James Forrest rounds up some of the fine Lake District hills that the famous author didn’t bestow with ‘Wainwright’ status
Most peak-bagging lists use a mathematical approach to mountain classification, meaning the inclusion (or exclusion) of peaks is not up for debate; it’s simply a matter of geographical fact. The Nuttalls of England and Wales, for example, are mountains over 2000ft with 50ft of prominence on all sides, whilst in Scotland the Munros are over 3000ft, the Corbetts are 2500-3000ft with 500ft of drop on all sides, and the Grahams are 2000-2500ft with 150m of drop on all sides.
With his 214-strong list of Lake District peaks, Alfred Wainwright did things differently. He shunned the raw mathematical data and instead used a poetic, personal approach to summit selection. No one knows exactly why he included some mountains and not others – and some of his choices can seem rather odd. But it seems likely that (for the most part) AW wrote about the 214 fells he thought worthy of inclusion by virtue of beauty, drama and significance, regardless of their height or prominence.
Such a subjective approach, however, opens the floodgates to debate. Is Alfred’s list beyond reproach, or did he make some poor choices, and even omit other peaks that should’ve made the cut? Of course, the 214-long list will never change and we wouldn’t want it to; but just for fun here’s our round-up of the 10 best Lake District peaks Wainwright overlooked.
1. ROUGH CRAG, 628m
Star of the Riggindale Round walk, this peak – which is included in the Birkett, Hewitt and Nuttall lists of hills, but not the Wainwrights – features a spiny ridgeline soaring above Haweswater. The ascent is wonderfully airy, flanked by precipitous drops south to Blea Water and north to Riggindale.
2. WHIN BEN, 413m
Arguably Whin Ben is just a bump along another mountain’s flanks, but the same could be said for Wainwrights such as Stone Arthur. Jutting out of Whiteside’s south-eastern ridge, Whin Ben feels like a feisty mountain-in-miniature, with a scrambly climb and delightful Crummock Water views.
3. LADYSIDE PIKE, 703m
Standing proudly over the verdant fields of the Vale of Lorton, Ladyside Pike is littleknown and seldom climbed – and that’s a travesty. There’s a lovely ascent via its northern ridge to the cairned summit, and beyond is an exhilarating little scramble on slabs of naked rock to Hopegill Head.
4. ILL CRAG, 935m
Wainwright called Ill Crag “a graceful peak”, but didn’t bestow it with Wainwright status, classifying it instead as subsidiary top of Scafell Pike – an odd choice, perhaps, for a mountain now classified as the fifth highest Nuttall in all of England. Nearby Broad Crag (934m)
