I THOUGHT when I saw the authors of this book that the names were familiar and also the fact that the foreword had been written by Steve Birkinshaw gave me an additional clue. Karen and Dan Parker are in fact the sister and brother-in-law of Steve and when I checked I noted that they had been part of his support team when he completed the 214 Wainwright fells in 2014 in 6 days and 13 hours to break the 28-year-old record previously held by Joss Naylor. They had in fact paced him over one of the most difficult sections of his run from the southern end of Wastwater over the Scafells, Esk Pike, Bowfell and Crinkle Crags to Hard Knott and Hardknott Pass. I reviewed Steve’s remarkable book about the run “There’s No Map in Hell” back in 2017 and this is still available from Vertebrate Books.

Over 50 years ago, renowned British hillwalker and guidebook author Alfred Wainwright described 214 peaks in the English Lake District in his seven-volume illustrated Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. Like the Munros in Scotland, bagging all the Wainwrights has become a popular and significant challenge for walkers and runners, often taking many years in fits and starts because of the absence of a clear plan for how to link them together.

With this problem in mind, this book features 45 routes designed to link up these iconic fells so the reader can enjoy the challenge of completing them at their own pace – over years, months or even just a few weeks. It presents not only the most efficient routes for completing the Wainwrights as quickly as possible, but does so in such a way that each route is a fantastic walk or run in its own right. The featured routes include a round of the Scafells, the Fairfield Horseshoe above Ambleside and the Glenridding Horseshoe, taking in the classic summits of Helvellyn and Catstycam and including the notable Swirrel Edge.

The routes are split into seven sections, reflecting Wainwright’s seven Pictorial Guides with each section having on average 6 or 7 routes, and, to simplify logistics, all of the featured routes are circular with an emphasis on making practical links between the summits. In addition, the book is packed with useful information, including 1:40,000-scale maps, elevation profiles, public transport and parking details, refreshments, downloadable GPX files for each route and timings for walkers, trekkers, fastpackers and runners to suit all abilities. Also included are overview details of Steve Birkinshaw’s record-breaking sub-seven-day Wainwrights run in 2014 – and details of current record holder Sabrina Verjee who completed the round this summer in under six days. Whatever your timescale for completing the 214 Wainwrights, Peak Bagging: Wainwrights is an indispensable guide to this British hill challenge.

Karen and Dan have said: “We are very pleased to have been given the chance to share our love and knowledge of the Lakeland Fells with others, and hopefully to provide help in bagging all the Wainwrights in an enjoyable and organised manner.”

The pair are based in the Lowther Valley, near Penrith, and have been regularly walking and running in the Lake District for the past thirty years. Karen is the current British age-group champion and a former international orienteer, and in his twenties and thirties Dan has run the elite class in many mountain marathons, winning the Lakeland Mountain Marathon elite course in 1996.

The book was published on November 15 and will make an ideal Christmas present for any walkers or runners who have a love of the Lake District.