WAINWRIGHT BAGGING THE ROYAL WAY by Tomo Kembery
Guests at The Royal Hotel in Kirkby Lonsdale can follow in the footsteps of Alfred Wainwright, the fellwalking author and pioneer of exploring the Lake District fells on foot.
The hotel, in the heart of the South Lakes market town, is ideally placed for an away-from-the-crowds stay, yet conveniently located for discovering some of Wainwright's favourite uplands.
Said hotel manager Damian Atkins: "We get quite a few guests who come to walk the nearby Lake District hills. Many are ‘bagging Wainwrights' - that is, ticking off summits as they aim to walk all 214 of the Cumbrian mountains detailed in Wainwright's famous books in his series, A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells."
A long weekend at The Royal could include two day-long walks which would visit a number of Wainwrights.
Damian said: "A horseshoe walk from Kentmere could tick off up to nine Wainwrights from the Far Eastern Fells book, depending on the route taken. Ambleside, a great starting point for walking Loughrigg and Silver How, or for tackling the Fairfield horseshoe, is also just over half an hour in the car from Kirkby Lonsdale."
Alfred Wainwright was born in Blackburn and moved to Kendal to work for the borough council in 1941. A keen fellwalker since he was 23, Wainwright set about drawing and writing his iconic Pictorial Guide in 1952, a labour which took him 13 years at the average rate of a page a night.
Damian added: "Wainwright was familiar with the fells around Kirkby Lonsdale as well as those in the Lake District, and it is said that he may have enjoyed refreshment in The Royal when he was in town."
The Royal offers packed lunches for guests, which are ideal for those heading out into the hills for the day. Look out too for the hotel's Muddy Boots midweek and weekend dinner, bed and breakfast deals.
The Royal Hotel is part of the James' Places portfolio of hotels, inns, interior design and hospitality businesses across the Ribble Valley and Yorkshire Dales sharing the same service values and ethos.
