Customer Rating:  
Summary: The Wainwrights, but uninspiring
Comment: Read this and found that this indeed is a reasonably entertaining account of how the author "did" the Wainwrights. Agree it was a brilliant achievement for a guy of Steve's age and health, but strangely found his writing rather uninspiring, a bit flat somehow.
I've not done so many of the Ws so far, but am in thrall to the Lakes, having done most of the Yorkshire Dales, and every new one seems to be full of beauty, thrills, danger, and no little charm to me, and this didn't seem captured in Steve's rather business-like account of his W bagging.
He is defintely less wimpy than he thinks though,I've so far chickened out of several of the routes that he took, and I'm a good deal younger and in excellent health!!
So, all in all, an OK account of all of the Wainwrights and how somebody did them all within 12 months, but for inspiration and taking on the full beauty and character of the Lakeland peaks/fells, stick with Wainwright, you'll get more from him!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: One man and his fell-walks
Comment: In this book, former modern languages lecturer, Steve Larkin, describes his (successful) attempt to scale all 214 of the Wainwrights in the space of one year. Following surgery for heart and cancer conditions, Larkin sets out alone on his epic journey, intent on raising money for charity.
Staying in an old caravan for the odd week every month or so, Larkin sets out to 'bag' as many peaks as he can during each visit to Lakeland. His book follows his progress month by month, describing his routes and some of his experiences along the way. Frequently setting out more in hope than expectation of arriving at his chosen destinations, we follow him from fell to fell, up rising ridges and down slippery slopes, under blazing sun and in freezing winds, with rock, mud and ice under foot.
More suited to those already familiar with the Lake District, Larkin's account sometimes becomes rather list-like, but it is still an interesting read. Pity he overdoes his claim to being 'a wimp'- he is clearly a rather courageous chap, if sometimes alarmingly casual in his approach to his great adventure. Fortunately, he survived!
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