Walks in Limestone Country

by Alfred Wainwright

Wainwright's hand-drawn walking guides are perhaps the most distinctive and unusual such guides ever devised. This guide, first published in 1992, contains Wainwright's original instructions and route maps for 34 walks in 'a land of suprises' -- the interesting limestone country in the Whernside, Ingleborough and Penyghent areas of Yorkshire. Wainwright writes of ithis 'wonderland' as 'For the explorer there are places of fascinating interest, or strange beauty, of thrilling adventure, such as are not to be found elsewhere.'

Genres: Walking, Reference

176 pages, Hardcover

First published July 27, 2003

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

[Mac.Hawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old copy of this book (mid-late 70's I guess, there are no dates in the book itself) and it follows AW's usual pattern of drawing/diagrams and precise directions of hikes in and around the Yorkshire 3 Peaks area.

It's more of a historical record nowadays as many of the footpaths noted have been amended and some of the landscape references been removed altogether and the text has not been amended to cover this.

Apologies as I forgot to upload the cover which is a black and white drawing of the 3 Men of Gragareth (3 stone built pillars)