Wainwright Society 2022
Following upon the completion of his seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Alfred Wainwright decided to cater for those walkers who, because of age or infirmity, must be content with milder expeditions on lesser fells. This book describes 56 of the foothills of Lakeland excluded from the earlier Pictorial Guides but within the National Park boundary.
It is thus in the nature of a 'mopping-up' operation to complete the author's survey of the Lakeland fells. He said that he preferred, however, to regard it as a late bonus for old age pensioners who had enjoyed the fells in years gone by and were reluctant to put away their boots and call it a day.
Some years later, a comprehensive programme of revision and updating the guides was completed, authorised and approved by The Estate of A. Wainwright. The revisions were undertaken by Chris Jesty, who had assisted Wainwright with the maps on two of his large-format books. Chris trained as a cartographer with the Ordnance Survey and Wainwright himself said, not long before he died, that if ever the guides were to be revised, Chris Jesty should be given the job. Every map, every diagram and every word of text was checked. As a result of that review, Wainwright's original maps, diagrams descriptions and route suggestions were, where necessary, corrected. Altitudes and place names were updated where appropriate, and information added on parking places near the start of ascents. To make the books easier to use, paths and route indicators were picked out in a second colour.
The publication of this edition of The Outlying Fells of Lakeland coincides with the 90th Anniversary of Alfred Wainwright's first visit to the Lake District, in June 1930. It follows the exact details of Chris Jesty's revised edition.
