The Outlying Fells.
Having finished the seven Pictorial Guides, Wainwright turned to the lower, gentler hills around the margins of Lakeland — the fells that ring the District beyond his original 214. The Outlying Fells of Lakeland (1974) describes 116 of them, arranged as ready-made circular walks rather than single summits. He wrote it, famously, with older legs in mind — “designed for old age pensioners and others who can no longer climb high fells but can still potter about on the lower ones.” These are quiet, modest hills — Whitbarrow, the Caldbeck fells, Cartmel and Furness — offering wide views, solitude and a softer day out, and many walkers now tackle them as a round of their own once the main 214 are done.
Written by Alfred Wainwright in his late sixties, the Outlying Fells reflects a mellower mood than the Pictorial Guides — the same exquisite hand-drawn pages, but turned to gentle half-days among the fringe hills he loved just as much as the high tops.
Outlying Fells map
Every summit on this list plotted from its recorded position. Click a marker to open that fell’s guide — the map follows the search and filters below, and ticked tops show in the accent colour.
Browse all 116 Outlying Fells
Search by name, filter by height band, and tick off the tops as you bag them. Progress is saved on this device.
This page lists the 116 fells on this list that have a guide on the site. New to the lists? See how the fell lists differ.
Start with these
Five that reward a short day. Routes here are mapped from the ground and the map rather than walked by Lee, so treat the timings as a plan, not a promise.
- Orrest Head 238 m
The easiest famous view in the book, and the one most associated with Wainwright's first sight of the Lake District. Ten minutes above Windermere station. See the mapped route →
- Latterbarrow 244 m
A short, steep pull out of Hawkshead to a startling outlook over Esthwaite and the Langdale skyline. See the mapped route →
- Low Light Haw 250 m
A gentle top in the Grizedale woods - a good one to pair with a wet-weather day. See the mapped route →
- Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar) 341 m
Limestone rather than slate: a level, airy escarpment on the quiet eastern edge. See the mapped route →
- Heughscar Hill 375 m
Open common above Ullswater with a Roman road across it, and far less traffic than the fells over the water. See the mapped route →