Wainwright on the Pennine Way

Book excerpt: On 24 April 2015, it will have been exactly fifty years since a ceremony was held at Malham to mark the official opening of the Pennine Way Long Distance Footpath (now designated a National Trail), a trek of some 270 miles from Edale in Derbyshire’s Peak District to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. There are now 15 National Trails of varying length but despite competition from younger upstarts, the pioneering Pennine Way retains its cachet of being the most challenging (and consequently most rewarding) expedition across vast tracts of Britain's untamed countryside. The legendary fell-walker, writer and illustrator Alfred Wainwright published his own inimitable step-by-step pocket guide to the Pennine Way in 1966 and in 1985 used that material as the basis for a collaboration with photographer Derry Brabbs: Wainwright on the Pennine Way, an illustrated overview of the trail, which topped the Sunday Times best-seller list for several weeks. For this edition, published in a handsome new large format, Wainwright's text has been revised and annotated to account for the changes in the route that have occurred in recent years, as well as the improvements to the terrain underfoot, in areas where flagstone paths now cover the boggy peat moors. In addition, Derry Brabbs has reshot the entire book specially with stunning year-round photography, to bring this classic fully up to date. Wainwright on the Pennine Way brings together a writer and a photographer who have each been acclaimed for their artistry in recording the high places of Britain. This is a ‘must have’ memento or gift for anyone who has done the route or an aspirational reference work for armchair walkers content to let others do the legwork.