A Complete List of the Wainwrights: All 214 Sorted

Key takeaways

• There are exactly 214 Wainwrights, defined by the fells in Wainwright's seven Pictorial Guides published between 1955 and 1965.
• Every Wainwright is a Birkett, but the 214 list is defined by Wainwright's editorial choice rather than a height rule.
• The 214 fells split across seven books, and bagging by valley beats working through the list in order.
• The hardest Wainwrights are grade 3+ scrambles such as Sharp Edge, Striding Edge, and Jack's Rake, while Castle Crag and Gummers How suit beginners.
• Most baggers complete a full round in two to five years at a weekend-a-month pace.

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A Complete List of the Wainwrights: All 214 Sorted by Name, Height, Area, and Difficulty

There are 214 Wainwrights, and this page gives you the full list of the Wainwrights in four sortable views: alphabetical, by height, by area, and by difficulty grade. You get a downloadable spreadsheet with tick-box tracking for your log, plus a map showing every fell. Each section below covers one view, so you can slice the fells however your bagging plan needs.

What exactly counts as a Wainwright (and why there are 214)?

A Wainwright is any fell described in Alfred Wainwright's seven Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1965. The total is 214, and it is fixed: the list is whatever Wainwright chose to include, chapter by chapter, not a height-based rule. The Wainwright Society confirms the 214 total and the seven-volume structure.

The seven Pictorial Guides and their fells

Each guide covers one area of the Lake District: the Eastern, Far Eastern, Central, Southern, Northern, North Western, and Western Fells. Fells appear in the book for the area they sit in, which is why the list is often sorted by area as well as alphabetically. Wainwright later added two fells (Castle Crag and Steep Crag adjustments aside, the count stayed at 214), and the list has not changed since.

Wainwrights vs Birketts vs Nuttalls

Birketts are any Lakeland fell over 1,000 feet, numbering 541, so every Wainwright is a Birkett but not the reverse. Nuttalls are English and Welsh summits over 2,000 feet with at least 50 feet of prominence, a broader, criteria-based list that extends well beyond the Lakes. Wainwrights remain the only list defined by one author's judgement rather than a height rule.

Where can I download a Wainwrights spreadsheet to track my progress?

This article includes a downloadable spreadsheet covering all 214 Wainwrights, built for tickers who want the whole list in one file. It carries four sort columns (name A-Z, height in metres, area, and difficulty grade) plus a tick-box column for completion tracking, so you can slice the list any way you like without re-sorting by hand.

What's in the spreadsheet

Every row is one fell: name, height, the book and area it sits in, a difficulty grade, and a completion box. Filter by area to see what's left in the Central Fells, sort by height to plan a highest-first push, or scan the grade column to pick an easier day. The tick-box column totals your count as you go, so the spreadsheet doubles as a progress log.

Importing your existing log (CSV)

If you already record ascents in a notebook, another app, or your own spreadsheet, export or type them as CSV and paste your dates into the completion column. Keep the fell name matching the list exactly and your dates will line up row by row. CSV export also works in reverse: the spreadsheet is deliberately portable, so you can carry your full ascent history into any tool that accepts CSV rather than being locked into one format.

Using it alongside Summit Log UK

The spreadsheet works well as the offline reference and Summit Log UK as the field log: auto summit detection, photos, voice notes, and GPX routes on the hill, with the spreadsheet as a printable backup and planning surface. Where it falls short: a spreadsheet cannot detect a summit or store your photos, and Summit Log UK's DoBIH coverage goes well beyond the 214, so serious Munro or Marilyn tickers will outgrow this file quickly.

How are the 214 Wainwrights grouped by book and area?

Wainwright organised the fells into seven pictorial guides, one per area of the Lakes, and the 214 split unevenly across them. The Database of British and Irish Hills carries the heights and area data behind the counts below.

Fell counts per book

Book	Area	Fells
1	Eastern Fells	35
2	Far Eastern Fells	36
3	Central Fells	26
4	Southern Fells	29
5	Northern Fells	29
6	North Western Fells	29
7	Western Fells	30

Which areas to bag together

The books map onto practical bagging territory, and most full rounds follow that geography rather than the numbering. The Eastern and Far Eastern Fells pair naturally via Grasmere, Ambleside, and Patterdale starts, with Fairfield, Helvellyn, and the Kentmere cluster all reachable from the same bases. The Northern Fells stand alone around Skiddaw and Blencathra, best driven at from Keswick, and they hold enough fells for several separate days on their own. The three western books share valleys, so a single western trip based in Buttermere or Cockermouth can tick North Western and Western Fells in the same week, with Grasmoor, Causey Pike, and Pillar all in range. Southern Fells suit a Scafell-based stay from Wasdale or Langdale, where the biggest days of the round live. Sequencing by valley means every drive earns a full day's ticking instead of a single summit.

What are the Wainwrights in order of height?

Sorting the 214 by height turns the list into a planning tool. On a forecast day with a 900m cloudbase, you know exactly which summits are in the clear and which are pointless ascents into the murk. Height order also shapes tick-off strategy: the big four (Scafell Pike, Sca Fell, Helvellyn, Skiddaw) sit far apart, so most baggers leave them for dedicated days rather than batching them with lower fells.

Our full Wainwrights reference includes the complete 214 sortable by height, alongside A-Z, area, and difficulty views, with a downloadable spreadsheet and tick-box tracking.

The ten highest Wainwrights

Scafell Pike (978m), Sca Fell (964m), Helvellyn (950m), Skiddaw (931m), Great End (910m), Bowfell (902m), Great Gable (899m), Pillar (892m), Fairfield (873m), and Blencathra (868m). Seven of the ten sit in the Scafell and Helvellyn massifs, so height-ordered bagging naturally clusters into a handful of big Lakeland days.

The ten lowest Wainwrights

Castle Crag (288m), Low Rigg (305m), Rannerdale Knotts (355m), High Rigg (357m), Sale Fell (360m), Walla Crag (379m), Loughrigg Fell (401m), Catbells (451m), Little Mell Fell (462m), and Barf (468m). These are your poor-weather ticks: short, low, and quick to grab when MWIS reads grim.

Which Wainwrights are the easiest and hardest by difficulty grade?

The 214 Wainwrights range from grassy strolls to hands-on rock. There is no official grading system, so most baggers sort them by terrain type: straightforward paths, steep ground, or exposed scrambling where a slip could be serious. Always check conditions before committing to a scramble route, since wet rock changes everything; the Mountain Weather Information Service publishes forecasts for all UK mountain areas at MWIS.

The hardest Wainwrights

The grade 1 scrambles sit at the top: Sharp Edge on Blencathra, Striding Edge on Helvellyn, and Jack's Rake on Pavey Ark are the ones baggers name first. Lord's Rake on Scafell and the Bad Step on Pillar also demand care. Treat these as scrambles, not walks, and pick your weather.

The easiest Wainwrights for a first tick

Gummers How, Black Fell, and Castle Crag are short, pathed, and under 400m, making them ideal first ticks. Barrow and Latrigg are similarly straightforward. Our full list of the Wainwrights includes a difficulty column so you can filter out the scrambles until you are ready.

Is there a map showing all 214 Wainwrights?

Yes. Our interactive map plots every one of the 214 fells on a single Lakeland view, with a tick-box beside each summit so your completed Wainwrights stand out from the ones still on the list. You can filter the same pins by height, area, or difficulty grade, so the map doubles as a quick visual check of where your gaps are.

Using the map for route planning

Cluster the unticked fells by eye before committing to a walk. Grouping Scafell Pike, Sca Fell, and Lingmell into one day, or sweeping the Eastern Fells in a ridge line, saves far more time than any single tick.

Exporting GPX from the map

Download the full fell set as a GPX file and load it into your GPS unit or navigation app of choice. The waypoints carry the summit names, so you can confirm each bagging as you go.

How do I plan a route to complete all the Wainwrights?

Grouping fells into logical days

Work by valley, not by list order. Batch the Newlands fells together, then the Coledale Horseshoe, then Fairfield and its neighbours, so every drive gets you a full day's ticking. Most baggers on a full round take two to five years; a weekend a month is a realistic pace.

Weather and seasonality

Check the MWIS Lakeland forecast before committing to a big ridge day, and plan your high, exposed fells for settled spells in late spring or early autumn. Save the lower, self-contained fells for marginal days when the tops are clagged in.

Tracking a full round

Summit Log UK supports trip planning, auto summit detection, and logging across multiple hill lists including the Wainwrights. Where it falls short: it will not plan your routes for you, so you still need a map and your own judgement to sequence days. Exportable records keep the round permanent even if you switch tools later.

Which apps and tools do Wainwright baggers actually use?

Comparison criteria

Judge every tool on three things: full list coverage (all 214, ideally the wider DoBIH), CSV import and export so your existing log moves with you, and how logging actually happens, whether manual ticks, GPS detection, or GPX upload.

The spreadsheet and map in this article win on reference and filtering: all four sort views plus tick-box tracking, with no install. Summit Log UK wins on logging, with auto summit detection, photo and GPX sharing, and trip planning. Hill Bagging, BaggedIt - Hill Tracker, Trailwise: Fell & Peak Bagging, Hill Lists, and My Summit Log each cover list tracking, but vary on CSV handling and detection, so check those two features before committing.

Where Summit Log UK falls short

It logs ascents; it does not give you the area, and difficulty reference the spreadsheet does, and it cannot be printed or shared as a file. If you want one permanent record you own outside any app, export your ticks from whatever you use and keep the spreadsheet as your master copy.

FAQ

How long does it take the average person to bag all 214 Wainwrights?

Most baggers on a full round take two to five years. A weekend a month is a realistic pace, especially if you group fells by valley rather than working through the list in order. Expect the big four (Scafell Pike, Sca Fell, Helvellyn, Skiddaw) to each demand their own dedicated day.

Can I tick a Wainwright without going to the summit cairn?

The list is defined by the fells Wainwright described, not by a survey point, so there is no official rule about the cairn. In practice, most baggers count an ascent when they reach the summit itself. If you are logging in the spreadsheet or an app, the honest tick is whatever you would defend to another fellwalker and the actual summit Wainwright has stated in the book.

What is the hardest Wainwright to climb?

There is no official grading, but the grade 1 scrambles top most baggers' lists: Sharp Edge on Blencathra, Striding Edge on Helvellyn, and Jack's Rake on Pavey Ark. Lord's Rake on Scafell and the Bad Step on Pillar also demand care. Treat these as scrambles, not walks, and check conditions first since wet rock changes everything.

Do Wainwrights include fells Wainwright added in later revisions?

The list is fixed at 214, matching the seven Pictorial Guides as published between 1955 and 1965. Wainwright made minor adjustments to the books later, but the count stayed at 214 and has not changed since. The list is his editorial choice, chapter by chapter, not a height-based rule that could grow.

Is Skiddaw a good first Wainwright for a beginner?

Skiddaw is straightforward underfoot but at 931m it is the fourth-highest Wainwright, so it is a big day rather than a gentle introduction. Easier first ticks include Gummers How, Black Fell, Castle Crag, Barrow, and Latrigg, which are short, pathed, and under 400m. Save Skiddaw until you have a few lower fells behind you.