The first Wainwright I have a record of climbing was Silver How on 27 March 1968; it had taken me 54 years, 5 months and 21 days to do my round. Here are my final 17.

Dates: 9 – 17 September 2022

Stayed: Penruddock (rental).

Weather: Mostly good.

9 September – Bonscale Pike, Steel Knotts, Hallin Fell. By Ullswater steamer from Pooley Bridge to Howtown and return. Drizzle at first but soon clearing. Rather a lot of up and down for this cluster of three without connecting ridges.

10 September – Branstree, Selside Pike. From Mardale Head via Gatescarth Pass, descent to Old Corpse Road north of Selside Pike. Road walk back to Mardale Head – lakeside footpath closed.

11 September – Loughrigg. Avoided White Moss parking fee by parking by A591/B5322 junction (St John’s in the Vale) and getting bus to White Moss. Loughrigg summit via Loughrigg Terrace, descent to Rydal via Rydal Caves; bus back to car.

13 September – Eagle Crag, Sergeant’s Crag, Ullscarf. From Stonethwaite. Hard to find path in dense bracken on lower slopes of Eagle Crag until second wall reached and uphill path began. Only vague and intermittent path round the head of Black Gills and Long Crag. Descent from Ullscarf via High Saddle and Low Saddle, then trackless wastes (in good visibility) to join Dock Tarn path near White Crag for descent to Stonethwaite Beck.

14 September – Great Borne, Starling Dodd. Parked at NT car park outside Buttermere. To Scale Force, then Floutern Pass track through Mosedale Head and alongside Red Gill to fence on Great Borne ridge. To Great Borne, then back along ridge and on to Starling Dodd, past Little Dodd to pick up Lincombe Edge path to Scale Beck, Scale Force and return to Buttermere. The path alongside Scale Beck has a malign intent to try to injure anyone venturing that way, but I overcame it on this day.

15 September – Brock Crags, Rest Dodd, The Nab. From Cow Bridge car park on Patterdale – Brothers Water road. Rather than summarise a rather messy route I show my OutdoorActive track. In the prevailing drought conditions the bog between Rest Dodd and The Nab was trouble-free.

16 September – Rosthwaite Fell (Bessyboot). From Seatoller via footpath just E of Strands Bridge, across Combe Gill and up to Tarn at Leaves (poor path). Return by more-or-less the same route.

17 September – Seathwaite Fell, Lingmell. Finish! A bright but chilly morning start after parking along the Seathwaite lane, with frost in the fields where the sun had not yet reached. To Stockley Bridge and the Sty Head path, turning up the fellside on Wainwright’s ‘route B’ where only a vague and intermittent path heads towards the summit of Seathwaite Fell.

A clear path then heads south to reach Sprinkling Tarn, from where I followed the main path towards Sty Head before turning off onto the Corridor Route. Shortly after crossing the head of Piers Gill I turned off the main path to head direct to Lingmell Col, and from there the broad path led me to the summit. Done!

Howtown and Hallin Fell

Bonscale Pike - the Twin Towers

Haweswater in drought

Grasmere from Loughrigg

Rydal Caves

Langstrath from Sergeant's Crag summit

Starling Dodd summit

Brothers Water from Brock Crags

Stonethwaite Fell and Stockley Bridge

Great End and unnamed tarn

Well Done!

Dates: 14 – 21 June 2022

Stayed: Eskdale Green, Eskdale.  AirBnB and Bower House Inn

Weather: Fine, dry, clear.

14 June – Cold Pike, Grey Friar. Up and down from the summit of Wrynose Pass.

15 June – Whin Rigg, Illgill Head. From Eskdale Green via Miterdale Forest. Warm and clear, with views as far as the Isle of Man. Return via Burnmoor Tarn and Miterdale.

16 June – Yewbarrow. From Overbeck Bridge, Wasdale. More of a scramble up Bell Rib than I’d expected; traversed the ridge and returned via path by-passing Stirrup Crag and along Overbeckdale.

17 June – Hard Knott. The only grey and damp day, so a short walk up and back from the summit of Hardknott Pass, followed by a visit to the Roman Fort.

18 June – Slight Side. A long and mostly featureless plod up and back from the small car park near Wha House, Eskdale. Credit to the three guys at the summit, down from Scafell and heading back up to continue to Scafell Pike and Lingmell, and possibly more. Also to the young man pushing and carrying a high-spec mountain bike who intended, he said, getting it to the summit of Scafell and riding back down.

19 June – Green Crag, Harter Fell. From the Woolpack, Eskdale, via Lower Birker and returning via Penny Hill Farm. Walked the first half of Green Crag ascent in the pleasant company of someone with four Wainwright rounds completed. Two summits, and a good day despite two minor injuries and two soakings of different parts of the anatomy!

20 June – Buckbarrow, Seatallan, Middle Fell. A short steep ascent from Harrow Head, Wasdale, then an easy circuit over Seatallan and Middle Fell, descending to the road at Greendale and a road walk back.

21 June – Kirk Fell. From Wasdale Head via Black Sail Pass. I didn’t enjoy the steep slippery scramble up the narrow gully above the pass with loose gravel underfoot and flaky rock either side. Nor the long descent from below Great Gable on a path of loose stones. I won’t be going again!

Grey Friar summit

Irton Road Station

Bell Rib, Yewbarrow

Cottages in Boot, Eskdale

Harter Fell from Green Crag summit

Buckbarrow

Middle Fell summit

Great Gable from Kirk Fell

This note is just a memoir of those days with a few photos taken when it wasn’t raining.

Friday 24 September

• Nab Scar, Heron Pike, Great Rigg

Rydal Water

Saturday 25 September

• Calf Crag, Gibson Knott

Stepping stones near Travellers Rest

Sunday 26 September

• Raven Crag, High Seat, High Tove, Armboth Fell

View from High Seat

Monday 27 September

• Fellbarrow, Low Fell

Tuesday 28 September

• Sallows

Wednesday 29 September

• Loft Crag, Harrison Stickle, Pavey Ark, Thunakar Knott, High Raise, Sergeant Man

Stickle Ghyll, Langdale

Stickle Tarn, Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark