The Tubular Fells Map of the Lake District - 214 Wainwright Summits

Product Information

How do you travel? When in the week do you go, what time of day? How long does it take, and what’s the usual cost? Volume four of seven, which cover all 214 fells described in the Wainwright Pictorial Guides, which make them the perfect companion to the books. The majority of my walking is solitary, but as stated I walk with the OFC; we organise a meet, most notably on Remembrance Day in recent years, and occasionally I’ve walked with members of the Wainwright Society of which I am a founder member.

I get the impression you particularly love the Lake District. Is it fair to say that’s your favourite hiking location? What is so special about it? I already managed a New Year’s Day ascent of Helvellyn, but I plan to visit Snowdonia, Lakeland and Scotland this year. At the start of April I anticipate launching the map somewhere in Snowdonia and so I’m sure there’ll be a few ascents there. I’ve done quite a bit of walking but never been on the likes of Cadair Idris which of course features on my new map. I have always walked in the outdoors for as long as I can remember. I lived in a village as a child and we used to walk a lot in the local area. The greatest memories from childhood are the snowy days when I would go sledging. It would be 1978 and 1982 when I remember walking over 10 foot high snow drifts and I thought it was magic. I always preferred to go out in the snow than in the hot sun. How I hated the summer of 1976!

Share this page on

I love to go alone onto the fells, but I also enjoy the camaraderie of walking in a group, usually members of the Online Fellwalking Club (OFC). The map will also be on sale at points throughout the Lake District including YHA hostels and the new National Trust shop in Grasmere. It will also be available at Stanfords in Longacre, London.

Do you feel you’ve been able to create a good balance of city life and hiking, or ideally would you want to spend more time in the countryside? His approach to the fells is purist in nature, though he admits he is not an out-and-out peakbagger.

Our organisation

I came down to London to teach for 5 years and ended up staying. I live in East Ham in the London and Olympic Borough of Newham. After nearly 20 years of teaching I now run my own fledgling business designing, publishing and selling my quirky and urban looking topological maps of the mountains. I also carry out freelance assessments in schools. My series of topological maps started two years ago with Tubular Fells which has been a great success. I also sell a Scottish version called MunrOverground. Other maps are in the pipeline (or should that be tube line) with the release of my Snowdonia version this spring. The latest map is titled Snowmotion! In later life, especially at secondary school I began walking with the school’s walking club run by my classics teacher who, has it happens, is also a published author on George Mallory. The enthusiasm of people like that teacher (who I still correspond with) and others around me really got me into fell walking. I used to fellrun at school with Pendle and the nearby Forest of Bowland the constant targets. I have to say we used to run in all weathers through fog, snow and rain, but we loved it. The walking wasn’t mountain spectacular around home, like Lakeland or Scotland, but you can walk for ages and not meet a soul. As I grew older, I took up fellrunning for fun, first starting on the hills around Clitheroe like Pendle. Things have developed from there. I love being out on the fells, whatever the weather, and enjoy nothing better than scrambling. I’ve also recently started canoeing. You just can’t beat being out on the tops after a month or two down in the city of London.”