The Wainwrights are a highly popular series of fells and hiking routes for visitors to the Lake District. Here at English Lakes Hotels, many of our team members are seasoned regulars up and down Wainwright walks. Many are highly knowledgeable about the best walks in the Lake District.
There are 214 Wainwright peaks to scale in all, with hundreds of routes to climb them.
Each of the fells are featured in Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. And they are all located within the boundary of the Lake District National Park. All of them except Castle Crag in Borrowdale are over 1,000 feet in height.
Hiking the Wainwrights can be achieved in 59 walks if you plan your visits to the Lake District in advance.
If you look at a map of Wainwright walks and fells, there are some excellent routes easily accessible from Windermere and Ambleside.
So if you’re staying at Low Wood Bay or Wild Boar Estate, there’s no excuse not to pull on your hiking boots and go walking the Wainwright routes.
Orrest Head is a classic of course, renowned for being the original fell climb that inspired the young Wainwright to begin his journey and journalling of the Lake District fells. Gummer’s How is also very popular with keen hikers staying in hotels near Windermere. But these two only qualify as appetisers and outlying fells as neither reach the Wainwright height of over 300m.
The nearest Wainwright to Windermere is Wansfell Pike or Baystones which overlooks Ambleside.
A little further afield, Nab Scar is well worth exploring, not least because keen hikers can summit 8 different Wainwright fells in one go by tackling the classic Fairfield Horseshoe hike. Most people choose to start with Nab Scar which is at one end of the Fairfield ridgeline.
Experienced hikers usually recommend tackling Nab Scar via the hiking trail from Rydal village between Grasmere and Ambleside. Be warned though – it is a steep hike which requires doing some hard yards for the rewarding views at the top.
Whilst you get your breath back, you can take in some spectacular panoramic vistas of Windermere, Rydal Water and Grasmere.
Another famous Lake District walk popular with Wainwright enthusiasts is Coniston Old Man. Part of the Wainwright Southern Fells group, this is not too far from Windermere either. Going up a notch to 803 metres, the climb is not for the faint hearted, but the views on top of this classic Wainwright climb are tremendous.
The mountain was mined for copper and slate back in the day and you can see the scars of those days of old. Standing at the summit on a clear day affords sweeping views of Morecambe Bay, the Scafells, Hellvellyn and the Yorkshire Dales well beyond to the east.
The highest Wainwright mountain is Scafell Pike – also the highest peak in England. The top 10 Wainwright mountains are all up around 900 metres and higher. They feature famous Wainwright routes to scale them and include popular fells such as Great Gable, Skiddaw and Bowfell.
It’s not always the highest Wainwright fells that are the best though. You will find every Wainwright route you take brings its own rewards. And in the Southern Fells, you don’t have to tackle the highest peaks.
Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa is an ideal Lake District hotel to use as a base if you are walking the Wainwrights. Not least of course because the venue and spa provide so much in the way of relaxation after a hard day’s hiking.
If rural idylls are more your thing, Wild Boar Estate is located in 72 acres of woodlands and countryside in the Gilpin Valley. Why not come down off your favourite Wainwright fell and head to the Inn for an alternative afternoon tea?
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