The Lakeland Fells are England's only true mountain range, and although none of the peaks are much over 3000 feet they offer a vast number of challenging and rewarding hikes. All the fells can be walked, as opposed to climbed using ropes, and a long tradition of hiking in the Lake District has given rise to an unusually comprehensive network of paths and routes, many of which are signed. The Lake District boasts more than 3500 km of rights of way, while 55% (around 500 square miles) of the National Park counts as Open Access Land. The public also has free access to virtually all of the land in the fells above the final wall as you climb out of the valley, which is known as the 'intake wall'. An initiative known as 'Miles without Stiles' and run by the National Park Authority also offers 20 routes accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs including walks at Friar's Crag and Keswick.
It is important to understand the hazards of hill walking before setting out. Fog can descend suddenly, even in summer, and the weather conditions at 3000 feet can be vastly different to conditions closer to sea level. Even in summer waterproofs and a warm change of clothes should be carried, along with emergency food, first aid equipment, maps and a compass. Three National Park information centres, at Bowness Bay, Keswick and Ullswater, sell maps, as well as offering advice on walking and cycling in the Lake District and an accommodation booking service. Six leaflets detailing popular routes can be downloaded for free from the Lake District National Park website and there are myriad books on the subject, many of them including very detailed information about specific hikes.
As its name suggests the Lake District is home to a number of dramatically picturesque lakes, all of which offer good possibilities for walking. There are 16 lakes, 53 tarns and several 'waters', including Wastwater, which at 243 feet is England's deepest lake. The most visited of all the lakes is Grasmere, and it is whilst rambling around this mile-long body of water and its surrounding fells that Wordsworth composed the bulk of his Lakeland poetry. Another very popular spot for walking is Derwent Water, also known as 'Queen of the Lakes'. This 3 mile long lake is the 3rd largest in Cumbria and contains four islands, some of which can be visited by members of the public. Much of the land around Derwent Water is owned by the National Trust and was one of the Trust's earliest acquisitions. Footpaths around the lake pass through areas of lush woodland and offer many spectacular views of the surrounding scenery.
The nearby Scafell Pike is the highest (and busiest) peak in the Lake District. There are a number of options for those wishing to walk to the summit of England's highest mountain. The most popular of these is the route that begins at Wasdale at the north end of Wastwater, to the west of the Pike. On summer weekends, crowds of people can be found attempting this steep but uncomplicated walk.
A more challenging, but arguably more beautiful approach begins at Seathwaite Farm at the end of Borrowdale, follows the Corridor Route, also known as the Guides Route, and rejoins the Wasdale route near the summit. It is possible to make the return journey from the summit of Scafell Pike along a high ridge, taking in any or all of the neighbouring peaks such as Broad Crag, Ill Crag, Great End, Allen Crags and Glaramara.
Yet another route, longer but less challenging than the Corridor Route, also starts at Borrowdale, running from Seathwaite via Grains Gill and the high pass of Esk Hause. If you prefer to walk a little further from the beaten track some of the less famous fells such as Helvellyn, which Wordsworth famously climbed with Sir Walter Scott and Humphrey Davey, can be even more rewarding, if not quite so high, as Scafell Pike.
According to Arthur Wainwright, the man responsible for the Lake District's first and most famous modern guidebook, there are 214 peaks waiting to be climbed. The peaks, known by enthusiasts as 'Wainwrights' continue to challenge walkers, many of whom are determined to 'bag' (climb) each and every one of them.
Arthur Wainwright was born in Blackburn, Lancashire in 1907 and first visited the Lake District at the age of 23. He fell in love with the landscape, moved to Kendal and devoted his entire life to mapping the area for others to enjoy. His Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells were first published in the 1950s and have been revised and re-printed countless times. The guides offer a unique mixture of maps, sketches and personal reflections such as "Time is intended to be spent, not saved", and "Much of Lakeland's appeal derives from the very lovely names of its mountains and valleys and lakes and rivers, which fit the scenery so well. These names were given by the earliest settlers, rough men, invaders and robbers: they were here long before Wordsworth – but they too, surely had poetry in their hearts?"
Arthur Wainwright died in 1991 at the age of 84 and his ashes were scattered on his favourite mountain, known as Haystacks, which he described thus: "Haystacks stands unabashed and unashamed in the midst of a circle of much loftier fells, like a shaggy terrier in the company of foxhounds… For a man trying to get a persistent worry out of his mind, the top of Haystacks is a wonderful cure."
In addition to his Pictorial Guides, Arthur Wainwright was responsible for one of the more notorious long-distance hikes that crosses the Lake District, the 'Coast to Coast Walk' that was first mapped out in a book published in 1973. Wainwright set out a 192 mile route that started in St Bees, Cumbria and crossed three national parks before finishing on the North Sea coast at Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire. The route, which is still popular today, has recently been revised in order to avoid trespass.
Another famous long-distance hike associated with The Lake District is the Cumbria Way, a 70-mile-long route that cuts through the heart of the National Park, linking the historic Cumbrian towns of Carlisle and Ulverston and taking in Caldbeck, Derwent Water, Coniston, Borrowdale and Langdale. Although the route mainly keeps to valleys and is an excellent introduction to the national park for a first-time visitor, there are plenty of opportunities for high-level excursions. The Cumbria Way, which is signed and can be easily split into five sections of approximately 14 miles each, was originally devised by the local Rambler's Association in the mid 1970s.