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THE WAINWRIGHT SOCIETY MAGAZINE 

Wainwright’s Archive 

Retained for Cumbria 

Discovering the Packhorse 

Bridges of Lakeland 

Society Walk: Arant Haw 

and Winder 

Wainwright in the News 

What I love about the 

Lakes – Alan Hinkes 

Fundraising News 

The 60-50-40 Challenge 

and much much more ... 

THE SOCIETY FOR LOVERS OF THE 

LAKE DISTRICT AND FELLWALKING. 

Issue 39 - Autumn 2012 

www.wainwright.org.uk

Frances LincoLn congratuLates the 

wainwright society on their 10 th anniversary! 

remember, wainwright society members get 

20% off wainwright titles at Frances Lincoln! 

the wainwright companion 

by clive hutchby 

photos by sean mcmahon 

£16.99 isbn 9780711233829 

a. wainwright diaries 2013 

Desk Diariy: £13.99 isbn 978071233171 

Pocket Diary: £7.99 isbn 9780711233188 

the worLd oF 

arthur ransome 

by christina hardyment 

£25.00 isbn 9780711232976 

wainwright waLks 

by Julia bradbury 

£14.99 isbn 9780711233799 

To take advantage of your discount, please visit our website www.franceslincoln.com 

and, where prompted, enter the promotional code WAINSOC (case sensitive) 

Footsteps Christmas 12.indd 1 17/9/12 12:32:22 

Note from the Editorial Team 

Highlights of this issue are articles on 

the Wainwright Archive and the related 

acquisition at auction of a notebook with 

research notes for AW’s first Pictorial Guide. 

There is also coverage of the 60-50-40 

Challenge and Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Juniper 

Project, this year’s main fundraising beneficiary, 

as well as the usual range of regular features and 

one-off articles 

The Summer issue of Footsteps included a quiz 

question relating to Val Corbett’s Rainy Days 

in the Lake District, which we had reviewed. 

The question was to name the ridge route 

about which AW wrote: ‘This is a walk to wish 

on one’s worst enemy, especially after rain.’ 

The answer was the route from High Seat to 

Bleaberry Fell (to be found in Central Fells, High 

Seat 7). The winner, whose name was drawn 

from the hat, was Stephen Ellaby from Appley 

Bridge, Wigan, whose prize was a signed copy 

of Val’s book. Congratulations to Stephen and 

thanks to all who took part. 

THE WAINWRIGHT SOCIETY MAGAZINE 

Wainwright’s Archive 

Retained for Cumbria 



Society Walk: Arant Haw 

and Winder 


What I love about the 

Lakes – Alan Hinkes 



and much much more ... 

THE SOCIETY FOR LOVERS OF THE 

LAKE DISTRICT AND FELLWALKING. 

Issue 39 - Autumn 2012 

www.wainwright.org.uk 

Front Cover photograph: 

Langdale Pikes from Lingmoor Fell by Andy Beck 

www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk 

In our next issue, there will be an article from 

a member who had a chance encounter with 

Alfred Wainwright. We would be delighted to 

hear from anyone else who met AW, even if only 

briefly, who might have a story to tell. 

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of 

Footsteps as much as we have putting it together. 

Our thanks go to all who have contributed 

articles. As always, we would value any 

feedback or ideas for future content. 

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 

Derek Cockell – Tel: 01502 731940 

Email: publicity@wainwright.org.uk 

• WALKS AND EVENTS 

Caroline Nichol – Tel: 01253 738721 

Email: walkevents@wainwright.org.uk 

• FOOTSTEPS EDITORIAL TEAM 

Email: footsteps@wainwright.org.uk 

3

4 



I began walking the Lakeland fells sixty 

years ago and now, aged seventy-eight, the 

desire to be up in the fells is as strong as 

ever – although part of me thinks the hills 

have become somewhat steeper. I love 

Lakeland, and continue to walk for the 

pleasure it never fails to bring me. 

For last summer, something new had to be on 

the agenda. Ann Parnham – another recycled 

teenage Wainwrighter – gave me a book, Walking 

on Bridges: Walks Along the Packhorse Routes 

and Bridges of the Lake District, by Robin Bray 

(published by Hayloft Publishing). The packhorse 

bridges and the walks associated with them were 

so fascinating that Ann and I sat down and made 

the walking of all thirty-one Lakeland packhorse 

bridges our summer project. What a delight they 

proved to be! 

The bridges come in various shapes and sizes 

and date from mediaeval times to the eighteenth 

century. Most are arched and some having stone 

clapper beams attached to them. Bridges like 

Ashness, Watendlath, Wasdale Head and Slater 

are in areas where they have become tourist 

attractions. Others are so remote that you can 

walk all day to see them and scarcely see another 

person – Wet Sleddale, Smaithwaite, Lingcove and 

Stanegarth are examples. 

Some are on private land (and permission to 

visit them needs to be obtained), including the 

two Widewaths and the bridge at Far Easdale. 

Others are accessible, but could easily be passed 

by without being noticed; Winster bridge is an 

example. Then there are those with delightful 

names such as the Willie Goodwaller bridge 

(supposedly so called because Willie allowed 

the builders to use his back to create the arch of 

the bridge – perhaps another piece of Lakeland 

folklore).The least beautiful, regrettably, must be 

the bridge at Mirkholme – largely because it is a 

well-used farm bridge and has clearly suffered at 

the hands of Health and Safety with the erection of 

some heavy steel girder protection barriers. 

Ann on the first bridge at Watendlath 

The nice thing about this project is that you can 

create the walks to suit yourselves, sometimes 

taking in a single bridge and at other times linking 

three or four. All the walks are in beautiful terrain 

and it may well be that some involve visiting 

parts of Lakeland that perhaps you have not seen 

before. The walks can be as long or as short as 

you wish to make them: in our case, they ranged 

between five and ten miles, and had varying 

amounts of ascent and descent. Paths are not 

always easy to find and Ann soon decided that I 

had a great ability to get lost! 

Our final bridge was the beautiful bridge at 

Stockley, which has been re-built after flood 

damage and yet fits into the landscape as though it 

has always been there. 

So, what next? Well, over the winter months 

I started producing watercolour paintings of all 

the bridges we visited – so far I have completed 

twenty-one, so there are still a few left to do. I 

had planned to visit the Lakeland waterfalls during 

this summer, but the whole summer appeared 

to become a waterfall, so that project is on hold 

until drier times! Instead, I have been tackling the 

stone circles of Lakeland, which has proved a good 

project for a 78-year-old. 

Brian Scragg – Carnforth 

Membership No. 1051 

Chairman’s Notes 

Occasionally you come across a phrase that 

jumps from the page; one that you so, so 

wish you’d thought of yourself. 

A description of AW as the ‘William Blake of 

Walking’ is one such. Credit for it has to go to the 

poet Simon Armitage in his new book Walking 

Home: Travels with a Troubadour on the Pennine 

Way (published by Faber & Faber) in which he 

follows Wainwright’s squelchings the length of 

Britain’s first official long-distance trail. Except, 

for bloody-mindedness sake, he did it from north 

to south. On the way, Armitage gave poetry 

readings in return for bed and board. Very un- 

AW, who was shy to the point of excruciation. 

He would rather have walked barefoot over hot 

coals than have to put up with the attentions of 

strangers for two hours. 

In his musings, Armitage gives some valuable 

insights into Wainwright’s enduring success. AW 

proved, as he trudged through persistent rain 

and two foot-and-mouth outbreaks, that the 

eccentric English ‘oddball amateur’ working at 

the personal, local level can create fine work 

with universal appeal. 

As one reviewer of Armitage’s book 

commented: ‘It simply describes a long trek in 

the rain by a grumpy poet with a beady eye, 

a restless soul and a generous heart.’ He was 

talking about Armitage but could just as well 

have been describing Wainwright. 

And the reference to Blake? Well he was the 

chap who wrote: ‘Great things are done when 

men and mountains meet.’ Wainwright couldn’t 

have a better epitaph. 

Eric Robson 

Chairman 

5

6 

EVENT 

REPORT 

Society Walk: Arant Haw and Winder 

Saturday 26 May 2012 

The last time I led this Society walk, in 

September 2008, low cloud on the summit 

of Arant Haw spoiled the views. I kept my 

fingers crossed that the weather would be 

better on this second occasion – and so it 

turned out. 

Nineteen members and three dogs met at the Joss 

Lane Car Park in Sedbergh on a gloriously sunny 

morning. Setting off up the steep Josh Lane, we 

headed for Arant Haw and the fellside beyond, 

pausing occasionally to admire the views. We 

passed a signpost, pointing to ‘The Fell’ – rather 

confusing since there are a number of nearby fells 

easily accessible from this particular footpath. 

We continued our ascent across the fields to 

Settlebeck Gill, pausing under the cover of trees 

for some shade from the burning heat of the sun. 

We then followed the gill upstream and reached 

a stile, beyond which are two wooden seats – 

just right to enjoy a rest and admire the views. 

Photographs were taken before we continued 

our ascent along a steep rocky path. The wind 

increased as height was gained, but we battled on 

and reached a signpost, ‘Bridleway to Winder and 

The Calf’. We followed this path up to the 1,989ft 

summit of Arant Haw. 

The wind was extremely strong on the summit 

and we had to hold on to our headgear tightly. 

The best option was to lie down on the summit 

to lessen the buffeting from the wind and, at the 

same time, do a bit of sunbathing. There were 

beautiful views of Calders, The Calf and our next 

destination, Winder. My thoughts turned to how 

AW loved the Howgill Fells, which he could see 

from his home in Kendal. After a short stay, we 

descended back down the bridleway with the 

wind now on our backs, to reach a col before 

ascending another bridleway to the 1,551ft 

summit of Winder. 

Heading towards Arant Haw 

Although of lesser height than its neighbours, 

Winder is an excellent viewpoint and there were 

stunning views, including the distant Lakeland 

fells. Lunch was taken just below the Ordnance 

Survey column, where there was some shelter 

from the still-strong wind. 

After the traditional group photograph was taken, 

we left the summit with some reluctance, but 

we had an important appointment at 3.30pm in 

Sedbergh when a cheque was to be presented 

to the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, the Society’s 

beneficiary for this year. We descended a steep 

path that zigzagged down the fellside to Lockbank 

Farm, where we treated ourselves to their 

homemade dairy ice cream. As we did so in the 

hot afternoon sunshine, we listened to Geoff, the 

owner of the farm, telling us about the history of 

the farm and the surrounding area. 

Leaving the farm, we took the lane back into 

Sedbergh where we met up with Susan Garnett, 

the local representative of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, 

who was presented with a cheque for £2,000, 

the amount raised from this year’s 60-50-40 

Challenge. (See also pages 24–25.) 

It had been a great day out on fells which AW 

loved dearly and a fitting end to another very 

successful Society Challenge. 

Caroline Nichol – Lytham 

Walks Organiser 

farm shop • tea room • craft gallery • farm trail 

Winter walks and tea room feasts, shelves stocked with Cumbrian treats. 

Tea Room: 9.30am - 5.00pm (10.00am Sunday) • Sizergh LA8 8AE • lowsizerghbarn.co.uk • 015395 60426

8 

Wainwright’s Archive Retained 

for Cumbria 

Cumbria Archive Service is celebrating the 

acquisition of Alfred Wainwright’s papers. 

This was made possible with a grant from the 

Heritage Lottery Fund, and support from the 

Friends of the National Libraries and Frances 

Lincoln Ltd, publisher of Alfred Wainwright’s 

Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. 

These grants and donations will allow us to 

purchase, conserve, catalogue and promote 

the Archive to a wider audience. 

Securing the Archive for Cumbria would not have 

been possible without the support of the Heritage 

Lottery Fund. In 2008, the HLF had already 

indicated that an application would meet their 

three criteria: namely, help people to learn about 

their own and other people’s heritage, conserving 

the UK’s diverse heritage, and helping more and a 

wider range of people to take an active part in and 

make decisions about heritage. In particular, they 

wanted to see evidence of a demand for access to 

a collection and how the community and different 

stakeholders would benefit in the long term. 

In addition to the application, we had to submit 

activity plans around the purchase, cataloguing and 

learning/outreach, and detailed budgets and cashflows 

demonstrating how the grant would be used 

and that the project was viable. We were very 

fortunate to have expert help of Janice Tullock and 

Jane Davies, archive and education consultants, in 

drawing up an ambitious programme of activities. 

Wainwright and his archive 

As we all know, the author and his guide books 

have become a unique and fundamental part of 

Cumbria’s culture and heritage. Although tourism 

in the Lake District was well established by the 

20th century, Alfred Wainwright made a significant 

contribution to the boom in tourism during the 

last fifty or more years during which thousands of 

people have been encouraged to explore the fells. 

The collection shows the workings of an author 

using unique methods to produce books when no 

other guides were being produced. It stands as a 

record of Lakeland before mass tourism. 

Detail from the notebook 

The collection consists of examples of annotated 

maps, notebooks, photographs, an extensive slide 

collection, and original pages, sketches and proofs 

of his books. There is also a range of personal 

papers including correspondence with fans and 

supporters. The collection not only reflects 

Wainwright’s love of the Lake District fells but also 

his interest in the heritage of Westmorland as well 

as some early evidence of his life-long support for 

Blackburn Rovers. It has considerable potential 

to attract new audiences, local and national, and 

encourage interest in Cumbria’s heritage. 

The collection is also fascinating in that it reflects 

how Wainwright’s distinctive style of illustration 

developed over thirty years. The breadth of his 

artwork was a revelation, including, as it does, 

cartoons of local characters from the 1920s that 

owe more to L.S. Lowry than the distinctive 

painstaking attention to detail of his later work. 

Cumbria Archive Service 

Before discussing our plans to make the Wainwright 

Archive accessible to all, I should say a few words 

about the institution that will be caring for this 

Archive. Cumbria Archive Service has cared for 

the documentary heritage of Cumbria for the last 

fifty years. Our four Archive Centres in Barrow, 

Carlisle, Kendal and Whitehaven look after over 

8,500 collections of archives relating to all aspects 

of the county’s political, social, religious, domestic 

and economic activities, dating from the 12th 

century to the present day. We are devoted to 

making archives available to the public of all ages. 

Perhaps it’s not surprising that Cumbria Archive 

Service also looks after a number of collections that 

relate to the Lake District and with a mountaineering 

theme. They include the Friends of the Lake District 

and the Fell and Rock Club, here in Kendal, and 

Britain’s first Outward Bound Mountain School 

(Eskdale) and the Mason photographic archive. 

Some of these collections cover the same period as 

the publication of Alfred Wainwright’s guides. 

Looking after Wainwright’s Archive 

Now that the purchase is completed, our next 

task is to conserve the collection in a way that will 

enable the public to see the papers for themselves. 

Whilst the Archive is in very good condition, the 

collection will need careful packaging to enable 

access. We also need to catalogue the collection 

in considerable detail to make it accessible. The 

collection consists of literally thousands of items, 

from large rolled maps to sketches and brief notes 

the size of post-it notes. We will publish our 

catalogue online and use it to showcase images of 

documents and sketches from the collection. 

From the very earliest examination of the 

Wainwright collection, archivists hoped to use it to 

develop activities and resources to attract a new 

audience to archives, including young people and 

schoolchildren. In particular, the collection provides 

us with two relatively unusual opportunities. First, 

the collection is linked to a well-known literary and 

Sketch of Blea Tarn, Langdale 

television personality and, secondly, the collection 

seemed to provide the opportunity to explore a 

wide range of areas of the school curriculum, from 

design and technology to environmental studies. In 

creating an activity plan, we wanted to capitalise on 

these opportunities. 

Following consultation with teachers, we concluded 

that the Wainwright collection should be developed 

as a resource for schools since it has an enormous 

potential to support learning across the curriculum 

and help students understand, and take an active 

role in, their heritage. Teachers we consulted 

wholeheartedly endorsed its use in schools. 

Developing the teaching resources in partnership 

with schools and others will be a new way of 

working that we hope we can replicate in the future. 

Of course, the collection will be available to 

everyone, through our catalogue, the opportunity to 

use the collection in the Archive Centre and through 

talks and exhibitions, in partnership with museums 

and other visitor attractions. In particular, I hope 

there will be opportunities for us to work with the 

Wainwright Society and Mountain Heritage Trust. 

And finally 

Since starting this article, we learnt that a notebook 

relating to Wainwright’s first Pictorial Guide and a 

number of annotated maps were to be auctioned 

at Carlisle. We immediately realised how important 

it was to reunite these items with the Wainwright 

Archive. In particular, we were struck by the 

meticulous detail and quality of draughtsmanship in 

the notebook which, together with the annotated 

maps, forms a fundamental part of Wainwright’s 

methodology in creating his Pictorial Guides. 

Whilst we were surprised by the guide price of 

£3,000, nothing could have prepared us for the 

final hammer price of £8,600 for the notebook and 

maps. We are very grateful to the Wainwright Society 

for taking the lead in securing these papers for the 

collection. Without your support, these items would 

inevitably have ended up with a private collector. 

Peter J Eyre – Assistant County Archivist 

Cumbria Archive Centre, Kendal 

9

10 


As far as Wainwright-related stories 

are concerned, the auction in June of 

Wainwright’s notebook and annotated 

Ordnance Survey maps could well be the 

most significant news item of this year. 

The story broke on 7 June, with a press release 

by H & H Auction Rooms of Carlisle giving 

details of the impending sale together with a 

photograph of a double-page spread from the 

notebook with descriptions of routes of ascent 

and descent on Little Hart Crag. Comparing 

these notes with Wainwright’s chapter in 

The Eastern Fells, it was clear that these were 

far more extensive and comprehensive than 

appeared in the finished book. If these were 

Wainwright’s first drafts for Book One of the 

Pictorial Guides, then this was a very important 

artefact indeed and one we believed the Society 

should seek to acquire for the Archive in Kendal. 

It was agreed that an assessment of the 

notebook should be made to ascertain its 

importance and, following discussions with the 

Cumbria Archive Centre, Anne Rowe, their 

Service Manager, visited the auctioneers in 

Carlisle to look at the material. The result of 

her visit was that she considered the notebook 

to be an important document, so much so that 

they would be prepared to put in some funding 

to help secure the notebook for the Archive. 

Anne also felt that the auctioneer’s guide 

price of £2000–£3000 was ‘about right’ but, 

to everyone’s surprise, that estimate was well 

below the eventual selling price. 

Photograph by H & H Auction Rooms, Carlisle. 

That, of course, reflects the uncertainty of the 

‘live auction’ process and it was realised that 

the limited funds the Society could put towards 

the sale might not secure the notebook. With 

insufficient time to ask members for pledges 

of money, it was suggested that our Chairman, 

Eric Robson, might contact a small number of 

potential donors in order to assemble a fund that 

would give us a reasonable chance of success. 

This increased dramatically with two very 

generous donations from our two Honorary 

Presidents, Betty Wainwright’s daughters, Jane 

King and Annie Sellar. Without their contributions, 

the outcome would have been very different. 

A few days before the auction, we had decided 

what our ‘highest bid’ should be. This had 

to take into account the buyer’s premium 

charged by the auction house, as well as VAT. 

We reckoned we could bid up to £7,500 which, 

with the buyer’s premium and VAT, would take 

us up to a little over £9,000, the fund we had 

available. Since no one was able to attend the 

auction in person at Carlisle, John Bewick was 

‘volunteered’ to do the bidding by telephone. 

Here, John takes over the story of the auction … 

On the day of the auction (25 June) I was advised that 

someone would ring me about five minutes before the 

lot was going to be presented. I suddenly found myself 

on the end of a telephone, with bids being relayed to 

me by a member of the auctioneer’s staff. With a 

catalogue ‘guide price’ of around £3,000, the bidding 

started at £1,500 and within two minutes it had 

increased to £5,000! I was advised that no further 

bids were being made ‘from the floor’ but that there 

was another telephone bidder against us. In less than 

a total of five minutes, the bidding – going up in £100 

stages – was at our agreed figure of £7,500. What 

to do? I must say I’m much happier risking my own 

money that someone else’s. 

I decided to keep going, on the basis that I couldn’t 

exactly be fired by the Society and it would be criminal 

to miss out by a few hundred pounds. About one 

minute later, the bidding reached £8,200 which, with 

the buyer’s premium and VAT, would total £10,000 – 

nearly £1,000 above our agreed target. ‘Keep going,’ 

I told myself, ‘We’ll get the funds from somewhere.’ 

At £8,500 I thought that we had probably been 

beaten and made one final bid of £8,600. Silence 

at the other end. Then, I could hear the auctioneer 

saying, ‘at £8,600, going, going, ........... Gone!’ 

We’d won it! 

I contacted Eric and others on the Committee and, 

thankfully, they were all delighted that we had 

secured the items, even at that higher level. And, 

thanks to the generosity of certain individuals, the 

extra money was found. It also transpired that the 

auction had been recorded by ITV News and it was 

very strange for me to be able to view the bidding 

via a lady in the corner, whom I’d never seen, on 

the telephone to me and next to another lady 

talking to the ‘opposition’ … 

At home, in Suffolk, my telephone started 

ringing within half an hour of the auction. I was 

contacted by ITV and BBC reporters wanting 

interviews for their local news programmes 

that day. Radio Cumbria also wanted an 

interview. Since I was not in the area, and Eric 

was unavailable, Anne Rowe kindly agreed to 

act as spokesperson for the day. I had several 

telephone interviews with journalists from the 

local press and within twenty-four hours the 

story was being reported in their online editions. 

Yes, this was a very big news story! 

Photograph by H & H Auction Rooms, Carlisle. 

The notebook and OS maps are now in the 

safe-keeping of the Cumbria Archive Centre 

and will be available for everyone to see, along 

with all the other Wainwright Archive items, 

when cataloguing has been completed 

Before the auction, there was insufficient time to 

contact members to ask for donations to secure 

the notebook and OS maps. Over the past ten 

years, however, the Society has built up reserves 

of capital to enable it to support initiatives such 

as the replacing of the View Indicator on Orrest 

Head. Without this reserve, we would not have 

been able to mount a successful bid for these 

important items. 

After reading this article, Society members 

may like to make a retrospective donation, 

which will help to replenish our reserve for 

future need. If you would like to contribute 

to this cause, please send your cheque, 

made payable to The Wainwright Society, to: 

Notebook Donation, The Wainwright Society, 

c/o Kendal Museum, Station Road, Kendal, 

Cumbria LA9 6BT. 

Derek Cockell, Press & Publicity Officer 

John Bewick, Society Development Officer 

11

12 

EVENT 

REPORT 

Society Walk: Applethwaite Quarry, 

Dubbs Reservoir and Orrest Head 

Saturday 28 July 2012 Tom Holman has chosen twenty Wainwright 

walks that he considers suitable for families 

Seventeen Society members and three dogs 

met outside Windermere station in dry and 

bright conditions. The forecast, however, was 

for heavy showers – not ideal, particularly for 

the afternoon unveiling ceremony of the new 

Orrest Head view indicator. 

We set off across the A591 and ascended a 

tarmac’d lane beside the Windermere Hotel, 

soon turning left to follow the enclosed path 

below Elleray Bank, through High Hay Wood 

and open fields to reach the A592. Here we 

turned right for a short way before heading 

north up a steep lane to Crosses Farm, beyond 

which we crossed fields and a number of stone 

step-stiles, which proved quite a challenge for 

Socrates, a one-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog! 

Reaching Far Orrest Farm, we continued 

northwards across fields for a few hundred yards; 

when we reached a lane, we turned right onto 

the track shown on the map as Longmire Road. 

As we ascended this, the views began to open 

up along the Troutbeck valley, although these 

were intermittent in the now showery weather. 

We soon passed above the caravans and chalets 

of Limefitt Park and joined the Garburn Road to 

reach a plantation. This hides Applethwaite Quarry, 

our first target, which we reached through a gate 

and along a short uphill path. This old slate quarry, 

once a hive of activity but now a place of peace and 

quiet, made for a perfect lunch spot, the more so 

as it was now dry and sunny again. 

Perhaps surprisingly, I was the only one in our 

party to have visited the quarry before, which I 

did during last year’s Society Challenge. It is quite 

likely that many walking along the Garburn 

Road bypass it simply because it is concealed 

from view – to see it requires one to ‘seek and 

find’, as AW advocated. After lunch we returned 

to the Garburn Road and soon branched left 

down Dubbs Road. In reality, these ‘roads’ are 

stony tracks, not highways! They were used by 

packmen and drovers crossing from Windermere 

and Troutbeck to Kentmere and on to Shap. 

Midway along Dubbs Road is Dubbs Reservoir, 

our second target. This was built to supply water 

to Windermere, but is now used for private 

fishing. We shortly reached a lane where we 

turned right for a few hundred yards before 

turning left over a stone step-stile and crossing 

the fields to Near Orrest Farm. We ascended 

through the fields for half a mile to reach the 783ft 

summit of Orrest Head, our final target. The 

sun was still shining and the view was stunning, as 

it had been when AW first came here in 1930. 

We waited for others to arrive for the unveiling 

ceremony (see page 27), after which we 

returned down to our starting point. It had been 

another successful Society walk. 

Caroline Nichol 

Walks Organiser 

BOOK 

REVIEW 

Wainwright Family Walks – Volume One: 

The Southern Fells edited by Tom Holman 

or for newcomers to walking in Lakeland. 

The distances of the walks included range 

from 1 to 7½ miles. 

Whilst the title of the book suggests the walks 

have all been taken from Wainwright’s Book 4, 

The Southern Fells, this is not the case. Twelve of 

the walks are, in fact, taken from Outlying Fells, 

the rest coming from the Pictorial Guides for the 

Far Eastern Fells (1), Eastern Fells (1) Central Fells 

(3) and Southern Fells (3). To sub-title the book 

‘The Southern Fells’, a term relating exclusively 

to Book 4 of the Pictorial Guides, is confusing 

and inappropriate. Something on the lines of 

Walks for the Family in southern Lakeland: from 

Wainwright’s Pictorial Guides would have been far 

more accurate. Perhaps the author will consider 

this when he presumably comes to write a second 

complementary book covering walks in the 

northern half of the Lake District. 

Anyone who has ventured onto the Lakeland fells 

with children will be well aware of the planning 

necessary for a successful ‘expedition’ and the book 

assists greatly in this. The layout follows much the 

same format as The Best of Wainwright (a spin-off 

published in 2003) in which each of the twenty 

fells is reproduced in full from the relevant Pictorial 

Guide, preceded by a typeset introduction written 

by the author. 

The most valuable aspect of this is the section headed 

Directions which gives clear information of AW’s 

suggested route of ascent. Whilst it often duplicates 

AW’s hand-written copy that comes next, it is 

probably easier to follow. Detailed advice covering 

public transport options – including bus numbers, train 

and ferry details – is provided alongside the helpful 

‘facilities, food and drink’ section. Within this is given 

the location of toilet facilities, picnic areas, familyfriendly 

pubs, shops and cafés, providing telephone 

numbers and website addresses where applicable. 

Additionally, points and places of interest both en 

route and in the surrounding area are included, which 

could be useful to keep children interested either 

during or after the walk. 

The reproduction of AW’s copy is taken from Chris 

Jesty’s revised editions of the Pictorial Guides, and 

the clear red-pecked footpaths will be especially 

useful for young and old alike as well as giving 

helpful alternatives should the family wish to cut 

short or extend a walk. 

These walks are well suited for testing out children’s 

interest, ability and desire to walk over gradually 

increasing distances and variation of terrain without 

scaring them off, while the final route onto Harter 

Fell takes them over that magical 2000ft mark. 

I would certainly recommend this book (in 

paperback, making it easy to take on the walks) 

which makes the fells more accessible to families 

and unsuspecting ‘off-comers’ who may be 

unaware of the delights that lie ahead of them – just 

as Wainwright himself once was. 

ISBN 978-0-7112-3362-1. Published by Frances 

Lincoln £9.99 (£7.99 to Society members) 

Wendi Armstrong – Birtley, Chester-le-Street 

Membership No 1825 

13

14 

What I love about the Lakes – 

Alan Hinkes 

The 2012 Wainwright Memorial Lecture is 

to be held on Friday 9 November at 7.00pm 

The guest speaker will be Alan Hinkes OBE, 

who is the first Briton and one of only 12 

people alive to have climbed the world’s 

highest mountains – the fourteen 8000m 

peaks. He became interested in climbing 

and mountaineering while at school in North 

Yorkshire, progressing to the Alps including 

the notorious North Face of the Eiger, and 

eventually graduating to the Himalaya. 

Alan is an Honorary Citizen of his home town, 

Northallerton, and is involved in charitable work 

for Water Aid, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Duke 

of Edinburgh’s Award and Mountain Rescue; he 

works closely with the British Mountaineering 

Council. He was awarded the OBE in the 2006 

New Year Honours list. 

When was your first visit to the Lakes? 

Early 1970s when I was in my early teens. 

What was the first fell or crag in the Lakes 

that you climbed? 

Place Fell from Side Farm Campsite. 

What do you consider to be your favourite 

Wainwright fell or walk? 

Helvellyn – especially via Striding or Swirral Edges. 

Which is your favourite pub or restaurant in 

the Lakes and why? 

Golden Rule – no food – good beer and 

memories of good days out. The Old Dungeon 

Ghyll Hotel – lots character and good beer. 

What was your funniest moment in the Lakes? 

Wasn’t funny – but I once escaped an avalanche 

on Great End. 

What, if anything, spoils the Lakes for you? 

Litter. 

What is your best memory from the Lake 

District? 

The summery smell in the air. Lambs/sheep 

bleating in spring. Enjoying a post-walk/climb 

beer in summer sun – when it’s not raining! 

Some great winter snow and ice climbs recently. 

Which Lake District person do you most 

admire? 

Wainwright himself – got to admire his 

dedication. More and more I appreciate his 

work and books. But of a person born in the 

Lakes – Joss Naylor. 

In your career as a climber and journalist, you 

have visited many places in the world. If you 

can’t be in the Lake District, what would your 

favourite place be? 

Yorkshire – the North York Moors and the 

Dales. Nepal is lovely, too, with a lot of very big 

mountains! 

Do you happen to know how many of 

Wainwright’s 214 fells you have climbed? 

Don’t know off-hand – I do mean to have 

climbed them all one day. 

Have you done or considered doing the Coast 

to Coast walk? 

Yes, I’ve intended to do C to C for a long time – 

so I’d better get my finger out and do it. 

Do you have a favourite item of walking gear 

or clothing? 

Lakes OS Maps and BMC Lakes 1:40000 for 

an overview, plus my camera to make sure I 

capture the scenes. 

Have you ever camped out wild/stayed in an 

unusual place in the Lake District? 

I have wild-camped a few times. I remember 

once going up to Red Tarn and forgetting tent 

pegs – had to hold on to the tent in the night 

when the wind sprung up. The Priest Hole on 

Dove Crag. Borrowdale – Bowderstone quarry/ 

cave. Ambleside Park waterfront shelter – a 

great bivouac! 

Why are the Lakes so special for you? 

Very intimate place with lots of variety. It is 

possible to have a great mountain day out – as 

good as in any mountain area – especially in 

winter. Also possible to have just a pleasant 

ramble as well. 

Cumbria’s juniper trees are 

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sponsor a 

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The perfect gift for 

your family or friends 

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For details visit: www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk under 

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Or phone 01539 816300 and ask for Michelle 

Registered charity no: 218711 Protecting Wildlife for the Future

16 

BOOK 

REVIEW 

Never Mind the Quantocks 

by Stuart Maconie 

This entertaining and engrossing book is a 

collection of fifty of the author’s columns 

in Country Walking, Britain’s bestselling 

publication for walkers. Through them, 

the reader gets to know him a little whilst 

enjoying his accounts of a range of walking 

experiences – from visiting favourite 

Lakeland places to pub treks. Society 

members will identify with many of the 

situations he writes about. 

Stuart Maconie is an Honorary Member of the 

Wainwright Society, but the book recounts that 

when he was a young lad, he didn’t have a clue 

about Wainwright or anything Lakeland-related. It 

tells how he was bitten by the walking bug early 

on, after just a few visits to the Lakes, and how he 

progressed to completion of the 214. The book 

helpfully includes the full list of Wainwrights for 

reference purposes. 

The book is not a guide to walking, but 

nevertheless is, in my opinion, a ‘must have’ 

book for anyone who has an interest in the great 

outdoors. Topics range extensively, with thoughts 

on buying the right footwear to making decisions 

about isotonic drinks or gin and tonic. Stuart 

recounts amusing tales from his walks through 

Lakeland, the Pennines, in Dorset, along Hadrian’s 

Wall and elsewhere, with mentions of such things 

as a dented flask, pork pies, red squirrels and 

Goretex snakes. 

Not all is light and amusing: there are poignant 

episodes that brought a lump to my throat, such 

as the account of when Stuart scattered his dog’s 

ashes at a favourite spot of theirs on the fells where 

they had been together. 

I would recommend this excellent book to anyone, 

but it will resonate particularly with those who 

can picture the scenes depicted from their own 

experiences – such as when Stuart completed his 

214 round on Kirk Fell with friends he has walked 

with over many years. 

ISBN 978-1446301654. 

Published by David & Charles £7.49 

Rob Kane – Morley 



As we have reported previously in Footsteps, 

we had a tremendous fundraising year in 

2011 for The Lake District Calvert Trust, 

culminating in a cheque presentation at our 

AGM in March 2012 and a talk to members 

by their Director, Sean Day. 

Following this, we agreed with Calvert Trust that 

it would be a fitting tribute to those who had 

helped raise such a significant amount if there 

were some kind of permanent memento at their 

headquarters to mark our contribution. 

We decided that the best way to do this would be 

to have a large display ‘picture frame’ which could 

hang in a public area of their building at Little 

Crosthwaite. The display consists of two panels; 

one describing our fundraising year and the other 

giving details about AW and the Society. 

Our work has not only been of great benefit to 

The Calvert Trust, but it has also allowed us to 

The Square, Hawkshead, Cumbria. LA22 0NZ info@hawksheadrelish.com 

John Bewick and Lynn Healey, Business Manager, 

The Lake District Calvert Trust 

become friends with some superb people who 

go way beyond their ‘jobs’ to provide lifelong 

experiences for their visitors. They have joined in 

on some of our events and the Friends of Calvert 

Trust even helped the fundraising by selling and 

despatching numerous calendars. Their motto, 

‘It’s what you can do that counts!’ truly sums 

up what they are about: ‘Challenging Disability 

through Outdoor Adventure’. 

John Bewick 

Society Development 

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with lots of photographs & full details of weeks & short breaks 

Memories of Uncle Harry 

On a sunny May Saturday in Sedbergh, 

I was delighted to receive the Society’s 

cheque for £2000 for the Cumbria Wildlife 

Trust’s current juniper planting project 

(see pages 28-29). In conversation with 

Society members, I mentioned my own 

‘Wainwright connection’ and was asked 

to write this article. 

The connection is my Uncle Harry, Henry Marshall, 

who collaborated with AW when his first guides 

were published. Early editions of the Pictorial Guides 

have ‘Henry Marshall, publisher, Low Bridge, 

Kentmere, Westmorland’ printed inside. 

As a young child, I went to live with the Marshall 

family, then living in Kentmere, during some of 

the war years, and attended Miss Mann’s nursery 

school near Serpentine Woods and our favourite 

excursion was to feed the many red squirrels 

there. As I grew older, I used to spend most of my 

school holidays in Kentmere, relishing the freedom 

to roam with my cousin Roger and to ride Benny 

Dickinson’s fell ponies. 

Uncle Harry was Borough Librarian of Kendal 

for about twenty-three years during the 40s, 50s 

and early 60s, and I can remember visiting him 

in his office. He sat behind a huge desk in the 

room which is now the children’s library. He was 

a fount of amusing and entertaining tales. He tried 

to persuade me that the Chinese restaurants, just 

beginning to appear locally, had a sinister ingredient 

which, when the call came, would make us all rise 

and head east! 

The family house, Low Bridge, was a fascinating 

place. It had once been a hostelry but it acquired 

such a bad reputation that its licence was eventually 

withdrawn. Uncle Harry was full of stories of evil 

goings-on, bodies in the river that flowed at the end 

of the garden, robberies and other wholly unsuitable 

bedtime stories. As electricity took some time to 

reach Kentmere, most properties had their own 

generators but these were noisy and at an agreed 

time in the evening were turned off and candles and 

paraffin lamps took over. The flickering lights and 

menacing shadows lent authenticity to the stories 

and fired my already over-heated imagination. 

Susan Garnett 

AW with Henry Marshall, in Skye - June 1954 

A task which all his family had to undertake was to 

parcel up the Guides, hot from the presses, into 

manageable amounts which Harry then dispatched 

via his library vans to the ‘twigs’ (libraries not big 

enough to be branches!). Some went via the post-van 

to Staveley Post Office. Roger would take some 

to sell on the bus en route to school. He became 

a journalist and later moved to Canada where he 

became a mountaineer of considerable skill and 

courage, selected for several prestigious Canadian 

expeditions. Tragically, in 1987 he fell to his death on 

Mount Everest and was buried there. My uncle also 

died relatively young, at the age of fifty-eight, in 1964. 

He was an active member of Mountain Rescue. Their 

memorials are in Kentmere churchyard. 

I didn’t appreciate the unique nature of the Guides 

at the time and any early editions my own family 

may have possessed are, sadly, no longer around. 

I was asked if I ever met Alfred Wainwright but, 

being a teenager at the time, any significance of a 

meeting would have been lost on me and I simply 

can’t remember! 

Susan Garnett – Chair, Sedbergh Local Support Group, 

Cumbria Wildlife Trust 

19

20 

The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail 

The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail offers some 

of the most spectacular scenery in the 

north of England. The trail is 4½ miles 

(8km) long and leads you through ancient 

oak woodland and magnificent Yorkshire 

scenery, via a series of stunning waterfalls 

and geological features. 

The most famous waterfall on the trail, Thornton 

Force, falls 14 metres from its limestone bed 

onto the older Silurian rocks below. The historian 

Dr Arthur Raistrick once remarked that ‘at the 

point of unconformity below the waterfalls 

where the old slate rocks jutting up vertically 

meet the horizontal limestone strata which lie 

upon them, a person placing his hand across the 

junction of limestone and Silurian rock can span 

with his hand’s breadth a million years.’ During 

his ‘Pennine Journey’ walk in 1938, Wainwright 

described Thornton Force as follows: ‘I stood on 

the rocky bluff overlooking the Force and could 

feel the ground trembling at the thunderous roar 

of the river as it leaped clear in a boiling cloud 

of spray. … It was pure white; a surging, raging 

turbulence of sparkling crystals.’ 

Thirty-two years later, Wainwright said of the 

Waterfalls Walk in Walks in Limestone Country 

(Walk 6): ‘Surely, of its kind, this is the most 

delightful walk in the country? And not only 

delightful: it is interesting and exciting and 

captivating and, in places, awesome. Here Nature, 

always bountiful, has been lavish indeed: charming 

rivers, sparkling waterfalls, wooded ravines, 

sinister pools and gorges all combine to present 

a pageant of unexcelled beauty and grandeur. 

Here loveliness walks abreast. This is Ingleton’s 

showplace, attracting crowds of visitors in summer, 

but better enjoyed in the quiet of winter, when 

one can wander in wonderland undisturbed, and 

enchanted.’ 

The Waterfalls Trail was opened to the public 

nearly a century before AW had written those 

words in 1970. It dates back to 1885 and has 

continued to attract visitors ever since. It is now 

designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest 

(SSSI) by Natural England. 

Ingleton is well known for its caves and magnificent 

limestone scenery but, back in the late 19th 

century, the waterfalls were hidden from view and 

most people were unaware of their existence. A 

series of articles then appeared in the Lancaster 

Guardian and other newspapers, reporting on the 

scenery in and around Ingleton. This generated 

so much public interest that the idea of making the 

waterfalls accessible began to be developed and an 

‘Improvement Company’ was formed. Pathways 

and wooden bridges were built and the trail was 

opened on Good Friday, 11 April 1885. Thousands 

of visitors arrived at Ingleton by train from Leeds, 

Bradford, Manchester and other towns throughout 

the north of England. Visitors bought photographs 

and paintings by local artists as souvenirs. The 

popularity of the trail at that time is shown by the 

fact that on one single day in June 1888 there were 

3,840 visitors to Ingleton and the falls. 

And it was not only the falls that brought people to 

Ingleton. The village of Ingleton has a long history 

going back to the Iron Ages, when there was a fort 

on top of Ingleborough. In more recent times, the 

village had its commercial interests in quarrying, 

which still continues, and coal mining which has 

now ceased, with the only remnants being the 

housing area known as New Village, built for the 

miners and their families. 

The Ingleton History Trail, a booklet devised by 

local historian and author, John Bentley, shows 

something of the industrial archaeology and other 

features of Ingleton. It is available from the Tourist 

Information Office, priced £1. 

Ingleton can boast the first Hoffman kiln, still visible 

in Mealbank Quarry, and the site of a conservation 

park for the millennium. Cotton mills were once 

also in abundance here, powered by a water mill, 

of which there is now little trace, but signs of the 

mill races are still to be found near the playground 

by the river. 

There are a number of 16th-century buildings 

in Ingleton, and remnants of an agricultural past 

can be found in the village square amongst other 

places. The old bullring, where animals were 

baited and killed in bygone years, is still visible in 

the tarmac. The Church of St. Mary has one of 

Ingleton’s oldest relics, the 900-year-old Norman 

font; it was found in the river in the last century and 

restored to its rightful place. 

Mary Doyle, the mother of Sir Arthur Conan 

Doyle, lived in Masongill, a small hamlet nearby, 

and the man himself would surely have been a 

regular visitor to the area, as were other poets 

such as Thackeray, who visited Masongill House 

many times. A brass in the church commemorates 

the death of Randall Hopley Sherlock, brother of 

the Reverend Sherlock (vicar of Ingleton), who 

died having been struck by lightning at Ingleton 

station. Since the area below the prominent 

viaduct that crosses the valley in the village is 

called the Holmes (Holme Head etc), one can 

only speculate about the origin of the name of a 

certain detective! 

The Waterfalls Walk is usually done in a clockwise 

direction, initially following the River Doe (as 

shown by AW in Walk 6*) with the return journey 

coming down the valley of the River Twiss. 

Wainwright wrote this of the two rivers: ‘Of the 

two glens, the more frequented westerly one, 

containing the Doe, is the more charming and 

lovely; the easterly one is, however, much the 

grander and more romantic.’ 

* It should be noted that there has long been 

confusion about the names of these rivers, even 

concerning whether the River Doe is in the 

westerly or easterly glen. This is explained by AW 

in Wainwright in the Limestone Dales (p.60). If you 

are considering doing the walk, just be aware that 

the location of the River Doe differs between AW’s 

account and modern OS maps and some other 

sources. 

There have been some new developments at the 

Waterfalls Trail in recent years. In 2005, the Falls 

Café opened at the start of the trail, and in 2010 

the Falls Refreshment Centre was opened halfway 

round the trail, at Beezley Farm. 

In 2010, the Waterfalls Trail celebrated its 125th 

anniversary and this was marked by a nominal one 

penny entry fee for its visitors. The celebratory day 

attracted tourists, regular walkers and families and, 

boosted by donations, over £2,500 was raised for the 

local Cave Rescue Organisation, based in Clapham. 

Thornton Force 

Today, the Waterfalls Trail remains a beautiful and 

unique place to visit. Other than Christmas Day, it 

is open all year round, from 9.00am, with closing 

times varying according to the time of year. More 

details of this beautiful walk can be found on the 

official website at www.ingletonwaterfallstrail.co.uk 

Lastly, my thanks go to Rachel Harper, Press Officer 

for the Ingleton Waterfall Walk, for providing much 

of the information contained in this article. 

John Burland – Otley 

Membership No 2 

21

22 

My Favourite Lakeland Walk 

– Plumgarths to the Strickland Arms 

As you approach the wrong side of seventy, 

walks in the Outlying Fells guidebook 

become more attractive. In AW’s 

introduction to the book he says you almost 

to feel sorry for those toiling up Rossett 

Gill, but really you are just kidding yourself. 

This linear walk is a variation on the route in the 

Scout Scar chapter and the return can be made 

by bus (ideal for those of us with a bus pass), 

by car (parking is easy at both ends of the walk) 

or, for the fit among us, by walking. If the plans 

proposed for an extended national park come 

to fruition, the entire route followed to the 

Strickland Arms will be encompassed within it – 

I think AW would have approved. 

If AW’s guides are the vade mecum to the Lake 

District, the 555 bus is my main conduit for 

using them. There is a request stop on the 

Windermere side of the Plumgarths island, just 

north-west of Kendal. There is also parking 

available just to the right of the top of Hollins 

Lane. At the end of the walk there is plenty of 

parking room near the Strickland Arms, which is 

adjacent to the entrance to Sizergh Castle estate. 

The view from Scout Scar 

The route takes a public path facing Hollins 

Lane, heading south-west from the A591 past 

Bannel Head and soon crosses Crook Road 

through a couple of awkward gates. Already 

the views of the fells are impressive. These are 

what Harry Griffin – Lakeland author, journalist, 

rock-climber and close friend of AW – could 

see during some three decades when he lived 

at Plumgarths. After crossing one field, the 

path enters the wood that adorns the nose of 

Cunswick Scar. A delightful well-graded path 

eventually reaches a stile that leads to a field 

that is only a couple of hundred yards from the 

Cunswick cairn. If you walk here in May, there 

will be a host of bluebells and ransom. 

The next couple of miles coincide with the 

Scout Scar chapter as described in Chris Jesty’s 

revision of the book. The walk along the broad 

ridge of Cunswick Scar towards the radio mast is 

pure delight with good views in most directions. 

If you have walked the ridge before and would 

like a variation, there is a path going down to the 

west of the side of the ridge – at the bottom of 

the ridge keep turning anticlockwise when given 

a choice to reach Cunswick Hall. The scar is 

then reached again by following the wonderfully 

named Gamblesmire Lane through a superb 

meadow and past some old lime kilns to meet 

the original path just short of the radio mast 

near the north side of Underbarrow Road. This 

detour adds about 45 minutes to the walk. 

If the radio mast is kept to the left, road walking 

can be avoided and the main Scout Scar car 

park is soon reached. Underbarrow Road is 

crossed here and the path then leads unerringly 

to the well-known mushroom-shaped shelter 

on the highest point of Scout Scar. There are 

tremendous views looking over the escarpment 

and a 360º panoramic view from the ‘mushroom’ 

– from Arnside through to Ingleborough and then 

round to the Howgills and the Lakeland giants. 

The ridge is now followed south until a junction 

of two walls is met with a kissing gate. It does 

not matter whether the escarpment or the top 

of the scar is followed. The wall you meet on the 

left, which also points south, separates the Scar 

from Helsington Barrows and the gate is at the 

junction of this wall with another wall that points 

to the right. The Barrows are entered and in five 

minutes Brigsteer Road is met. Here the route 

turns right for a few yards and then left on the 

tarmac’d road which leads to Helsington church. 

This idyllic spot is where Harry Griffin wanted 

his memorial service to be held; unfortunately, 

the church was too small and the service was 

held in Kendal parish church. This church serves 

Brigsteer but is not convenient for the village. It 

is located here because the endowment in 1726 

came from John Jackson who lived at the much 

nearer Holeslack Farm. There is a millennium 

viewfinder here which is worth using to identify 

places in the magnificent landscape. It is not high 

Lakeland, but is none the worse for that. 

The tarmac soon vanishes and the track goes past 

Holeslack and then downhill past a barn on the 

right before another barn is met on the left. Soon 

the next objective, Sizergh Castle, can be seen. 

The path continues south across a field, over a 

small stream to another gate, and then through 

a final meadow to the castle itself. There is a 

good café here along with a National Trust shop. 

The route used by cars is now followed to leave 

the castle grounds and finally reach the splendid 

Strickland Arms, which offers a good choice of 

real ales and decent food. Recommended! 

Don on the summit of Scout Scar 

This walk of six or so miles takes me about 

three hours. The beauty of this finish is that, 

if the road is now followed south, the A590 

is soon reached, where to the left is the bus 

stop for the 555 going back to Plumgarths (and 

beyond through Windermere to Keswick). A 

right turn would lead to another bus stop for the 

X35, which goes into Kendal. 

The walk can be extended by going to Kendal. To 

do so, head back towards Sizergh and turn right 

immediately before the entrance onto Nanny Pie 

Lane. When you arrive at the River Kent, turn left 

towards the campsite and, before that is reached, 

cross the river on a very narrow metal bridge. 

Carry on left and follow the Kent all the way back 

to Watercrook Farm. The double bend here is 

the site of the Alavna Roman fort. Now turn away 

from the river to meet Natland Road, turning 

left and soon reaching a path on the right going 

parallel with the road. This is the old canal route 

which finally ends at Canal Head under the castle 

in the middle of Kendal. 

The start of the walk at Plumgarths can then 

be reached by taking the 555 bus or, by those 

still full of energy, by trudging the mile or so up 

Windermere Road. 

Finally, for those members who are not familiar 

with the area, I would quote and endorse AW’s 

recommendation about Scout Scar: ‘This is a walk 

above others: a pleasure every step of the way.’ 

Don Morris – Ings 


23


The 60-50-40 Challenge took place over 

three weeks in May. Three Wainwright 

anniversaries were being celebrated this 

year, the most significant perhaps being 

60 years since AW wrote the first page of 

The Eastern Fells, the ascent of Dove Crag 

from Ambleside. The other two were the 

publication of the Northern Fells Pictorial 

Guide (50 years ago) and Walks on the 

Howgill Fells (40 years ago). 

Since the end of May, members have been sending 

in their reports and photographs for inclusion in the 

Challenge book, which will be available to purchase 

before Christmas. Each walk seemed to be special 

for the person concerned, but as I read each story 

a number of common themes emerged, which I 

thought I would share with you in this article. 

As might be expected, the weather was the clear 

favourite – well, we are British, aren’t we? – and it was 

the difficult weather conditions that people wanted 

to write about in their reports. Mike Toner and Ron 

Graham experienced snow on Clough Head, whilst 

Peter Linney and Jeff Carlton had to put up with 

‘horizontal sleet’ on their ascent of High Hartsop 

Dodd. Wind was another feature not enjoyed by 

some of our members. Roy Male wrote about 

60mph winds and teeming rain on High Pike; John 

Holloway and Val Wilkinson could hardly stand up in 

the wind on the summit of Stone Arthur. Then there 

was rain: Keith Walker climbed White Side in low 

cloud and driving rain, whilst Claire Thompson and 

Clark Colman not only had the rain from the heavens 

but they also had to battle wet conditions underfoot 

in Carlin Gill on their Howgill Fells walk. Conversely, 

and more happily, Peter Dransfield enjoyed an almost 

tropical 25°C the day he climbed Ullock Pike! 

Martin Kirk and Keith Walker on Mungrisdale Common 

Another feature of some reports was an 

unexpected meeting on the fells. I wonder how 

many people have met Chris Jesty during the past 

few years as he compiled his notes for the revised 

versions of the Pictorial Guides. This year, Chris 

has been completing his research for Walks on the 

Howgill Fells, and Society Treasurer, John Pulford, 

came across him on the approach to Kensgriff 

when completing his Challenge walk. Nigel 

Marsden unexpectedly met a friend from Wigan 

on the climb up to Fairfield, whilst Mike Elcock 

bumped into somebody he had not met before but 

who, it transpired, had worked in the same office 

in Bristol. On the other hand, Graeme Chapman 

was, once again, disappointed that he did not meet 

Julia Bradbury on his walk! 

Alfred Wainwright wrote in Ex-Fellwanderer: 

‘It was during my lonely wanderings on the 

mountains that I developed an admiration for 

the birds and animals who shared my days.’ 

Hugh Templeman referred to the skylarks 

singing overhead when he was on the summit of 

Longlands, and Howard McKnight recalled seeing 

red deer on the fell as he climbed St Sunday 

Crag. There were close encounters with lambs 

for two of our members. David Johnson and his 

wife, Janet, reunited two lambs with their mother 

when they had strayed into another enclosure 

and Claire and Tom Chapman rescued a lamb that 

had caught its head in a wire fence. John Clark 

met up with a herd of cows straddling the path on 

his ascent of Binsey and, like AW, admitted that he 

has ‘a healthy respect for cows, or is it a fear?’ 

The next group of anecdotes has nothing in 

common except that they caught my eye as I 

was reading. Christine Hurford nearly had an 

unfortunate start to her day when she almost 

backed her car into a ditch as she was parking. 

The Howgills are notorious for the care needed 

when map-reading, in case one should end up on 

the wrong ridge – something I have experienced 

myself. However, in their report, Graham and 

Alison Adcock admitted they walked their route 

back to front! But the compensation was that 

on the return they were lucky enough to see a 

group of grazing fell ponies. Richard Daly saw two 

parapentists on Heron Pike. Well, it’s a great 

Anne and Fred Morris (centre) with Fred’s brother John and daughter Linda, and Ralf 

way to descend and doesn’t (well, shouldn’t) hurt 

the knees! Wendi and Steven Armstrong took along 

a friend who, as they finished their walk, declared: 

‘I’ve had the best day for as long as I can remember!’ 

I wonder if she has since joined the Society. And, 

finally in this section, Christopher Bullard climbed 

Lonscale Fell with his brother, Peter, who just 

happens to be the Director of Cumbria Wildlife 

Trust, our main beneficiary for this year. 

Take off from Heron Pike – Photograph by 

Richard Daly 

Some members had special reasons for choosing 

their Challenge fells. For example, Fred and Anne 

Morris and separately, Martin Kirk completed the 

Northern Fells on their particular walks. Rob Kane 

and Martin Roberts undertook additional Challenges 

for friends who were unable to complete their walks 

through ill-health. Perhaps, most poignant of all, 

was the ascent of Latrigg that David and Heather 

Pitt undertook for their friend James Trevelyan, who 

died before he could undertake the walk. James was 

a Society stalwart who regularly attended walks and 

other events. 

This is only a selection of the tales that you will be 

able to read in the Challenge book which will be 

published later in the year. Besides completing the 

Challenges, members donated money in order 

to support the Uplands for Juniper project being 

managed by Cumbria Wildlife Trust and it is pleasing 

to record that a total of £2000 was raised this 

way for the restoration of stands of juniper on the 

Lakeland fells. On the final day of the Challenge, a 

group of Society members met up for a walk on the 

Howgills and this was followed by a presentation of 

the cheque to Susan Garnett, retired Trustee and 

member of Cumbria Wildlife Trust. 

Derek Cockell – Blundeston 


24 25

A BreAth of fresh Ale 

Wainwright is a long way from ordinary beer. 

With its citrus, subtly sweet flavour this award-winning 

golden ale is like country air – totally refreshing. 

www.thwaites.co.uk 

Orrest Head View Indicator Unveiled 

In the Spring issue of Footsteps we 

announced that we would be working on 

a project with Windermere Town Council 

to replace the View Indicator (or diorama, 

as we called it then) at the top of Orrest 

Head, the previous version having been 

vandalised. 

The Society took the lead in investigating numerous 

different material and design options and the final 

specification was agreed in May. We were very 

keen to get the new View Indicator in place to 

coincide with our Society walk to the summit of 

Orrest Head at the end of July and make this the 

date for an unveiling ceremony. 

We decided that Lakeland slate would be the most 

appropriate material and, after discussions with 

potential suppliers, we selected a local company, 

Gordon Greaves of Troutbeck Bridge, to do the 

work. Samples were produced in a variety of 

slate colours and finishes; we selected a piece of 

local slate from the Bursting Stone Quarry near 

Coniston, this being a rich, dark colour that would 

contrast well with the design, and had excellent 

abrasion and weather resistance qualities. 

The unveiling party 

The design we used was based on AW’s panorama 

in The Outlying Fells of Lakeland (pp. 28 and 29). 

Society designer, Andrew Stainthorpe, meticulously 

extended the drawing to the south-west so as to 

include Coniston Old Man. Following numerous 

visits to Gordon Greaves, the final design and 

specification was handed over at the end of June 

and we were able to confirm that everything would 

be ready for an unveiling ceremony on Saturday 

28 July. A few days before the unveiling date, the 

engraved slate was fixed in place to the existing 

plinth, which had been restored and prepared by 

Windermere Town Council. 

After an initially grey, drizzly morning on 28 July, over 

thirty Society members plus representatives of the 

Town Council gathered at Windermere railway station 

to make the short journey in clearer skies to the top of 

Orrest Head, where we were joined by the members 

who had completed the Society walk earlier in the 

day (see page 12). We were delighted that Betty’s 

daughters, Jane King and Annie Sellar (Honorary 

Presidents of the Society), were able to make long 

journeys with their husbands to walk with us and make 

it an occasion to remember. Peter Linney, Society 

Secretary, Kathleen Atkinson (Deputy Mayor of WTC) 

and Jane King made some introductory remarks and 

then Kathleen, Annie and Jane performed the unveiling. 

With the sun now flitting between white clouds, the 

new View Indicator looked resplendent as it witnessed 

the ‘sight of mountains in tumultuous array across 

glittering waters’ (The Outlying Fells of Lakeland p.26). 

Following the ceremony, we repaired to the 

Marchesi Centre in Windermere with our new 

friends from WTC for refreshments. The completion 

of the project has, we believe, been an excellent 

way to use Society funds and lies at the heart of our 

Society objectives. We hope that when members, in 

years to come, retrace AW’s first ascent in Lakeland, 

they reflect on the contribution we have made to 

remember him in a most appropriate way. 

John Bewick 


27

Juniper – a Lakeland Specialist 

If we had to choose one plant to tell 

the story of Lakeland since the last Ice 

Age, we’d struggle to do better than the 

juniper, which Wainwright often noted and 

commented on in his writings. 

This unusual conifer is a coloniser of poor soils in 

locations with adverse climates and would have 

been one of the early representatives of our flora at 

the end of the last Ice Age. The shading from taller 

trees would later have pushed juniper upslope 

where it persisted within an abundant montane 

scrub habitat at around 600 metres altitude. 

But why, then, is it now found across Cumbria at 

a variety of altitudes, and why is there so much 

of it here if it has been out-competed in the past? 

On a walk out of Grasmere over Silver How, Blea 

Rigg and Tarn Crag, you can see more than 100 

hectares of juniper growing from 230 metres up 

to 500 metres. Complete a tour of the county and 

you could count more than two hundred stands of 

this miniature woodland habitat, many of them well 

below the tree line. 

Its abundance hasn’t gone unnoticed in the past, 

with farmers using the branches as a base for 

haystacks or as wall-top fencing, and berries were 

used for a variety of conditions from dropsy to 

pregnancy. As well as for flavouring gin, the wood 

was apparently in demand from the likes of Lanty 

Slee and Moses Rigg since it released little smoke 

when burnt at their illicit stills! 

Ancient juniper above Grasmere 

Its most important use in recent times was in 

the production of gunpowder. Juniper charcoal 

was mixed with saltpetre and sulphur to give a 

fine-powdered product which would result in ‘fast’ 

and reliable explosions, and was favoured over 

other types of charcoal. The large Low Wood 

Gunpowder Works at Haverthwaite would have 

used huge amounts of juniper in its 137-year 

lifespan, and this may be one reason for its current 

abundance. In order to keep up with demand 

for gunpowder charcoal, it was planted at Colton 

Heights in the south of the Lake District: at how 

many more sites was it planted? 

The county’s status as a UK juniper hotspot is all 

the more important given declines in this species 

across the country. Up to 1960, it suffered a 60% 

decline since records began and has been lost from 

31% of 10km OS grid squares in the UK since 

1970. It’s no surprise then that it was included in 

both the National and Cumbria Biodiversity Action 

Plan (BAP) lists, something which required that an 

action plan be drawn up for the species. 

But if the county has so much juniper, why should 

we be concerned? Unfortunately, regeneration 

is thin on the ground and the reason for its 

persistence at many locations may be purely down 

to its long life span. It can live for more than two 

hundred years, and the numerous trees of more 

than 20 cm at the base that exist in this county 

will be more than 100 years old. In order to 

reach this age, they required available niches for 

seed germination, limited growth of surrounding 

plants, freedom from heavy browsing and, when 

established, limited growth of surrounding trees so 

that they were not shaded out. 

These conditions are hard to find in Cumbria at 

the moment, and an early analysis of our survey 

results suggest that up to a third of sites are 

declining rapidly. The most prevalent cause for this 

is browsing by sheep. Before the increase in sheep 

numbers on the fells (brought about by agricultural 

subsidies known as headage payments), juniper 

would only rarely have been eaten. Since the 

1970s, this has changed and sheep grazing has now 

prevented regeneration at some sites, seedlings 

being pulled up and spat out as the animals feed. 

Another emerging problem is one created by a 

growing population of red deer since, unlike sheep, 

these mammals actually target juniper, browsing, 

bark-stripping and flaying trees. Cumbria’s stands 

grew up and developed alongside low-intensity 

sheep farming with few or no red deer. This is 

no longer the case for much of the district. Deer 

populations expanded after the outbreak of foot 

and mouth disease as their ovine competitors 

were taken off the hills, and they may pose a 

serious threat to a number of habitats in the future. 

Perhaps we need to develop a taste for venison 

– with juniper berries and gin as the perfect 

accompaniment! 

The continued existence of juniper in the county 

is important for a number of other species which 

rely on it. For invertebrates like the juniper shield 

bug and the juniper carpet moth, the habitat is 

essential, and the tight growth of branches and 

foliage make juniper a good place to live for various 

other insects. Bushes also provide good nesting 

and feeding opportunities for a number of birds 

including the willow warbler, redpoll, tree pipit 

and cuckoo. The ring ouzel, another Lake District 

specialist, feeds on juniper berries prior to its long 

autumn migration to Africa. 

Regenerating juniper above Glenridding 

Information from our surveys allows us to write 

management recommendations to inform farmers 

and landowners how they can manage juniper 

favourably, and more detailed proposals are written 

for Higher Level Stewardship Schemes put together 

by Natural England. With the money raised by the 

Wainwright Society, we have been able to secure 

funding for our own juniper planting from the 

environmental bodies, WREN and SITA Trust, and 

we aim to plant more than ten hectares of fellside 

with juniper. Our priority is to create montane-scrub 

habitat at altitudes above 400 metres. At these lofty 

heights, junipers are unlikely to be shaded by tall trees. 

We hope that the Upland for Juniper Project, with 

help from supporters like the Wainwright Society, 

can ensure that this emblem of Lakeland remains a 

fixture on the fells for future generations, even if it 

means developing a taste for wild venison! 

Mike Douglas 

Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Uplands 

for Juniper project officer 

28 29

30 

The Wainwright Society 

and YHA link up 

For some years, we in the Society have 

tried to see what we could do to promote 

our aims to a younger audience. Only in 

this way would we be confident that future 

generations would be able to sustain a 

successful Society and continue to fulfil 

our objectives. This year, we hope we are 

taking a step in this direction by forming a 

liaison with the Youth Hostels Association. 

I had an initial meeting in May 2012 with Donna 

Waring, Project Manager at YHA headquarters in 

Matlock, Derbyshire, and it did not take long to 

see that we shared many objectives and beliefs. 

Registered as a charity and with over 200,000 

members, the YHA celebrated its 80th year in 

2011 during which its Vice-President, Sir Chris 

Bonington (who is also an Honorary Member of 

the Society), led a celebratory walk from YHA 

Ennerdale to YHA Black Sail. They have over 200 

properties in England and Wales and there over 

4,000 Youth Hostels worldwide. 

Black Sail Youth Hostel 

The YHA is no longer just about having 

accommodation facilities in lovely locations. It 

actively encourages a spirit of adventure through 

its numerous outdoor activity courses, its work 

with disadvantaged young people and links with 

schools and youth groups. Like us, the YHA 

realises that it must encourage younger generations 

to use the facilities it offers. This seemed like an 

ideal opportunity to forge a link and we discussed 

many ways in which we could support each other. 

Understandably, we are focussing initially on the 

Lake District section of the YHA where there are 

twenty hostels, all in fantastic locations. 

In the last few months, we have worked together to 

get things moving. We now have our new Society 

brochure and application forms displayed in many of 

the hostels and are sending copies of Footsteps to all 

Lakeland properties for visitors to read in the hostel 

lounges. We hope to include interesting articles 

about the YHA’s history and properties in future 

issues. We will help promote each other’s events 

and activities; we have set up a separate section on 

our Forum and website giving details of YHA events 

that we think would be of interest to our members, 

and we will be distributing each other’s literature at 

shows we attend. 

The YHA has offered Society members a tremendous 

discount for stays in the Lake District (£12.50 per 

night B&B for dormitory accommodation). Details 

of this are on the Society website and interest has 

already been shown from members. Details of a 

scheme the YHA is running in the Lake District, 

offering free use of its meeting room facilities to local 

organisations, are on the Forum and website. Over 

the coming months, we will discuss other ways in 

which we can help each other. 

We hope that members will take an interest in 

this initiative and contribute in any way they feel is 

helpful, as well as looking at the YHA’s volunteer 

scheme if they wish to participate further. 

John Bewick 


Society News 

Footsteps was a wedding guest! Society members 

Esther and Paul Gigli, who were featured in 

the Spring issue of Footsteps after they became 

engaged on the summit of Sail, were married on 

Sunday 3 July at St Begh’s Priory at Whitehaven. At 

their request, we sent copies of Footsteps for their 

guests. The photograph (courtesy of Chris Freer, 

Freerimages, Cockermouth) shows them holding 

a copy before cutting the cake. Our best wishes go 

to Esther and Paul. 

Member Discount at Rohan shops. Rohan, at 

Ambleside and Keswick, has offered a discount 

to Society members on presentation of their 

membership card. For full details see the Society 

website under Member Benefits. 

2012 Challenge Book. This year’s book, once 

again in a limited edition of 200 copies, will go 

on sale in October. Full details and how to order 

will be on the website at that time. 

10th Anniversary Celebrations. This is the last 

Footsteps issue before our celebration weekend 

(9–11 November). Tickets for the Friday evening 

Memorial Lecture at Rheged, where Alan Hinkes 

will be the speaker, are now on sale; our party at 

Wilfs on the Saturday evening looks like being a 

sell-out, with only a few tickets remaining, as we 

go to press. We also have a Society Walk to Dove 

Crag on Saturday afternoon and some members 

will be attending Remembrance Day services on 

Great Gable and Castle Crag on Sunday morning. 

Notebook Auction. The article on pages 10–11 

describes the Society’s success in winning the 

auction for this unique item of memorabilia. We 

are hoping to find ways of making part of the 

notebook available for members in various forms, 

so watch for further news of this on the website. 

Cumbria Wildlife Trust Merchandise. If you 

look at the website of Cumbria Wildlife Trust (the 

Society’s main beneficiary in 2012) in their ‘support 

us/shop’ section, you will see that they are selling 

our calendars. You will also find details of their range 

of wildlife Christmas cards (yes, it’s that time again 

already!) as well as their non-seasonal merchandise. 

You may be able to solve some of your Christmas 

present problems well in advance, in one visit. 

Footsteps Binders. We still have some binders 

left for sale. Each binder will take twelve copies 

of Footsteps, keeping them clean and readily 

available for reference. Details of how to order 

are on the website in the Merchandise section. 

Sketchbook Project. Have you looked at the 

photographs on the website yet? There are 

now nearly forty locations covered so far, with 

some stunning photographs taken by members. 

Comparisons with AW’s sketches show very 

interesting changes in topography. There are still 

many locations, both high and low-level, 

to be photographed, so why not 

have a go next time you’re 

in the Lake District? 

31

Dates for your Diary 

10TH ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND: 

9–11 NOVEMBER 

• 10th Wainwright Memorial Lecture, 

at Rheged. Speaker: Alan Hinkes – 

Friday 9 November 

• Walk to Dove Crag – Saturday 10 November 

• 10th Anniversary Party at Wilf’s Café, 

Staveley – Saturday 10 November 

• Remembrance Service, Great Gable 

or Castle Crag – Sunday 11 November 

SOCIETY WALKS 2012 

There are two walks remaining this year, 

as follows: 

• LATRIGG – Saturday 6 October 

Meet outside The Moot Hall, 

Keswick – 10am 

6 miles, with 950 feet of ascent. 

‘Latrigg is to Keswick what Loughrigg is to 

Ambleside and Helm Crag to Grasmere: a small 

hill, an excellent viewpoint, a great favourite 

of local folk and visitors. Latrigg is pastoral 

and parkland in character, not rough fell, and 

the summit is the easiest of promenades,’ 

wrote Wainwright in Northern Fells, which was 

published exactly fifty years ago. Members will 

need to take a packed lunch. 

• DOVE CRAG – 

Saturday 10 November 

Meet outside The Old Bridge House, 

Ambleside – 10am 

10 miles, with 2,500 feet of ascent. 

The inaugural meeting of the Wainwright 

Society was held on 9 November 2002 at 

Ambleside Youth Hostel. This was followed 

by a walk to the summit of Dove Crag, as 

AW had done fifty years before. The 2012 

walk is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of 

the formation of the Society and the 60th 

anniversary of AW’s ascent. ‘Dove Crag is 

a mountain of sharp contrasts. To the east, 

its finest aspect, it presents a scarred and 

rugged face, a face full of character and 

interest. ... Very different is its appearance 

from other directions. A high ridge runs 

south, with featureless grass slopes flowing 

down from it to the valleys of Rydale and 

Scandale,’ Wainwright wrote in Eastern Fells. 

Members will need to take a packed lunch. 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

The 10th AGM of the Wainwright Society will 

be held on Saturday 23 March 2013, at Staveley 

Village Hall. Further details will be given in the 

Winter issue of Footsteps. 

The Wainwright Society accepts no responsibility for the views, opinions, products or services contained 

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