Wainwright on the Pennine Way by Alfred Wainwright (6-Nov-2014) Hardcover

by Alfred Wainwright

Describes the scenery and sights along the Pennie Way, a 270-mile footpath across England

Genres: Travel, British Literature, Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Alfred Wainwright was born in Blackburn, Lancashire to Thomas Wainwright and Elizabeth Nixon.[citation needed] His family was relatively poor, mostly due to his stonemason father's alcoholism. He did very well at school (first in nearly every subject)[1] although he left at the age of 13. While most of his classmates were obliged to find employment in the local mills, Wainwright started work as an office boy in Blackburn Borough Engineer's Department. He spent several further years studying at night school, gaining qualifications in accountancy which enabled him to further his career at Blackburn Borough Council. Even when a child Wainwright walked a great deal, up to 20 miles at a time; he also showed a great interest in drawing and cartography, producing his own maps of England and his local area.
In 1930, at the age of 23, Wainwright saved up enough money for a week's walking holiday in the Lake District with his cousin Eric Beardsall. They arrived in Windermere and climbed the nearby hill Orrest Head, where Wainwright saw his first view of the Lakeland fells. This moment marked the start of what he would later describe as his love affair with the Lake District. In 1931 he married his first wife, Ruth Holden, a local mill worker, with whom he had a son Peter. In 1941 Wainwright was able to move closer to the fells when he took a job (and with it a pay cut) at the Borough Treasurer's office in Kendal, Westmorland. He lived and worked in the town for the rest of his life, serving as Borough Treasurer from 1948 until he retired in 1967. His first marriage ended when Ruth walked out three weeks before he retired. They later divorced. In 1970 he married Betty McNally (1922–2008), also a divorcee, who became his walking companion and who eventually carried his ashes to Innominate Tarn at the top of Haystacks.

Reviews

[Ape · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice way to do the Pennine Way from the comfort of your armchair. It's over 200 miles long, bizarrely continues for about 60 miles after leaving the Pennines, which I agree with Wainwright, is a stupid thing, and runs up the central backbone of northern England. I honestly don't know if it's a walk I'd ever do, but I enjoyed this read, even though he can be disparaging about the landscapes at times - I wonder if he's had too much of the chocolate box mountain views every second that the Lake District offers. There are parts of this walk that I know from my own days out and short walks, and other parts I'm clueless about. He has nothing good to say about the first 30 miles or so - sounds like an awful section from his description, but can it be so bad? And perhaps some of the route has been changed. This book was published in the mid 80s. I wonder how things compare. Are more people walking the route than back then? Do any parts of the path suffer with erosion?

As he says himself in the introduction, this isn't a walking guide to be used whilst doing the walk, and who indeed would carry such a hefty book with them? He feels it's more for folk who have done the walk and wish to reminice, but I also think it's good for people who may never do the walk. Or want to walk it back in the 1980s. Most of the views probably haven't changed since all these photos were taken - and there is a disturbing lack of people in the book (sometimes I think a figure in shot would have given some proportion to the immensity of the some of the landscapes) - but also some rather vintage cars now and then to remind you of the era.

[Stephen Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second of Wainwright's collaborations with Derry Brabbs to produce a book combining Wainwright's text with Brabbs' beautiful photography.

The book is a description of the walk along the Pennine Way in the "normal" direction, from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm in the Cheviots. It is not an account of a single walk, though there are references in places to when Wainwright did walk this route, but more of a description of the route.

There is a lot of comment and opinion on the places passed through, and it is this, in Wainwright's style, that makes it so readable as a story rather than a bland "turn left here, turn right there" guidebook.

The photography varies between good and excellent, and does its job well of showing the large number of interesting views along the route.

All in all, a good read, whether for the armchair walker or someone thinking of walking the route.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guaranteed to make you want to go for a long walk!

[Geoff Cumberbeach]

Excellent photographs and drawings.

[AJW · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wainwright introduced his book by saying “this book is not intended as a step-by-step guide to the Pennine Way, but rather as a souvenir for those who have completed the walk and a refresher of memories”.

As someone who has walked the Pennine Way twice, this book does exactly that. The abundance of colour photos, Wainwright’s ink sketches and narrative, sparked the synapses of my ageing brain into recalling the sights, sounds, smells and physical exertion of my own perambulations along the Pennine Way.

Wainwright is an opinionated curmudgeon with a dry sense of humour. I enjoyed reading his tales and he is very knowledgeable. I finished his book with a longing to put on a heavy rucksack on my shoulders again and retrace my steps along this magical footpath. A must-read for everyone who has walked the Pennine Way.

[Jo Larkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an old grouch Wainwright was! He has lots of negative things to say about the landscape and weather but is inconsistent, complaining bitterly about peat bogs in the early and middle stages, then comparing peat favourably with mud and manure in the lowland section later on!
I will be able to form a better opinion of my own once I have completed my own walk at the end of May (all being well)! I enjoyed reading this in anticipation and the photography is beautiful.