Wainwright's Coast To Coast Walk

by Alfred Wainwright

Wainwright describes the walk from West to East, the direction usually followed to have the prevailing weather coming from behind, although many walkers prefer to reverse the route to have the Lake District as an exciting climax. This book is a stunning record of this walk with fantastic photographs throughout.

Genres: Travel, Walking, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1987

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

[Tofu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieser Reiseführer beschreibt im Grunde nur den Weg des Coast-to-Coast Walks. Alledings schafft er Autor es, das so schön und blumig zu machen, dass man stellenweise das Gefühl hat, man liest ein Fantasie-Roman und keinen Reiseführer. Er beschreibt mit einer Leidenschaft jedes Detail des Weges, dazu packt er Hintergrundinfos und wunderschöne, handgemalte Zeichnungen.
Während man dieses Buch liest, will man eigentlich direkt seine Wanderschuhe anziehen, in den Flieger nach England steigen und loswandern.

[Stephen Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

After the previous volumes covering walking in the Lake District and the Pennine Way, this book turns to Wainwright's own famous route, the Coast to Coast Walk, crossing England from St Bees Head across the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors to the east coast at Robin Hood's Bay.

It takes the form of a general description of the route (though not sufficient to do the walk) coupled with lots 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.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely guide to the coast-to-coast walk. Wainwright composed his books with care, fondness and love. He includes interesting insights, drawings, diagrams, detailed maps and much more. It's a delight.

[Robin Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book about a wonderful walk across England. The way he writes about walking you can't help but be affected by his enthusiasm. I know I certainly was and really enjoyed both the book and the walk.

[Jill Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am, if not ready to walk this yet, at least ready to go hear the talk. But someday soon!!!