A Newt in Hard Tarn
Hard Tarn is situated on a narrow shelf of rock at the foot of the steep crags of Nethermost Pike, high up in the remote, hidden valley of Ruthwaite Cove in Grisedale, in the Lake District. Even today, the tarn has few visitors, the way to it being pathless in its later stages.
It was here that Alfred Wainwright had an encounter with a newt that inhabited the dark waters of the tarn. What could its purpose and mission be, living in the waters of this isolated tarn high up in the mountains? And his contemplations led him to think about himself – these two beings sharing a common bond at that moment. If that small creature had a purpose and there was meaning to its life, then how much more did he have a purpose, a mission to fulfil?
Wainwright is known to many as the author of guidebooks to the Lake District fells and other upland landscapes of northern England and also for his skills as an artist of pen and ink sketches. But there was another, more hidden, Wainwright, a man who cared deeply about the hills and mountains of Britain and the damage being done to these precious landscapes and to the natural world by ill-advised development and the effects of mass tourism.
The book seeks to define how Wainwright interpreted his vision and purpose through his books and correspondence with his many admirers, covering themes such as Nature and the natural world, landscape, beauty, imagination and the emotions. His books reveal his desire to show his readers the importance of treating the landscape and Nature more kindly and with greater respect. For Wainwright it was the way to peace of mind, true happiness and contentment just as he found on that day at Hard Tarn.
John Nicoll, former managing director of Frances Lincoln, the book publisher that rescued the Wainwright books in 2003 has written this commendation: ‘I have instantly read, enjoyed and admired [your book]. Indeed, I do think that you establish the case that Wainwright was a much more interesting and substantial figure than had perhaps been recognised, and you do it with grace, precision and economy. And you make me want to visit Hard Tarn which I never have!’
The book has 164 pages and the text is illustrated with over 90 of Wainwright’s sketches taken from 35 of his books, most of which are now out of print.
