editorial)
Andrew Stainthorpe (Graphic Design)
SOCIETY CONTACTS
• SOCIETY SECRETARY
Peter Linney, 3 Beech Close, Farnham,
Knaresborough, North Yorkshire HG5 9JJ
Tel: 01423 340481
Email: secretary@wainwright.org.uk
• MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY
Jenny Whalley, The Wainwright Society,
Kendal Museum, Station Road, Kendal,
Cumbria LA9 6BT
Email: membership@wainwright.org.uk
• PRESS & PUBLICITY
£8.99
isbn
9780711232549
Derek Cockell – Tel: 01502 731940
Email: publicity@wainwright.org.uk
Issue 38 - Summer 2012
£12.99
isbn
9780711232532
Front Cover
photograph:
Wastwater, looking
towards Yewbarrow
and Great Gable
by Val Corbett
AZINE
HT SOCIETY MAG
T H E WA I N W R I G
To take advantage of your discount, please visit our website www.franceslincoln.com
and, where prompted, enter the promotional code WAINSOC (case sensitive)
• WALKS AND EVENTS
Caroline Nichol – Tel: 01253 738721
Email: walkevents@wainwright.org.uk
Two Visits to the Bishop
Wainwright on the Web
After the 214
Society Walk: Reston Scar
What I love about the
Lakes – Hunter Davies
• FOOTSTEPS EDITORIAL TEAM
A Dutch Passion for the Lakes
Fundraising News
The Wainwright Society 10th
Anniversary Party
and much much more ...
OF THE
THE SOCIETY FOR LOVERS
FELLWALKING.
LAKE DISTRICT AND
Footsteps 2012a ad.indd 1
9/2/12 16:27:24
Email: footsteps@wainwright.org.uk
www.wainwrigh t.org.uk
3
A Dales High Way
Chairman’s Notes
When walkers think of Wainwright, they
naturally think of the Lakeland fells and his
Pictorial Guides. However, two other books
have long provided a source of delight and
inspiration. They are Walks in Limestone
Country and Walks on the Howgill Fells, first
published in 1970 and 1972, respectively,
by Westmorland Gazette.
So, Wainwright’s on Twitter and Facebook.
Do I hear the sound of purists ceremonially
ripping off their Wainwright Society badges
and tearing up their membership cards?
I hope not.
A Dales High Way is a linear 90-mile long-distance
trail from Saltaire to Appleby-in-Westmorland, and
includes crossing the high country of the Yorkshire
Dales. The route, which takes between 5 and 9
days to walk, was devised three years ago and is
becoming increasingly popular with walkers looking
to explore this most glorious and diverse landscape.
AW himself said of the western Dales: ‘This is a
region unique, without a counterpart, but its charms
are shyly hidden. Those who seek and find them
are often enslaved.’ There is no better way to seek
and find than on a multi-day walk when time can be
taken to truly appreciate the surroundings.
The route of A Dales High Way leaves the
Victorian model village of Saltaire and for the
next 28 miles or so crosses the great expanse of
Rombalds and Skipton Moors before heading into
Malhamdale and limestone country. AW describes
this landscape as ‘a wonderland created by its
rocks’, and indeed it is. The walking is delightful
on the well-drained springy turf that covers the
porous sediment. Malham and its environs are
understandably popular but the walker soon leaves
the crowds behind to pass Attermire Scar where
Mesolithic people sought sanctuary in caves in the
rock face over 8,000 years ago.
After Settle, the way continues into one of the
area’s hidden delights, Crummack Dale. This lovely
secluded valley opens up into a dramatic landscape
of broad limestone terraces where the bare rocks
tell the geological history of the dale. As Wainwright
observed: ‘There is never a dull moment in and
around Crummack Dale for walkers with observant
eyes and enquiring minds.’
A climb over Ingleborough leads to a vertiginous
descent into Chapel-le-Dale before the route takes
in Whernside and the beautiful valley of Dentdale.
4
The Society committee had a lively debate
about the issue and we rehearsed all available
stereotypical responses from ‘what would he
have made of X box?’ (In case anyone is skipreading and for avoidance of doubt – no, we’re
not considering an Alfred Wainwright X Box
game.)
Chris and Jess, at Attermire
Scar
Leaving Dent, the trail continues over Frostrow
Fell where the first full view of the Howgill Fells
is revealed.
These soft, rounded hills, famously referred to
by AW as ‘squatting elephants’, offer solitude and
isolation rarely experienced by the walker in the
Lake District or the Dales. The fells are open, with
no walls to follow or stiles to climb, and the Dales
High Way crosses them in a single breathtaking ridge
walk. The Howgills are the habitat of fell ponies that
roam in semi-wild family groups on the open hillside
and they may well be your only companions.
Finally, A Dales High Way heads into the Eden
valley where one last surprise awaits. The
biggest limestone area in the country outside the
Ingleborough district is crossed at Great Asby Scar,
from where AW’s beloved Lakeland fells can be
seen in all their glory. Walkers can complete their
adventure by taking the train south from Appleby
on the fabulous Settle to Carlisle line.
Further information on A Dales High Way can be
found at www.daleshighway.org.uk.
But strange images are hard to avoid. AW
magisterially harrumphing in some benighted
corner of cyberspace. There he stands on a lofty
electronic eminence, cap pulled down as a squall
of megabits swirls about him.
And then there are the questions. Would he
be allowed to smoke in Facebookland? Would
anyone there know what a nun is, let alone
three of them? Would Wainwright think that
Google was a spelling mistake? Are practical
jokes allowed in Silicon Valley? When people
talk of RAM, do they mean Herdwick or North
Country Cheviot? I must ask the founder of
Facebook when he’s stopped counting his
squillions.
In the meantime, let’s use the social networking
phenomenon to reach out to a new generation
of people who can find joy and health in the hills
just so long as they know that they’re only a
Pictorial Guide away. We can use cyberspace to
release some of these people from the bondage
of cyberspace, and isn’t that a neat trick?
Come to think of it a Wainwright X Box game
might not be such a bad idea after all. Imagine it.
In a majestic mountain landscape, we’re battling
the elements and evil forces such as noisy school
parties and walkers in luminous lycra to discover
the meaning of life – 214.
OK, I may struggle to get that one past the
committee. Just yet.
Eric Robson
Chairman
Chris Grogan – Saltaire
Member No. 1722
5
Two Visits to the Bishop
Wainwright on the Web
Taking full advantage of the summerlike weather in the week preceding the
Society’s AGM, Janet and I went looking
for some of the locations of the drawings
in A Lakeland Sketchbook, in order to
participate in the Society’s Lakeland
Sketchbook Project.
THE WAINWRIGHT SOCIETY ON
FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
yards I confess to using what AW described as the
fellwalker’s next-best asset (after ‘a pair of strong
legs’) ... ‘a tough and rubbery bottom’.
The Project is to compile a contemporary record
of the scenes shown in the 400 drawings in AW’s
five sketchbooks, using members’ photographs
taken from the exact places where AW stood to
take those photographs he used as a base for his
drawings. Details of the project and how to take
part are set out on the Society’s website.
The Bishop of Barf – March 2012
Pleased to be back at the car in one piece and the
photograph safely taken, I reached into my map case
for the sketchbook – but it wasn’t there. I realised I had
left it beside the Bishop! With a wry smile, I set off again
to the Bishop, retrieved the sketchbook but not before
its cover had started to curl in the heat. Two visits to the
Bishop in half an hour must be some sort of record! My
photograph and AW’s sketch are shown here.
Barf
AW’s Sketch – The Bishop of
One location I decided to visit was the Bishop of
Barf, described by AW as ‘a venerable figure whose
spotless vestments result from regular applications
of whitewash’. In reality, the Bishop is a peculiar
‘upstanding pinnacle’ perched a few hundred feet up
the south-east flank of Barf and requiring a ‘stiff climb
... up shifting scree’. Janet wisely chose to stay in the
car, near to Beckstones at the foot of Barf, while I
toiled up the slope in the midday heat. Ten minutes
of concerted effort later I was beside the Bishop and,
sketchbook in hand, soon located what I judged to
be the exact position for AW’s sketch.
Perched precariously on a very steep slope, I put
down the sketchbook and, after taking the required
photograph, headed back to the car. The descent
was more difficult than the ascent and for a few
6
Over three days, we looked for a dozen or so of the
sketch locations. Some were easy to find and reach,
such as Matterdale Church which we had driven past
many times but never visited. It was an idyllic scene,
the churchyard full of daffodils and bathed in sunshine.
Other locations are rather trickier to find, where leaving
paths on the fellside is necessary in order to pinpoint
exact locations – as we discovered when searching for
the viewpoint for Bowfell from Lingmoor.
It was interesting to compare AW’s sketches with
the scenes today, for example noting where trees
have grown or been removed or where AW may
have used ‘artistic licence’. We really enjoyed
visiting the sketch locations and would recommend
others doing so. With eighty locations to choose
from this year, there is a range of options from
searches involving fellwalking to strolls from a car.
David Johnson – Histon, Cambridge
Member No. 481
I think I would be on fairly safe ground by
suggesting that AW would have regarded
social networking with the same horror
that he felt when meeting large walking
parties out on the fells.
‘The worst experience that befalls a solitary
walker is coming face to face with a large party,
especially when they are strung out along his
path. In a tight place, where this many-headed
and many-legged caterpillar cannot be bypassed,
it must be confronted. It may be a party of 36.
Every one of them ventures a greeting of sorts
… If I am in sociable mood I mumble a response
to the first. The rest must share it. I am not
going to say good-afternoon 36 times in quick
succession. The tail-end think me a surly beggar.
Okay, so I do not like large parties on the hills.’
(Fellwanderer)
The acid test of success will be attracting new
members to the Society. Already, we can claim
a modest success, having signed up our first
member via Facebook in the first two weeks.
Find us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.
com/thewainwrightsociety and on Twitter at:
https://twitter.com/wainsoc
THE SOCIETY FORUM NEWS
• A New Members board has been set up
where people joining the Forum can
introduce themselves.
•
The ‘Light the Wainwrights’ Challenge (see
pages 28-29) was an example of how the
Forum can bring Society members together
to raise funds for a good cause.
That the Society might extend its presence on
the Web has been under discussion for some
time and, following a member’s suggestion, the
Committee agreed to set up a Facebook page
and a corresponding Twitter account. For the
uninitiated, Facebook and Twitter are a means
of communicating with your friends and a way of
advertising your presence to a new audience.
There has been discussion about ways that
we might introduce the rising generation to
Wainwright and the joys of walking in the hills,
and Facebook and Twitter present the Society
with an excellent way of communicating this
message to a younger audience.
Members with Facebook and Twitter accounts
can help spread the message by ‘liking’ us on
Facebook and ‘following’ us on Twitter. If you
are on Facebook, you can share our updates
on your profile page to advertise the Society to
your friends. On your Twitter account, you can
‘retweet’ our ‘tweets’ to your followers, which
will all help to spread the message. And, yes,
I do realise that the above paragraph will be
gobbledegook to many of you!
• Forum members have also arranged
get-togethers and walks during the period
of the Society’s 60-50-40 Challenge.
If you would like to meet other Society
members, the Forum is a good place to
begin. Registration is simple and you can start
posting immediately. Go to: http://wainwright.
proboards.com/index.cgi or follow the link from
the Society website at: www.wainwright.org.uk
Derek Cockell
Press & Publicity Officer
7
After the 214
Many Wainwright followers have achieved,
or are progressing towards, a complete
round of the 214 fells described by AW
in his seven Pictorial Guides. But after
celebrating their achievement on the final
summit, what are lovers of the Lakeland
fells to do next? Many go on to do them
all again, and again, using different routes
of ascent. I have heard of one couple of
Society members with forty-five completed
rounds between them!
There are, however, many more than 214
summits in Lakeland and this article looks at the
means of discovering these. After completing the
seven Guides, Wainwright did of course produce
a further volume, entitled The Outlying Fells of
Lakeland. It was not his plan to do this when he
commenced his seven-volume epic, and it can be
argued that some of the outliers justified inclusion
in the original Guides. Certainly, there are some
wonderful hills included in this later volume, and
it is a pity that relatively few people attempt the
Outlying Fells, and therefore miss out on some
excellent hillwalking in less familiar areas. Maybe
AW ought not to have written it ‘primarily for old
age pensioners and others who can no longer
climb high fells’, as he stated on the title page.
• Finally, the chapter entitled Stickle Pike
describes my favourite Outlying Fell. AW
describes it as ‘a budding Matterhorn’ and
it really has everything. It has the classic
mountain shape, a craggy top, a great name,
and its very own tarn. It can be climbed most
easily from Kiln Bank Cross at the summit
of the minor road between Broughton Mills
and the Duddon Valley. Instead of joining the
crowds on the tourist path up Coniston Old
Man, for the umpteenth time, why not detour
a few miles and enjoy Stickle Pike, and then
extend your walk with a wander over the
Dunnerdale Fells to Great Stickle?
Wainwright was, of course, not the only one to
write about the Lake District peaks, and perhaps
the best attempt at covering the entire National
Park was made by Bill Birkett with his Complete
Lakeland Fells. This was published in 1994, but is
still available, and I would recommend it to anyone
who doesn’t already possess a copy. The book was
published in hardback ‘coffee table’ format, but
there is also a pocket-sized version to fit in your
rucksack.
By way of example, I select three chapters from
the book which might whet one’s appetite:
• First, Black Combe, to which AW devotes
sixteen pages, must be visited. It is a big hill; at
1,970 ft, it is higher than 85 of the original 214,
and the ascent effort is greater since the start
is from near to sea level. The summit of Black
Combe is renowned as a viewpoint, although
on the day I climbed it, the rain poured and my
views were limited to twenty yards – a re-visit
in better weather is overdue.
• Secondly, the chapter devoted to Caw
describes a short walk over Caw, Pikes and
Green Pikes. Caw is an excellent fell, a smaller
version of the easily recognised Harter Fell, just
three miles to its north. Being so close to the
Coniston Fells, I wish AW could have found
room for Caw in Book 4.
8
ng and the Scafells
Throstlehow Crag to Scar Lathi
The author set out to detail all of the Lakeland
summits over 1,000 feet, and came up with a total
of 541 (now known as ‘Birketts’), which he has
expertly organised into 120 walks of varying lengths.
Each walk is described in detail with route plans, and
the book is written in a very readable style, profusely
illustrated with the author’s own photographs. As
with most efforts of this scale, there are errors,
with a number of prominent tops omitted (such as
Stickle Pike from Tarn Hill, with Harter Fell left and Caw right
Symonds Knott and High Spying How); however,
it would be churlish to dwell on these as the book
overall makes a decent attempt to bring together all
of the Lakeland summits in one volume.
The number of 541 summits sounds a lot,
especially to someone who has striven for years
to complete the 214 Wainwrights. However,
that figure includes all but two of AW’s summits
(Castle Crag, which doesn’t reach 1,000 feet,
and Mungrisdale Common). So any Wainwright
‘completer’ tackling the Birketts is already well on
the way. In addition, many of the Birkett tops are
visited when walking AW’s routes to the summits in
the Pictorial Guides, or require only a short detour.
Being something of a peak-bagger, I started collecting
Birketts as I commenced my second round of the
214, working them into my routes. I was soon
smitten, and my regular walking companions got
quite used to my taking off at a tangent between
Wainwright tops, to add another craggy outcrop to
my collection. It has to be admitted that many of the
Birketts are less than impressive, being no more than
high points on a ridge, a good example of this being
the north, middle and south tops of Skiddaw, in
addition to the established summit of High Man.
beaten track to unfamiliar summits and areas which
would not be visited otherwise. There is also a sting
in the tail, as one of Birkett’s summits is Pillar Rock
which is a rock climb and rather unfair to regular
fellwalkers. Whilst I am no climber, I was fortunate
in having an experienced rock climber to guide me,
and so was able to finish the Birketts in some style.
My favourite Birkett walks? There are too many for
this short piece, but a route from Sandwick over
the foothills to the north of Place Fell, including the
spectacular peak of The Knight, was memorable. My
most unforgettable excursion was on a glorious autumn
day in Upper Eskdale, starting with Goat Crag and
finishing with Border End. Among the summits along
the route were the wonderfully named Silverybield,
Scar Lathing and Throstlehow Crag. The view from
these tops around the head of Eskdale encompassing
Slight Side, the Scafells, Esk Pike and Bowfell was
breathtaking – Lake District walking at its very best.
So there is life after the 214. Just get off the wellworn Wainwright routes as I did, and enjoy!
Martin Roberts – Hexham
Member No. 742
However, there are some excellent tops, which
might normally be bypassed, and I think the greatest
value of ‘doing the Birketts’ is that it takes one off the
9
EVENT
The
Coppermines
REPORT
& Lakes Cottages
Society Walk: Reston Scar
Saturday 31 March 2012
With 2012 being the Wainwright Society’s
10th Anniversary, it was decided that some
of the most popular walks I have led for
members over the past nine years would be
repeated in this year’s Walks programme.
The first walk for 2012 was to Reston Scar.
AW writes in The Outlying Fells of Lakeland:
‘There must be many readers who, like the
author, have been passing Reston Scar en route
for the Lakes with no more than a glance up at it
... This is a fine place for a siesta on a sunny day
(with a tarn to paddle in)’.
Coniston - Sawrey - Windermere - Ambleside
The Duddon Valley - Broughton - Langdale
Over 70 unique cottages & group accommodation of quality and character in
stunning mountain scenery! Country, Village & Mountain cottages, large & small.
Log fires, exposed beams, and walks from the door. Great weeks, weekends
& short breaks for couples, families & groups. Sleep 2 - 30.
The Estate Office, The Bridge, Coniston Village
015394 41765
www.coppermines.co.uk
Pets Welcome! www.lakedistrictfordogs.co.uk
Low Howe Cottage Coniston 4 - 10
Dixon Ground Coniston 2 - 30
Quality Accredited
Agency Assessed
Tarn Foot The Duddon Valley 2- 3
Visit our websites for live up to date availability & secure online bookings
www.coppermines.co.uk www.lakescottages.info
with lots of photographs & full details of weeks & short breaks
It was a lovely sunny morning in Staveley as
twenty-eight members and seven dogs met
outside the village hall. It was good to see new
members joining the walk as well as familiar
faces. Leaving Staveley, we turned left along
the Kentmere road and almost immediately
left again, ascending School Lane to reach a
T-junction. Another left turn along this lane
brought us to a public footpath signposted
‘Sunny Bank’.
The ascent from Sunny Bank to summit of Reston
Scar is quite steep and, as height was gained,
there were excellent views of Brunt Knott, visited
on a Society walk in 2009. We continued our
ascent along a stony track beyond Sunny Bank,
passing a covered reservoir on the right. The
stony track then zigzags up the fellside.
Upon reaching a very tall deer-gate, we paused
to admire the view of Staveley nestled in the
valley below. After photographs were taken, we
passed through the deer-gate and then turned
left through a gap in the adjacent wall. Usually
this section of the walk is very boggy, but after
the recent summer-like weather the ground had
almost dried up!
Reston Scar – photograph by
Rob Kane
Open country was now attained and we
followed an ascending grassy track to the 834ft
summit of Reston Scar. Although of modest
height, it affords excellent views of the Coniston
Old Man range, the Langdale Pikes, High Knott,
Hugill Fell, Brunt Knott, Potter Fell and the
Howgill Fells. In January 2008, TV presenter Julia
Bradbury and family members joined the Society
walk to Reston Scar before she gave a talk and
slideshow presentation prior to the Society’s
AGM.
After a rest to admire the views and take
photographs, and Society member Phil Catterall
had made a radio broadcast from the summit,
we made our way back down to Staveley to
enjoy lunch at either Wilf’s Café or The Eagle
and Child pub, both favourites watering holes
of Society members. It had been another most
enjoyable Society walk.
Caroline Nichol – Lytham
Walks Organiser
11
What I love about the
Lakes – Hunter Davies
farm shop • tea room • craft gallery • farm trail
Why do you love the Lake District so much?
The rain, obviously!
Which is your favourite pub or restaurant in
the Lakes and why?
The Kirkstile Inn at Loweswater – I do PR for
them and should get a free drink next time –
so could you please print this answer in large
capitals? Cheers!
When was your first visit to the Lakes?
‘Low Sizergh Barn serves top notch, home cooked food.’ Country Walking magazine
Born here, under a crag on Crummock Water.
I tell a lie, I was dropped by an eagle heading
for Mellbreak; no, hold on, I was the love-child
of Melvyn Bragg and the Maid of Buttermere.
Would you like me memoirs?
Farm Shop: 9.00am - 5.30pm, Tea Room: 9.30am - 5.00pm (10.00am Sunday) • Sizergh LA8 8AE • lowsizerghbarn.co.uk • 015395 60426
ONE STORE
SO MUCH TO
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
EXPLORE
RAIN OR SHINE, GREAT FOR ALL THE FAMILY
FIVE FLOORS OF TOP OUTDOOR GEAR
RELAX IN ABRAHAM’S CAFÉ
BOOT HIRE & JUNIOR BOOT EXCHANGE
THE TOP SKI & SKI BOOT EXPERTS IN THE LAKES
YOUR CLOSEST SKI SERVICE CENTRE
FREE DRINK
AT ABRAHAM’S CAFÉ
Too few – probably about 50. It’s me knee, Ivy,
it’s hagony!
I have walked Hadrian’s Wall, coast to coast, but
that’s all. (See knee above.)
What was your funniest moment in the
Lakes?
Because they are free.
Which Lake District person do you most
admire?
Melvyn Bragg. I do envy his hair, but he has
promised to leave it to me!
Why are the Lakes so special for you?
What, if anything, spoils the Lakes for you?
Nothing. I hate people who moan on that the
Lakes are being ruined. No chance. And those
who draw up the bridge when they get inside
and don’t want the great unwashed to enter,
which is how Wordsworth used to think.
Have you ever camped out wild/stayed in an
unusual place in the Lake District?
Yup – several times – best was by the river in
the Duddon Valley, waking up to a swim in the
river then cooking bacon and sausages. The only
thing that spoiled it – lack of rain.
Do you have a favourite bit of walking gear or
clothing?
2 Borrowdale Road, Keswick CA12 5DA
T 017687 72178 ∙ www.georgefisher.co.uk
GF Wainwright Footsteps Ad.indd 1
Do you happen to know how many of
Wainwright’s 214 fells you have climbed?
A huge mountain in the Pictorial Guides which
I climbed over in Stephen Mathews’ Bookcase
shop in Castle Street, Carlisle. I had no ropes or
crampons at the time, either.
Rain, of course, or did I already say that?
Show this advert to the staff at
Abraham’s and get a free drink
with any food purchased!
In bed. Failing that, Bequia in the West Indies.
Have you done or considered doing the Coast
to Coast Walk?
What is your best memory from the Lake
District?
Relax, unwind and plan your next adventure.
In your career as a journalist, you have visited
many places in the world. If you can’t be in the
Lake District, what would your favourite place be?
What was the first fell or crag in the Lakes
that you climbed?
Telling my children I was going to go up Great
Cockup. I didn’t laugh, as I don’t tell vulgar jokes,
but did they holler!
5 floors of top outdoor gear:
Hunter at home in Loweswat
er –
photograph by Phil Rigby, Cumb
ria Life
Wellies.
02/05/2012 16:46
13
A Dutch Passion for the Lakes
For as long as I can remember, Great
Britain has been my favourite country. You
could say I am an Anglophile – for instance,
I love to watch cricket. Nobody in my
circle understands any of this. They think
that my love for all things British is a bit
over-the-top – especially my enthusiasm
for this most strange sport of all, where
spectators bring picnic baskets and knit
sweaters during ‘test matches’ that can last
five days. Nevertheless, there you have it.
I love Great Britain. Nothing can be done
about it.
For the last thirty years, I have taken my summer
holidays in Great Britain. I’ve been camping in
the south, have cycled in the west, walked along
Cornwall’s coast, toured by coach in Wales, walked
in the north and travelled in Scotland.
By the way, it’s all Mr Hunter Davies’ fault! In the
early eighties, I read his book A Walk Around the
Lakes and was hooked, and I then felt there was
no time left to discover other places of interest or
beauty in the world. After reading the book, I took
the first opportunity I had and set off for the Lakes.
I took a bus, a boat, a bus again, and after many
hours I arrived in Keswick. With not much money
in my pocket (early in my career!), I camped ten
days and walked for hours and hours. I fell in love!
Just like Wainwright and numerous others.
My first camping site was in Braithwaite. It was
glorious weather. My small tent stood in a secluded
spot next to a little murmuring brook. I slept
wonderfully well. The North Western Fells, Book Six
of Wainwright’s Pictorial Guides, was my constant
companion. Grisedale Pike was my first mountain
climb. As you probably know, my home country
Holland is quite flat. Although I walked many
kilometres in the Dutch countryside, and practised
in the village of Berg en Dal, where there are some
humble hills, my muscles were not used to this
kind of exercise. But I soon got used to it and my
first choice of a mountain turned out to be a wise
one. It was sometimes steep, but easy going. I’ll
never forget the first view of the Coledale Valley
beneath me. Normally, I am a very level-headed
Dutch woman, but that day I stood there with
tears in my eyes. Okay, I had had a tough year with
lots of troubles and was probably not that strong
in keeping down-to-earth, but that first view made
me very, very happy.
further. Mist came in rapidly and visibility was down
to zero! I realised how dangerous the situation had
become. There I was, on my hands and feet like
a fly on the wall. To the right and to the left there
was nothing but steep ground and a long drop.
Coast to Copast Walk
Riekie at Nine Standards Rigg,
Helvellyn was one of the (many) tops I hadn’t yet
reached. I know it is the favourite of crowds of people
and nowadays you almost have to queue up to get
to the top. But outside the summer season, I thought
it could be very attractive. During a very wet, short
autumn holiday, I decided to climb it, but up to the last
day of my stay at Glenridding Youth Hostel and due to
continuing misty and wet weather, I had almost given
up hope of making the attempt. But, on the morning
of that last day, it looked promising – it was dry and
I thought ‘now or never’! I started from Glenridding
for the eastern approach via Striding Edge which,
according to Wainwright, was the best way of all, with
good paths throughout.
I reached and climbed the flanks of Birkhouse Moor
and went through the Hole in the Wall. During the
last half hour, I had noticed the changing weather
conditions. It had become a little darker but it was
still dry. The views were long gone and there was
no-one in sight. But that didn’t bother me; my aim
was to reach the top, and I pushed all doubts away.
I was almost there, why should I stop now? I was in
good shape, I could take on Striding Edge – it might
not be easy, but surely it wasn’t impossible! So I
thought. How stupid can you be! When I reached
the rock-chimney, I froze and couldn’t go any
Like the early writers, I found Striding Edge a place of
terror. I remembered Wainwright’s words: ‘In a mist,
on a calm day, the Edge is a really fascinating place.’
Well, not for me it wasn’t on this terrible day. I could
only sit tight and wait. Then I thought I heard voices.
I wondered if I was imagining it, but soon I heard
them again. I called out for help and, to my relief,
two young men appeared out of the mist. We were
glad to see each other. Together we climbed and
stumbled over the rocks and eventually we reached
the summit and stopped to take a photograph. After
some minutes resting in the shelter, we started to
look for the path for our descent but unfortunately
were unsuccessful in the misty conditions.
But, again, help was near – now in the form of a large
group of Scouts. Their leaders knew the summit very
well and we joined them. I was given a number –
16 – and every five minutes we had to call out our
number. How clever! I reached the Youth Hostel at
a somewhat late hour, soaked to the skin but, thanks
to the Scouts, in good health. It took some time
before I had the courage to tell the home front of
my adventure. When I did, I had to make a solemn
promise never to do such a stupid thing again! I did, in
fact, learn my lesson for, since that day, I always look at
the weather forecast before I go out and if there’s any
doubt during the walk, I turn round and go back!
Over the years I have enjoyed many happy days in
the Lakes and am planning to do so again for many
more to come.
Riekie Tonk – Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Membership No. 1552
Riekie at St. Bees, starting the
Coast to Coast Walk
Riekie and ‘rescuer’, Helvellyn
14
That first week in the Lake District was the best
holiday I ever had. In the years following that
extraordinary holiday, I read and learned about
the history, the landscape, Wordsworth and other
Lakes Poets, the Lakeland sports, how to avoid
crowds and I also learned about the importance of
keeping safe. Let me tell you about an experience
that taught me a hard lesson.
Binders for Footsteps
Following a suggestion from one of our members we have
now produced binders which will hold three years’ worth of
issues of Footsteps, allowing these to be preserved for future
reference in a smart, convenient manner and safer from
damage. Full details of how to order are now on the website in
the Merchandise section.
15
Fundraising News
BOOK
REVIEW
Walking with the Brontës in
West Yorkshire by Norman and June Buckley
This pocket-sized book is the third
written by Norman and June Buckley
that introduces the reader to a series of
walks with a literary connection. The first
two books, Walking with Beatrix Potter
(reviewed in Footsteps September 2007)
and Walking with Wordsworth (reviewed
September 2010) both covered walks in the
Lake District.
For this latest book, Norman and Jean have journeyed
from their Cumbrian home in Windermere to West
Yorkshire and east Lancashire to devise a series of
walks where there are connections with the Brontë
family – their homes, their places of education, their
workplaces and the buildings and landscape which so
influenced the content of their novels.
At the eastern side of the area covered by the book
is ‘Shirley Country’, so called because it provided the
setting for Charlotte’s novel Shirley. From here, at
Oakwell Hall near Birstall, across to the fifteenth and
final walk in the book around Gawthorpe Hall near
Burnley, runs a linear footpath, the Brontë Way. It is
42 miles long and links many of the sites associated
with this historic family. Several of the walks in the
book incorporate part of this long-distance footpath.
Most of the walks are relatively short, ranging from
1½ to 6¼ miles in length, which gives time to
visit some of the places lived in or visited by the
Brontë family. These could include Tunstall Church,
which the girls would have visited each Sunday,
and the school at Cowan Bridge where the girls
were educated for a number of years and which
later became the setting for Lowood in Jane Eyre.
Other places worthy of visits on the walks include
Oakwell Hall, Shibden Hall, The Bell Chapel at
Thornton (the village on the outskirts of Bradford
where Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne were
16
all born), East Riddlesden Hall, Ponden Reservoir
and Hall, plus of course Top Withens, high on the
moors above the Parsonage at Haworth and the
inspiration for Emily’s Wuthering Heights.
The book begins with a brief history of the Brontë
family. Apart from a detailed description of the
walk, each chapter has a hand-drawn map and
photographs mostly taken by the authors, followed
by notes about the Brontë association with the
locations, and extracts from their writings.
My wife and I walked several of the routes
described in the authors’ previous books and
thoroughly enjoyed doing so. This latest book,
containing walks much nearer to our home in
Wharfedale, will be well used this summer and
autumn and I am sure will give us as much walking
pleasure as the others did.
ISBN 978-0-7712-3254-9. Published by Frances
Lincoln £8.99 (£7.20 to Society members)
John Burland – Otley
Membership No. 2
At the 2012 AGM in Staveley on Saturday 31
March, Sean Day, Director of the Lake District
Calvert Trust, treated us to an insight into the
work of the Trust with a fascinating illustrated
talk on its work. The combined Wainwright
Society and Calvert Trust DVD was also shown
which highlighted the Society’s fundraising
events against a background of Calvert’s wideranging outdoor activities. After the talk, Eric
Robson and Jenny Whalley presented Sean with
a cheque for £14,000, representing the total
raised by members during 2011 for the Trust.
This has been a fabulous effort by many people
and, once again, a record amount was donated.
Work has already started on raising funds for
our 2012 beneficiary, Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
The first main event has been the 60-50-40
Challenge and the Footsteps team would like to
offer congratulations to everyone who
Cheque presentation
by Caroline Nichol
to
Susan Garnett, Cha
ir of Sedbergh Local
Support
Group, Cumbria Wild
life Trust
took part. The last day of the Challenge, on
Saturday 26 May, was marked by a Society Walk
to Arant Haw and Winder. The first cheque
presentation to Cumbria Wildlife Trust was made
at the end of the walk in Sedbergh. A report on
the walk will appear in the next issue of Footsteps.
The Wainwright Society
10th Anniversary Par ty ...
Wilf’s at Staveley – Saturday 10th November 7.00 p.m .
The Order Form for the Party at Wilf’s in Staveley is now available on
The Society Website at http://www.wainwright.org.uk/downloads/wilfs_10th_
anniversary.pdf (If you don’t have access to the web, please telephone
John Bewick on 01623 796497 to have an order form sent to you).
Tickets are £17.50 each and include a 2-course
Hot Buffet Dinner, a selection of alcoholic and
non-alcoholic drinks and celebration ‘amusements’.
Members can buy tickets for immediate family and
also for one non-member guest. We may have to
limit numbers dependent on demand, so get your
order in quickly to avoid disappointment!
17
Ouse Bridge House
Bassenthwaite Lake, Lake District, Cumbria
DVD
REVIEW
Great Walks – Wainwright’s Northern
Fells DVD produced by Striding Edge
and presented by Stuart Maconie
When AW published his Pictorial Guide
to the Northern Fells fifty years ago, he
dedicated it to ‘those who travel alone,
the solitary wanderers on the fells who
find contentment in the companionship of
the mountains and of the creatures of the
mountains’.
Award-winning broadcaster Stuart Maconie is the
presenter of an 80-minute DVD that records two
days he spent visiting many of these northern fell
summits including Great Calva and Knott, Carrock
Fell and Ullock Pike, Souther Fell and Blencathra.
He also encounters Candleseaves Bog, Whitewater
Dash Falls and the lonely expanses of Back o’
Skidda’ as well as the majestic Skiddaw massif itself.
Friendly, family run guest house with amazing views over
Bassenthwaite Lake and Skiddaw. Excellent menu using local
produce available in our licensed restaurant.
Conveniently located for walks with packed lunches, drying facilities and
large car park available. Walking groups welcome.
A warm welcome, excellent service and delicious food in a stunning
and peaceful location.
Telephone : 017687 76322
Email : enquiries@ousebridge.com
www.ousebridge.com
Silver per person per night £36.00 to £50.00
(Quote ‘Wainwright Society’ when booking, to receive your 10% discount off these rates).
Such is the popularity of the northern fells these
days that they are no longer quite as solitary as
they were in AW’s day: he wrote that during the
two years of compiling his guide in the early 60s
he saw walkers on only three of the fells. While
it is probably safe to say that one is less likely to
see other walkers on these fells than in any of the
other six areas covered by AW’s guides, it appears
that the northern fells are very popular with our
members as all twenty-four summits included in
this year’s Challenge were snapped up within three
weeks of the application forms being issued.
The photography in this DVD is by Janusz
Ostrowski and, as usual for him, is outstanding.
Research by Eric Robson and his production team
has led to the inclusion of some very interesting
material – circular sheepfolds, the mineral
campbellite on High Pike, the remains of the
Roman fort on Carrock Fell and details of the life-
cycle of the flying ants encountered on the ascent
to this summit are incorporated in the narration
by Stuart and Eric. Also featured on the DVD is
Ian Tyler, curator of the Keswick Mining Museum
and guest speaker at the Society’s 2009 Memorial
Lecture, who conveys his geological knowledge to
Stuart during their meeting on the top of High Pike.
The photography is superbly enhanced by haunting
Celtic background music.
This DVD depicts an excellent journey over these
lesser-known fells with their solitude and mining
history and is one that I am sure other Society
members will enjoy just as much as I did.
The Northern Fells DVD is available from Striding
Edge Productions www.stridingedge.com at
£14.99, with a 10% discount for Society members.
John Burland – Otley
Membership No. 2
19
So, what do you do after climbing
the 214 Wainwrights?
In order to raise money for charity (ending
up with £10,000 for the Rosemere Cancer
Foundation), I visited the summits of all 214
Wainwrights in just 55 days in 2009. I have
to admit, I enjoyed myself enormously and
ended with an even higher regard for the
no. 1 fellwalker than I’d had before.
But what could I do next? I needed another
project, and since I enjoyed cycling I hit on the
idea of cycling around the entire coastline of Great
Britain, this time fundraising for Cancer Research
UK. And so preparations began for what was to be
a great adventure in 2011
Planning the coastal route wasn’t as simple as it
sounds. It was a delusion to think that from my
home town of Clitheroe, I could ride to Lytham,
turn right and then keep the sea on my left-hand
side for 4,500 miles until I returned home! In
fact, to be faithful to the idea of staying as close to
the coast as possible whilst remaining on mostly
tarmac roads, I ended up with a route containing
over 4,000 junctions, and this took many hours
of plotting. I also made the decision to use a bikemounted GPS on to which I could download each
day’s route – a good move, as it turned out.
The early months of 2011 were taken up with
searching for a motorhome, getting sponsorship,
organising support crews (who would drive,
and
Bill at Stac Pollaidh, NW Scotl
20
cook and generally look after my needs in weekly
shifts) and dozens of other tasks. For a while
I wondered if I might be over-planning, but in
hindsight I don’t think one can prepare too much!
I set off from Clitheroe on 10 May in glorious
weather, but this soon deteriorated. My cunning
plan, to cycle round Scotland in the Met Office’s
‘reliably’ gorgeous spring weather, was sadly
misplaced. By 23 May, the winds around Fort
William were gusting at 100mph and a tree was
blown on to the motorhome with us all inside –
very scary, I can tell you! But as luck would have
it, in a vehicle just behind us were a couple of lads
with a chainsaw and, after two hours, not only was
the tree cut away from the vehicle and the road
cleared, but we were relieved to find that the only
serious damage was a broken windscreen. With
a bit of cajoling we got that replaced the following
day on the Isle of Mull (this and Skye being the two
islands included on my route).
On Britain’s most testing and awe-inspiring hill
road, the Bealach na Bà which leads to Applecross,
I was literally blown off the bike and unable to
stand, never mind ride, so I gave up for the day and
returned the next morning, carrying on without
missing a metre of road!
The next few weeks went by at a steady pace of
around seventy-five miles per day, interspersed with
shorter ‘rest days’ of about thirty miles. One of the
essential aspects of long-distance bike rides is eating!
A big breakfast, TWO lunches, an even bigger
evening meal, plus continuous snacking and drinking
whilst on the bike meant that my total weight-loss
for the trip was only two or three pounds.
John o’ Groats is the end of the road for most
cyclists who start at Land’s End, but I had more
than 2,000 miles still to go, a point which I
made in the famous Visitors’ Book. At Skipsea in
Yorkshire on my way south down the east coast,
the road had disappeared due to coastal erosion,
necessitating some hasty re-routing. In Kent, an
elderly lady drove into the rear of my bike, but
fortunately I had a spare bike, although on the
The finishing line at Clitheroe
same day (which, at ninety-nine miles, was the
longest) I had my one and only puncture, caused
by sharp flints at Dungeness.
One amusing aspect of the south coast was the
variety of ferries – from the (seemingly) gargantuan
Gosport–Portsmouth, to the tiny Helford Passage,
and the shockingly pink Warsash–Southampton:
twenty altogether, and all great fun. Devon and
Cornwall were beautiful, but sticking to the coast
meant negotiating one long steep hill after another.
During five days I climbed more than the height of
Everest! The glorious Devon weather lasted around
the south-west peninsula, but on the final leg through
Wales the elements turned against me again. All I
remember of Abersoch is the rain coming down so
hard that it even made stair-rods look anorexic! I was
extremely glad of the GPS – any paper maps would
have been reduced to pulp very quickly.
The support I got was amazing – friends old and
new either helped or just came out to meet me, as
did people I had never met before but had either
read my blog or heard of my exploits via Twitter
(which I subscribed to for the first time and
found surprisingly good). A few people even cycled
with me, ranging from half a day to a full week
in the case of two good friends. Sponsors were
particularly generous – including the Caravan Club
and almost all the other sites where I was given
free accommodation, Caledonian MacBrayne, and
even Shell and Texaco which provided some of
the fuel for the motorhome. A big thank you to
everyone, too numerous to mention.
By the time I arrived back in Clitheroe on 20 July,
bang on schedule, donations for Cancer Research
UK were coming in thick and fast and the final total
was just over £31,000! In ten weeks I had cycled
4,440 miles, ‘climbed’ over 200,000 feet and
probably burnt off over 350,000 calories.
I think I’ll go and relax by having a few days in the
Lake District. No doubt I’ll be getting itchy feet again
by the time this appears, so if you have any ideas, let
me know. You can read more, and get in touch, by
visiting my blog at www.billhoneywell.blogspot.com.
Bill Honeywell – Clitheroe
Member No. 1242
21
My Favourite Lakeland Walk
– High Gait Crags, Pike de Bield & Esk Pike from Seathwaite
I don’t actually have a favourite walk. I
feel a bit like Wainwright when he said
his favourite fell is the one you happen to
be on, although there are some I would
exclude from that.
However, this walk, which Kevin and I did last
year (13 July), was very special for me as it
marked my completion of visiting all but one of
the fells in Bill Birkett’s (BB) book The Complete
Lakeland Fells. The exception is Pillar Rock; I’m
a walker not a climber, and Pillar Rock is too far
out of my comfort zone.
I had two BBs left, High Gait Crags and Pike
de Bield, both on the ridge coming down from
Esk Pike between Upper Eskdale and the valley
of Yeastyrigg Gill which drops down south
from Ore Gap. Based as we are near Keswick,
we decided to walk from Seathwaite. We’d
waited for a nice day, and a bit of extra walking
(including ascent and descent) to avoid too long
a drive was an easy choice.
Our initial ascent was up the pleasant, if fairly steep,
path beside Grains Gill, its numerous delightful falls
and pools providing plenty of excuses to pause and
enjoy the view (aka catch our breath). As you near
the top, the dramatic rock face of Great End greets
you in all its splendour. The walk continued beside
the colourful gorge of Ruddy Gill towards the
shelter below the true Esk Hause. Although we had
not yet reached a summit, we now headed down
towards Angle Tarn, descending until we picked
up the path to Ore Gap. AW wrote: ‘The climb to
Ore Gap from the Esk Hause path is unexpectedly
easy’ (Southern Fells, Esk Pike 10) and we arrived at
the hause in no time.
As we strolled over the level ground south of
the hause, our main target for the day, Pike de
Bield, came into sight. ‘It’s just up there to the
right, no problem; we’ll be up it in no time,’ we
said. Well, not quite; we had to do High Gait
Crags first and that is way further along the ridge
and 770ft lower. Why? Because I wanted to
finish on the highest fell I had left.
So, you’ve guessed it! After a short stop for
refreshment, we were heading down for the
second time on the walk and on this occasion it
was a lot further, but it was new territory for us,
which is always welcome. There’s no clear path
where we started the descent but, eventually,
one develops on the east side of Yeastyrigg Gill.
As it descends, the gill creates quite a deep
gorge and there was no alternative but to follow
the path above the gorge until it dropped down
towards Green Hole and returned to the gill.
The water level was quite low but there was
plenty of erosion evidence to show that it must
be spectacular when in spate. (At this point,
we’d just descended about 1000ft).
We were now in pathless territory, but managed
to make our way up through Greenhole Crags
and across the southern end of Pike de Bield
Moss to the highest point of High Gait Crags,
‘the furthest bump, a cairned rock outcrop’
(BB). The view from here was really spectacular,
with the Scafells, Esk Pike, Bowfell and Crinkle
Crags forming a wonderful arc of grand
mountains above us, while to the south was
the lovely valley of Upper Eskdale below and
Morecambe Bay and the coast in the distance.
Bizarrely, since this is a rarely visited spot, we
learned later that Andy Beck had been wildcamping here the day before, picking up more
references for his Wainwrights in Colour project.
We could have stayed here for ages drinking
in the scenery, but eventually managed to
drag ourselves away and wind our way up on
intermittent paths between Pike de Bield Moss
and Yeastyrigg Crags to Pike de Bield. This
is one of those fells with several bumps and,
despite the clear weather, we made use of our
GPS to check which one was the highest.
Kevin looks towards Crinkle Crags from High Gait Crags
22
What a spot to finish visiting all the BBs! If I’d
picked a final fell early on, I couldn’t have done
better. As it was, I’d chosen Pike de Bield only
when nearing the end because it was the highest
one still to do. With good weather and hours of
daylight left, there was plenty of time to enjoy
the moment, having our late lunch while soaking
up the views towards the grand rocky Eskdale
face of the Scafells.
Mission accomplished – Jenny
on Pike de Bield
Where to now? Well, we didn’t want to do a fell
walk without a Wainwright so we followed the
broadening ridge up to Esk Pike. En route, we
came across a memorial cairn with two plaques
– one to Gerry Charnley 1929–1982 and one
to Barbara Charnley 1936–2009 – and a small
bunch of flowers. What a wonderful spot for a
memorial. I know that memorials on the fells are
controversial, but this was well away from any
paths in an unfrequented area.
Having climbed Esk Pike and back on familiar
territory, we dropped down to Esk Hause and the
path we had used on the way up beside Ruddy
Gill. Not wanting to retrace our ascent route, we
continued down to Sprinkling Tarn where we had
a last stop before carrying on to Styhead and the
tourist route to Seathwaite via Stockley Bridge. We
gave the Taylor Gill Force route a miss as our legs
were tired and water levels were relatively low.
I can recommend an exploration of this south
ridge of Esk Pike to anyone who enjoys
getting away from it all and having the fells
to themselves. From leaving Seathwaite until
descending Esk Pike nearly six hours later, we
met only three people and this was a sunny July
day. Perhaps I should say thank you to AW for
not including either of the fells on this ridge in
his Pictorial Guide, thus leaving such a wonderful
area to be explored in magnificent tranquillity.
Jenny Whalley – Applethwaite
Member No. 59
23
Stone Circles of Lakeland
Stone circles feature quite extensively
in the writings and artwork of Alfred
Wainwright. No less than ten full-size
drawings can be found in his sketchbooks:
four pictures of Castlerigg and one each of
six other circles – Moor Divock, Kinniside,
Swinside, Birkrigg, Long Meg and Bleasdale
(the latter in Bowland).
Cumbria, in fact, is one of the richest areas in the
country for these monuments: there are around
fifty, including some of the earliest in Britain.
Curious to relate, but certainty about the date and
function of stone circles was greater in the past than
it is now. Many 19th-century writers (for example
Harriet Martineau in her Guide to the Lakes)
associated the circles with the Druids. Indeed,
Martineau calls Castlerigg ‘the Druids’ Temple’,
and relates a story of human sacrifice by fire being
thwarted by a sudden cataract of water from the
mountains.
When I first visited Castlerigg, some thirty-five
years ago, it was with an archaeology student
who told me about the astronomical significance
of these circles, and how the stones line up with
local landmarks and key events in the calendar,
such as the location of sunrise at the solstice.
That indeed is still a common theory, and many
measurements have been made and alignments
identified. But some of the most recent writers
doubt the astronomical connection, pointing out
that the circles contain so many stones, and there
are so many points on the skyline that have some
significance, that a number of alignments would be
inevitable through coincidence alone.
AW, in his Fifth Lakeland Sketchbook, says that
Castlerigg is ‘often wrongly referred to as the
Druids’ Circle’. Current estimates of its antiquity
range from 1600–3200BC. This long pre-dates the
Druids, but there is little else that is certain about
this or other Cumbrian circles. Some have been
analysed as carefully contrived geometrical figures,
and some appear to be constructed by reference
to a constant unit of measurement, endearingly
named the ‘megalithic yard’. Some have evidence
of burials or cremations, others do not. In truth,
24
it seems that in the 21st century we cannot really be
sure what their original function was. What we do
know is that almost all are on elevated sites which
were occupied and cultivated until cooling of the
climate, some 3,500 years ago, made these areas
unviable. No circles were built after about 1500BC.
One quirk about stone circles which has survived
to the present day is the theory that it is impossible
to count the number of stones accurately. Harriet
Martineau relates this in relation to the Long Meg
circle near Penrith. Legend has it that a witch and her
daughters dancing here were turned to stone, and
if anyone counts the same number of stones twice
the spell will be broken, and they will return to life!
Castlerigg has a similar myth that the stones cannot be
counted although a survey concluded that in fact there
were originally forty-two stones, of which thirty-eight
remain today. Within the ring is a rectangle of a further
ten stones; this is a very unusual feature, the purpose
of which is not known. What everyone agrees about
is that Castlerigg is in a spectacular location, and the
most visited megalithic site in Cumbria.
The circle which most closely conforms to the
megalithic yard theory of construction is Kinniside
(otherwise known as Blakeley Raise). But for
anyone who knows their Wainwright, mention of
Kinniside rings alarm bells, for at this site AW felt
that he had been duped. But was he?
Circle
Richard Daly at Castlerigg Stone
Clough Head from Castlerigg Stone Circle
The story goes like this. In The Western Fells (Grike
2), AW recounts the story that the original twelve
stones of Kinniside circle had been removed by
local farmers for use as building materials, but that
‘forty years ago a grand job of restoration was
accomplished by an enterprising working party’
which cleaned out and measured the sockets,
retrieved the original stones, and recreated the
circle. It has to be said that this sounds highly unlikely,
and by the time he wrote A Coast to Coast Walk,
Wainwright had changed his mind about it, saying
that the original story was ‘now regarded as a fib, the
true facts being ... that the stones were arranged on
the site merely as an example of a prehistoric circle
by a local archaeologist’.
story. Some recount the story exactly as originally told
by AW. Others say that it is simply a modern creation.
One author writes that its proportions perfectly
illustrate use of the megalithic yard (which was not
actually discovered until the 1960s). Another account
claims that some of the stones are original, and others
are not. Local newspaper stories published as recently
as 2009 suggest that a Dr Quynne of Frizington, who
was interested in archaeology, believed that there
had been a stone circle on the site, and he identified
stones locally and paid a man named Harry Sharpe
thirty shillings to dig them up and move them to the
current location, using two horses, ‘where he set
them up under Dr Quynne’s supervision’.
Yet the truth seems to be somewhere between
these extremes. The National Monuments Record,
maintained by English Heritage, recounts that an
original circle was apparently dismantled in the 18th
century, and restoration was undertaken by a Dr
Quine in 1925, who set the stones in concrete.
‘Whether he used the original stones, and whether
or not he erected them in their original stone
holes, is unclear.’ The Record concludes that the
circle ‘has all the appearance of genuine antiquity’.
Was there a circle there originally? If so, did it look
like the current version, or even contain any of the
same stones? Maybe AW was half-right in the first
place, and it was a grand job of restoration, albeit
surely not with all the original stones. We may
never know for sure. Stone circles are still weaving
their myths and legends even in our times. If there
is one thing that seems to remain constant, it is that
what we think we know about them today will be
called into doubt tomorrow!
In fact, various current websites and other published
works contain virtually every possible variation on the
Richard Daly – Sandside, Cumbria
Membership No. 6
25
BOOK
REVIEW
In addition to the book and DVD reviewed
on pages 16 & 19, we have highlighted
below three books that we think may be
of interest to readers. Note that one is
offered as a prize.
Rainy Days in the Lake District
by Val Corbett
ISBN: 978-0-712-3247-1. Published by Frances
Lincoln £9.99 (£8.00 to Society members)
Val Corbett will be well-known to Society
members as a regular contributor of the
photograph on the front pages of Footsteps as
well as for her various photographic books. This
latest, pocket-sized book contains over 150
photographs that capture rain and its varying
effects on the landscape and communities of the
Lake District.
A signed copy of Val’s book is offered as a prize to
the member whose name is first drawn from the
hat who has named the ridge route about which
AW wrote: ‘This is a walk to wish on one’s worst
enemy, especially after rain.’ Send your answer,
by 31 July, to footsteps@wainwright.org.uk or
by mail to me at 18 Pease Way, Histon,
Cambridge, CB24 9YZ.
Best Walks on Exmoor
by Richard Webber
ISBN: 978-0-7112-3287-7
Best Walks in the Chilterns
by Roy Woodcock, revised by
Steve Davison
ISBN 978-0-7112-3288-4
Each published by Frances Lincoln £12.99
(£10.39 to Society members)
Best Walks on Exmoor covers thirty of the area’s
best walks, varying in length and difficulty. Each walk
is carefully described, including a basic sketch map,
detailed route instructions and photographs. The
author is a journalist, keen walker and ‘lover of all
things Exmoor’.
Similar in style is Best Walks in the Chilterns,
which covers twenty varied walks in an area of
dramatic landscapes. The book was written by
now-retired keen walker and walking guide writer,
Roy Woodcock, and has been revised by writer,
photographer and keen walker, Steve Davison.
These pocket-sized books are part of a series that
includes ‘best walks’ in Northumberland, the Welsh
Borders, southern Wales, north Wales and Ireland.
David Johnson
Editor
27
‘Light the Wainwrights’
In 2011, Surrey Police Officer Heather
Cooper was murdered, leaving behind two
very young children. Heather had been a
great fan of ‘Wainwright Country’ and had
spent many an hour walking the fells of the
Lake District.
With this in mind, her friends and colleagues
decided to raise funds for the benefit of her
children and also to show their respect for their
lost friend, by organising an event based on the
214 Wainwright fells. This was named ‘Light
the Wainwrights’ and involved trying to have a
volunteer, or team of volunteers, climbing each of
Wainwright’s 214 summits and, at exactly the same
time just before dawn, marking the occasion by
shining a light from the summit. Contributions from
those taking part and others would make up the
fund to assist Heather’s children.
When this project was brought to my attention, I
felt it only right – from a personal perspective as a
retired police officer – that I and other members
of the Society should take part and show our
support for such a worthwhile cause. I canvassed
support on the Society’s website forum and, as so
often seems to happen on such occasions, Society
members showed their metal with promises of
donations and by fourteen volunteering to take part
on the walk itself.
So, on behalf of the Society, I liaised with Sgt Ian
Davies of Surrey Police, Heather’s colleague and
Chair of the Surrey Police Federation, and told him
that we would like to help out. After discussion, it
was decided that our group would climb one of
the lower fells with easy access to allow as many
members as possible to take part. This would also
allow an early start on the Saturday rather than
require a night out on the tops. Our choice of
Latrigg, the lowest of Wainwright’s Northern Fells,
a mile or so north-east of Keswick, and a great
vantage point for many of the higher fells, later
became more poignant.
I travelled up to Lakeland early on the Friday in
order to book in with the organisers, who were
based at Ambleside Rugby Club. People were
turning up from all over the country and many
28
were indeed planning a night on a fell top prior to
lighting their ‘beacon’ the following dawn. Some
headed for the numerous outdoor retailers in
Ambleside to purchase tents and provisions to help
get through a cold night.
Very early on Saturday 28 April, our party of
fourteen set off in clear weather from Spooney
Green Lane on the relatively short ascent of
Latrigg. Some of us had to learn the etiquette of
walking with a head-torch – it’s so easy to ruin
your fellow-walker’s night vision by looking straight
into their face. The wind got up as we approached
the summit and we could see the odd light flicker
on and off on nearby fells as others tested their
beacons. The organisers had asked for a black-out
policy from 4.15am until lighting-up time of 4.30am
so that the lighting of the beacons would be more
dramatic At the appointed time, we lit our lamp on
the summit to shine a light across a sleepy Keswick.
As we did, so other summits too delivered their
tiny glows in memory of Heather. We could see
lights on tops such as Causey Pike and Robinson,
and we believe we may even have seen the
beacon on Scafell Pike.
We also took a moment to pay our respects to
Society member James Trevellyan, who sadly had
died only days earlier. James was well-known to
many members and a popular companion on
past Society walks. He had volunteered to climb
a Wainwright for this year’s Challenge, and had
chosen Latrigg. Therefore, as we made our way
down the fell in the growing light of a new day, it
was good to think that we had climbed it for
him as well.
Wainwright Society members on the summit of Latrigg at 4.30am – photograph by Rob Kane
The occasion was made more special because of the
presence of one member in particular. Very recently
beforehand, Merv Brennan had been in hospital after
collapsing with a bleed on the brain and things were
looking bleak for him. He had made remarkable
progress and been discharged just before the day of
our walk. He had insisted that his good friend and
Society member, Rob Kane, should drive him up to
Cumbria in the dead of night so that he could join us
on the top of Latrigg. It was a moving experience for
us all – Merv, you are a star!
I would like to thank everyone who helped out in
any way at all in making this event so enjoyable and
worthwhile. But I’d like to single out for especial
mention Jenny and Kevin Whalley who had an
open-house policy for those taking part. Jenny and
Kevin live at Applethwaite close to Latrigg and they
supplied accommodation, cooked meals and even
checked our route before the event to make sure
there would be no trip-ups in the dark.
After enjoying what was still a very early breakfast
together, we went our separate ways feeling we
had taken part in a memorable and meaningful
project. Some of us then set out for on a long walk
among the Uldale Fells, but that’s another story!
I’m very pleased to report that we were able to
send £350 to the ‘Light the Wainwrights’ fund,
made up from £250 donated by members and
£100 from Society funds. By late May, the fund was
approaching the £50,000 mark.
Lindsay Shaw – Henley-In-Arden
Membership No. 852
For all the latest news and updates visit www.wainwright.org.uk
by Richard Irvine
Keswick at dawn – photograph
29
Society News
Tickets are selling quickly for this year’s
Memorial Lecture at Rheged in November,
featuring Alan Hinkes. Alan is part of an
exclusive club of only 12 people alive who have
climbed all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks,
which is the same number of people who have
stood on the moon. To order your tickets,
contact Rheged on 01768 868000.
New Member Discount
offer – Hoseasons. With
the success of our discount
offer with Cottages4you, we have
been offered a member discount on other
Hoseasons holidays in the UK. With up to 10%
off, the choice includes family holiday parks,
lodges, boating holidays, cottages and city break
apartments. Full details of how to book are now
on our website, under Member Discounts.
We have recently set up an on-line membership
form. This can be used to join the Society
or renew membership, paying the annual
subscription via internet banking or by standing
order. You can find full details by going to http://
www.wainwright.org.uk/membership.html and
clicking on ‘Membership Application Form’. We
have already had a number of new members and
renewals using this facility.
Letters and drawings by AW have been loaned
to Ambleside’s Armitt Museum by our Patron,
Hunter Davies, and have been on display since
31 March 2012. These are part of his personal
collection. Hunter wrote The Wainwright Letters,
which was the subject of our sell-out Memorial
Lecture in 2011. Amongst the display are two
AW self-portraits and a hand-drawn Pictorial
Gazette, dated 1926, produced to amuse AW’s
colleagues in the office in Blackburn.
Worth Walking For
Best enjoyed in the pub, Wainwright is inspired by Alfred Wainwright, whose
books have guided generations of walkers to experience a taste of the
outdoors for many years.
With refreshing fruit flavours and a hint of sweetness, this exquisitely lovely
golden ale has become universally popular with men and women alike.
Whether you’re finishing a five-mile trek or taking a stroll to your local, it’s
certainly worth walking for.
www.danielthwaites.com
www.drinkaware.co.uk
As reported in Spring Footsteps, we are making
final arrangements for the manufacture and
erection of a new Viewfinder for the top
of Orrest Head. We are hoping to have this
ready to coincide with the Society Walk on 28
July so members and guests can be present for
the unveiling ceremony. As this will take place
before the Autumn issue of Footsteps, please
watch the Society website for full details.
Tickets are now on sale for our 10th
Anniversary Party at Wilf’s, Staveley, which
takes place during our celebration weekend. For
full details and how to order, see page 17.
Society Sketchbook Project. We have now
received members’ photographs for around
20% of the drawings from the (first) Lakeland
Sketchbook. You can see these on the website
and we hope this will inspire you to take part
in this project by searching out AW’s locations
during the summer months. Details of how to
submit your photos are on the website.
31
Dates for your Diary
SOCIETY WALKS 2012
Full details of this year’s walks appeared in
Winter 2011/12 Footsteps and are also on
the website.
• ORREST HEAD, DUBBS RESERVOIR
AND APPLETHWAITE QUARRY –
Saturday 28 July
8 miles, with 1,300 feet of ascent.
‘Orrest Head, for many of us, is where we
came in’ (The Outlying Fells of Lakeland).
This fell has been a very popular feature of
past Society walks, notably that in June 2010
when we celebrated the 80th anniversary of
AW’s first day in the Lake District.
• CUNSWICK SCAR AND SCOUT SCAR –
Saturday 25 August
5 miles, with 1,000 feet of ascent.
This was the very first walk Caroline Nichol
led for the Society, in May 2004. The walk,
starting at Kendal, was described by AW as
‘above others: a pleasure every step of the
way’ (The Outlying Fells of Lakeland). • LATRIGG – Saturday 6 October
6 miles, with 950 feet of ascent.
SHOWS
Weather permitting, we will be attending the
following shows with our marquee. If there
are members who are available to help with
manning the stand on any of these dates,
please get in touch with Mark Johnson at
markjohnson@wainwright.org.uk
• KESWICK SHOW – Monday 27 August
• WESTMORLAND SHOW (KENDAL) –
Thursday 13 September
• BORROWDALE SHOW (ROSTHWAITE) –
Sunday 16 September
10th ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND
10 miles, with 2,500 feet of ascent.
• 10th WAINWRIGHT MEMORIAL
LECTURE, AT RHEGED. SPEAKER:
ALAN HINKES – Friday 9 November
This walk forms part of our 10th Anniversary
celebration weekend.
• 10th ANNIVERSARY PARTY AT WILF’S
CAFE, STAVELEY – Saturday 10 November
• DOVE CRAG – Saturday 10 November.
• REMEMBRANCE SERVICE, GREAT
GABLE OR CASTLE CRAG – Sunday 11
November
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