In 2023 the members of the Eden Valley Mountaineering Club (EVMC), based around Penrith, climbed all the 214 Wainwright summits in the Lake District without the use of a car  by using buses, trains, boats, bike and skis. During the year Ron Kenyon, a member of the EVMC, thought there is a book in this and this March his book Wainwrights without a car is being published by Jagged Lakes Publications.  

Starting with an ascent of Latrigg the members of the Club made their way through The List, initially around the  Penrith, Ullswater and Keswick areas.  These were easily accessible with buses from Penrith and soon the X4/X5 buses to Keswick became a regular starting journey for the day.  Needless to say some preplanning was necessary to take a bus to a certain location -  but that is part of the journey.  The EVMC members worked their way through The List with the final summit agreed to be that of Blencathra, which had a mass ascent by members of the EVMC.

The book Wainwrights without a car contains a wealth of information.

The main chapter is split into the seven Wainwright  guides detailing the summits as they were ascended in 2023 with information about those summits; details of accessing them and tales about the ascents.  These were a mixture of day trips and also overnight trips with accommodation in hotels, climbing huts and wild camping.

The book however gives a much wider range of information (often quirky) about the Lake District.  

The majority of the valleys in the area radiate from the centre and one chapter details each of these valleys with brief details of the valley and summits attainable from there, as well as transport systems (if any!).

Public transport is very central to the book.

The Lake District has good rail access with the main West Coast Line passing through stations at Oxenholme and Penrith.  The Settle to Carlisle Line links Yorkshire and the Eden Valley and Carlisle as well as the Cumbrian Coastline, giving access to the west side of the area, and in particular Ravenglass and Whitehaven. 

The Stagecoach bus timetable became the main source of information with the summer and winter timetables covering the Lake District.  

There are other bus services around the area including the Fellrunner, around the Eden Valley, and Bluetooth, from Barrow to Coniston.  During the summer there is the  Ullswater Hopper bus around the Ullswater area and the Wasdale Bus up and down Wasdale. 

The popular La'al Ratty railway is a pleasant way of accessing Eskdale.

Get to know the area and go out and come back safely  -  the Lake District is much more than Scafell Pike, Catbells and Helvellyn -  and there is loads of information out there including guidebooks as well as maps.  Being prepared for the fells with knowledge of the area and also the right clothing and equipment is so important  -  not only does this enhance your experience but also will hopefully ensure that you have a safe time on the fells. 

12 Best Views  -  for most the views make the day and the Lake District has lots of good views.  These are usually the scenery of the area but can often be the conditions such as a cloud inversion or a coating of snow.  

For many people climbing the Wainwrights can take many years whereas other take much less.  Details are given about the fastest completion times over the years, on foot, which is currently 5 ½ day.  In 1993 eight members of the EVMC completed the Wainwrights as a relay in 4 ½ days and more recently a team from Durham Fellrunners Club completed them in 4 ¼ days  -  a challenge for under 4 days is waiting there for a club!

With the number of walkers on the Lake District fells the footpaths get a hammering and the organisation -  Fix the Fells  (www.fixthefells.co.uk)  - was set up under the National Trust to help look after these paths and now do an amazing job.  1/3 of any profit from the book will be given to Fix the Fells and the bulk of the rest of any profit will go to other local organisations.

The Lake District is a tremendous area but has become a victim of its own popularity and comes under more and more pressure from the number of visitors.  There is a good rail service to the area from other parts of the UK and once here there is a network of buses to many parts of the area. It is hoped that this book will help promote this public transport and that more will leave car keys behind and head for the train station or bus stop for their next journey onto the Lake District fells.

More details about the book are available on the website www.jaggedlakes.co.uk with copies of the book available from bookshops as well as on the internet.