Wainwright Bagging: How to Keep Count of the 214

What the 214 Wainwrights Are

For anyone walking in the Lake District, the idea of Wainwright bagging soon becomes a familiar topic of conversation on the fells and in the valley pubs. It usually begins with a single fell, perhaps walked on a weekend visit. Then comes a second, and a third, until a pattern emerges. Before long, you are part of a quiet, enduring tradition: walking the 214 fells documented by Alfred Wainwright.

The 214 Wainwrights are the fells Alfred Wainwright drew and described in his seven Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. He divided the complex landscape into distinct areas to make it easier to navigate and document. These volumes became the definitive companion for generations of walkers: Book One The Eastern Fells, Book Two The Far Eastern Fells, Book Three The Central Fells, Book Four The Southern Fells, Book Five The Northern Fells, Book Six The North Western Fells, and Book Seven The Western Fells.

In Wainwright's own figures, Scafell Pike is the highest at 3,210 ft, drawing many walkers eager to stand on the roof of England. At the other end of the scale, Castle Crag in Borrowdale is the lowest. If you want to see the complete list of these summits and how they relate to one another, you can read our directory of all 214. To walk every one of them is known as completing the round.

How People Keep Count

Finishing all 214 is a substantial undertaking that requires commitment, stamina, and a deep appreciation for the landscape. There is no time limit; many people take years to walk them all, fitting them into weekends, annual holidays, and fleeting breaks in the weather. Some find the rhythm so grounding that they complete the round more than once. When the final fell is climbed, the Wainwright Society keeps a register of completers to formally record the achievement.

Keeping track of where you have been, and where you have yet to go, is a significant part of the experience. Traditionally, people keep count with a tick list tucked into a rucksack pocket, a dog-eared logbook kept on the bedside table, or a paper map they mark with a pen after each trip. Today, there are digital alternatives, but a map on the wall often beats a phone app.

When your progress is locked behind a screen, it remains a solitary pursuit. A map hung in the hallway or the kitchen means the whole family can see the journey unfold. It becomes a prompt for conversation, a way to remember a particularly wet scramble past a swollen beck, or a long summer evening sitting by a quiet tarn. You can trace the ridges, remember the steep paths up a crag, and plan the next weekend's route over morning coffee.

The Checklist Against the Framed Map

If you are plotting a way to display this progress, the first decision is whether you want to write directly on the map. You cannot tick a box through glazing, so a framed piece is meant for looking, while an unframed sheet is made for doing.

For those actively walking the fells, The 214 Wainwrights Map and Checklist is made to be written on. It features a detailed relief map of the Lake District with the 214 as a list beside it. Every fell has a tick box and a line to write the date you stood on top. It measures 50 x 70cm and is available unframed only (£44.99), so it can be pinned to a corkboard or the study wall, ready for a pen the moment you return from the Lakes. It is a highly practical way to document Wainwright bagging as it happens.

If you prefer to keep the map purely as a reference, The 214 Wainwrights — Terrain Map Poster offers the same detailed base. It is a relief map of the Lake District with every one of the 214 summits pinned and numbered in height order, complete with a full key. At 50 x 70cm, it comes framed in black, white, or natural (£129.99), or as an unframed sheet (£44.99).

Choosing Between Relief, Contour, and Blueprint

When you browse the collection of Wainwright Maps, you will notice different approaches to interpreting the landscape. The choice between a traditional relief map, a contour map, or a blueprint often comes down to the room where it will hang and the existing furnishings.

A terrain or relief map feels deeply traditional, suiting boot rooms, studies, and spaces heavily furnished with natural wood. However, if the room has a more contemporary leaning, a darker, graphic approach might fit better.

• The 214 Wainwrights — Lakeland Contour Map is designed for exactly this. It sets contour lines on a dark sheet, with the summits pinned and the key grouped by book. Crucially, the contour lines are coloured by the seven guides, turning Wainwright's geographical divisions into a subtle visual code on the wall. It measures 50 x 70cm and is £129.99 framed or £44.99 unframed.
• Alternatively, The 214 Wainwrights — Blueprint Contour Map Poster offers the same contour map as white lines on blueprint blue. This sharp, architectural style works well in bright, modern spaces or home offices. It shares the same 50 x 70cm dimensions and pricing at £129.99 framed or £44.99 unframed.

Buying for Mid-Round vs. Finished Walkers

When buying for someone else, their current progress on the fells should guide your choice. If they are mid-round, working their way through the Central Fells or plotting a route up from a remote valley, they need the unframed map and checklist to record their dates. It turns the long process of Wainwright bagging into a visible, physical record that they can update after every trip.

If they have already finished and their name is on the register of completers, a framed map serves an entirely different purpose. It becomes a quiet acknowledgement of the years spent on the fells, ready to hang immediately and permanently. Framed sheets arrive with hanging fixings fitted, so they can go straight onto the wall without any extra effort.

Ordering in Time

Everything is printed to order, ensuring each map is produced specifically for you. It takes 2-5 working days to print, followed by 3-7 working days for UK delivery, so keep this timeline in mind if you are planning for a specific date or an upcoming trip. A gift message can be added at checkout, making it simple to send directly to a fellow walker, ready to prompt their next journey into the Lake District.