Walks from Ratty
Walks from Ratty was published in April 1978
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This title was the first of Alfred Wainwright’s guides to be published in booklet form. Compiled by Wainwright and published by The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Co. Ltd., it was created at the request of Lord Wakefield of Kendal. Unlike most of Wainwright’s works up to that point, it was printed, but not published, by the Westmorland Gazette. The booklet carries no impression numbers, and the distinctions between printings beyond the first three impressions can only be identified through changes in the printed materials and the printer’s name on the rear cover.
So far, I have identified ten variants, although more than ten print runs were produced. During my conversations with Andrew Nichol, the former book publishing manager at the Gazette, I gathered as much information as possible. He recalled that 5,000 copies were printed for the first edition, followed by a further run of 3,000 and then several consecutive runs of 1,000. Beyond that, he had limited involvement, as the Gazette was not the publisher. These figures explain why first editions remain relatively common.
Titus Wilson continued printing the Wainwright titles using the original Westmorland Gazette negatives until 2003, when production switched to positives. The new process was easier to set up, produced sharper images, and used more environmentally friendly chemicals. Soon after, the company adopted direct-to-plate (CTP) technology, with digital files imaged straight onto the plates without film. Today, Titus Wilson prints using a direct-to-paper process, which eliminates plates entirely.
Below are the positives used for Walks from Ratty, before digital printing replaced all film technology.
The guide, now printed digitally by Titus Wilson, Kendal, has been updated. In 2022, the Wainwright Society prepared a four-page insert to update Walks from Ratty on behalf of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway. The revision provided refreshed route information while leaving Wainwright’s original text and drawings completely intact.
When I began researching Wainwright’s publications, no original printing materials for this title were known to survive. In 2019, when I became custodian of the Gazette’s original printing materials preserved at Titus Wilson in Kendal, I was fortunate to uncover the surviving negatives. With all production now long digital, they had lain unused for many years.
Having assembled these original materials, I visited the Cumbria Archive Centre in Kendal to examine the correspondence that inspired the booklet’s creation. These letters reveal how Lord Wakefield first approached Wainwright, leading to the publication of Walks from Ratty in April 1978.
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Lord Wakefield of Kendal was central to the story of Walks from Ratty and to the survival of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway itself. Born in 1898, William Wavell Wakefield was a distinguished sportsman, captaining England’s rugby team and later becoming President of both the Rugby Football Union and the Harlequins. Away from the field, he was equally active, serving as a Conservative MP for Swindon and St Marylebone before being made Baron Wakefield of Kendal in 1963.
Beyond sport and politics, he had a deep affection for the Lake District. When the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway was threatened with closure in 1960, he stepped in to help fund its rescue and later took ownership through his family company. He went on to found the Eskdale Trust, restore Muncaster Water Mill, and establish a charitable foundation dedicated to protecting Eskdale’s landscape and heritage. He also saved the Ullswater Steamers from closure in the 1950s, ensuring both Lakeland treasures continued to operate.
In 1976, from his home near Kendal, Lord Wakefield wrote a long and personal letter to Alfred Wainwright. After recalling his own early fellwalking adventures around Cark, Coniston and Windermere, he asked whether Wainwright might consider creating a small, illustrated booklet of walks connected to the little railway. Wainwright agreed, producing Walks from Ratty without payment, on the understanding that his pages would be reproduced exactly as drawn, with no advertisements inserted.
Published in 1978, the booklet was sold in aid of the Eskdale Trust. Though very different men, the nobleman and the solitary fellwanderer shared a common purpose: to celebrate and preserve the beauty of Lakeland. Without Lord Wakefield’s initiative and persistence, Walks from Ratty, and perhaps even Ratty itself, might never have been saved.
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Below is a selection of the original correspondence from Lord Wakefield and Douglas Ferreira to Wainwright during the project pitch.
From: The Lord Wakefield of Kendal
The Old House
Kendal
11th May, 1976
Dear Mr. Wainwright,
I have been meaning to write to you for some time to tell you how much I have enjoyed reading your book on The Outlying Fells of Lakeland, written for the likes of me and others.
It has brought back many happy memories of long ago, when I was very young, because some of the walks described in your book, as well as for the old age pensioners, were also done by me when I was very young.
My early youth was spent at Cark-in-Cartmel, and as a boy I spent many enjoyable days scrambling and climbing, and birds nesting at Humphrey Head, as well as swimming in the sea when the tide was in. Also, places like Hampsfell and Bigland Barrow were all easy and enjoyable walks that I and my brothers used to do with my Father and Mother. Other places to which we used to bicycle and walk would be Whitbarrow and Gummer’s How, and other such places. Also, some of the walks around Kendal are much enjoyed by members of the family and guests at the present time.
As a boy, I remember staying at Coniston with my Father. It must have been about 1910 because I remember climbing up Coniston Old Man in the dark to see Halley’s Comet. I remember it was early May, and I was in quarantine and could not go back to school. We were spending a few days in rooms at Coniston.
I remember bicycling over to and climbing Black Combe. It is one of those Fells that one never seems to be able to get to the top. My Preparatory School was at The Craig, Windermere, and we used to do many walks to places such as Orrest Head, Brant Fell and School Knott.
I remember the highlight of those days was when, on the longest day, we set off from School in the evening on our bicycles and climbed Helvellyn to see the sun rise. I used to do quite a lot of Fell walking and occasionally rock climbing with my Uncle, Dr A.W. Wakefield.
I remember on one occasion that we were on Christmas leave from the War in December 1917. We bicycled to Langdale Valley, where we stayed at the Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. It was getting a bit late in the day for such a climb, but we decided if we got a move on, we could go up Jack’s Rake and get down again before it got too dark. My Uncle always said that he had never been up it so fast before, and he reckoned that nobody else had ever been faster than we did it on that day.
My Father told me that although he had been up Green Gable or Great Gable (I forget which it was) some dozen or fifteen times, he had never seen the view from the top because always cloud or mist descended as he neared the top.
The main reason for writing to you was to ask you whether you would consider the publishing of a book based on the Eskdale Valley. I am anxious to promote riding on the Railway with walking, linked with a family outing. What I would like to see done would be a small book written by you, with the walks readily available by use of the Railway. All it means is collecting together your various sketches, together with the written word from the books you have already written. The walks could be easy, as well as difficult ones. It may be desirable to include perhaps two or three other walks with sketches, additional to those you have already done in your various books. For instance, the walk from Beckfoot up the fell to the tarn above. Perhaps you have already described such a walk. Or again, perhaps the walk from Dalegarth up to the Roman Fort at the foot of the Pass on the road eastwards.
I much enjoyed your description of our little Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. However, the facts about the Preservation Society are that when the Railway was up for sale in 1960, the Preservation Society was formed, but could only raise £5,000, which was only half the price needed to purchase the Railway. Moreover, another eight to ten thousand pounds of working capital was needed to get the Railway going through the Winter months until the Season started in 1961.
A man called Mr. Gilbert and myself guaranteed the balance of the purchase price and the working capital. We then formed the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Company with £10,000 of capital. The Preservation Society loaned their £5,000 to the Company. In the mid-sixties, Gilbert had a stroke and a year or two later died. My family holding Company acquired his shares in the Company, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of our family holding company. For the last twelve years I and my family have been responsible for the direction and financing of our little Railway, and we have had a very competent General Manager – Douglas Ferreira.
The Preservation Society have about 1,500 members, and we give each member a free pass on the Railway. In return, they provide a working party once a month, and at busy times provide voluntary Guards and people to help with the car park. Their members also give valuable support work in publicity with stands, etc., at exhibitions.
Recently, I have formed a charitable trust, the Eskdale (Cumbria) Trust, which has been approved by the Charity Commissioners and is on the point of being registered. The purpose of this Trust is to preserve the environment in Eskdale, to restore the Muncaster Water Mill into full working order, and to found and maintain a Railway Museum at Ravenglass. We will be getting out a little pamphlet on Muncaster Mill, and if you are interested, we would very much welcome sketches outside and inside, with a brief description of history and working.
Some 21 years ago, the controlling shareholders in the Ullswater Navigation and Transit Company Limited did decide to close down the operation of the steamers on Ullswater. I thought this was quite wrong, and that somehow or other the operation of these steamers ought to be preserved in some way or other. Accordingly, I acquired the controlling interest, and I told the shareholders that, as we were going to spend a lot of money on preserving the steamers, and it would be very unlikely they would get a dividend, I would be willing to buy their shares. About 20% of shareholders have retained their shares for sentimental reasons. We have never paid a dividend, and are unlikely ever to do so, but we have got that steamer service going, and we now carry nearly 100,000 passengers on just the one boat – RAVEN. We hope to get LADY OF THE LAKE afloat again, perhaps in time for our centenary celebrations in a couple of years’ time.
What is so encouraging is to see the large number of people, properly clad, that now use the boat to go to Howtown for walking in Martindale or perhaps back along the Lake edge to Glenridding. Here again, I am most anxious to encourage this use of the steamers for walking in the neighbourhood of Ullswater. We would very much appreciate it if a book could be published collecting the various articles you have written, and of course, sketches of the walks in the neighbourhood of Ullswater.
It would be most attractive to have a book with, say, a dozen or so walks to the North West from Patterdale, Glenridding, Aira, and to Martindale and other Fells on the East. Would you be agreeable to such a book? At present, there is a short guide to Martindale which is quite useful, but nothing like as attractive description and sketches as would be the case if you were to do one of your little books.
If you are interested in my suggestions, perhaps we could meet with members of my family on some convenient occasion to explore possibilities.
Yrs. sincerely
Wakefield of Kendal
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From: Douglas Ferreira, General Manager
The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Co. Ltd.
Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1SW
15th May, 1976
Dear Mr. Wainwright,
As the number of passengers on the Ratty grows, so we find does the demand for a good guide to the walks which can be done in conjunction with a train journey. Lord Wakefield, our Chairman, has suggested that you might be interested in doing a special one of your wonderful guide books for us, and I am writing to see how the idea strikes you.
Many of the walks have been covered in your present series, and with the addition of a few new ones, like the walk along Muncaster Fell (if you have not already covered it) and some gentle rambles up and down Eskdale, we are sure it would have a ready sale through our shops and through the hotels and shops in the area. This side of the hills is not well covered by such guides, and we would be delighted if you could help.
I look forward to your comments with much interest.
Yours sincerely,
Douglas Ferreira
General Manager
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From: The Lord Wakefield of Kendal
71 Park Street
London
W.1.
26th May, 1976
Dear Mr Wainwright,
I and my family are delighted that you are agreeable to help the Railway, the Steamers and Muncaster Mill, and I know Douglas Ferreira and Tom Hewartson will also be very pleased.
There is no hurry. If you could manage during 1977 to have your works available for distribution by Easter 1978, that would be quite suitable.
We are in Kendal all August, and if you are free sometime, I hope you can come round to the Old House for a chat, which would be most enjoyable.
Yrs sincerely
Wakefield of Kendal
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From: The Lord Wakefield of Kendal
71 Park Street
London
W.1.
26th April, 1978
Dear Mr Wainwright,
Accompanying this letter is your “Walks from Ratty” autographed by the Directors and General Manager of the Railway Company, and the Trustees and Correspondent of the Eskdale (Cumbria) Trust, which we hope you will accept as a small token of our appreciation of your kindness and generosity.
Proceeds from the sale of the booklet are being given to the Eskdale (Cumbria) Trust, whose main objects are as follows:
1. Restoration of Muncaster Water Mill.
2. Creation of a Railway Museum at Ravenglass.
3. Grants for research into energy from water.
4. Preservation of fauna and flora and environment of the Eskdale Valley.
5. Advancement of education, and to that end power for Trustees to make grants to students, research workers and the public in general.
Although the Trust is only in its second year of operation, an excellent job of work has already been done.
With all good wishes
Yrs Sincerely
Wakefield of Kendal
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Nearly half a century on, Walks from Ratty remains a lasting reminder of how Lord Wakefield’s vision and Alfred Wainwright’s pen came together to celebrate a railway once on the brink of closure. Through their shared purpose, the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, affectionately known as Ratty, continues to thrive as a much-loved part of Lakeland’s heritage.
Acknowledgements:
Background on Lord Wakefield, and the 2022 guide revision, courtesy of David Johnson of the Wainwright Society, as published in Footsteps.
Correspondence between Lord Wakefield, Douglas Ferreira and Alfred Wainwright, courtesy of Anthony Hughes at the Cumbria Archive Centre, Kendal.
Photograph of Lord Wakefield by Bassano Ltd – courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, via Wikimedia Commons.