FRESH TAKE
In the 1990s Poucher’s three best-selling guides were fully revised – The Welsh Peaks by Nigel Shepherd, The Scottish Peaks by Kevin Howett and Tom Prentice, and The Lakeland Peaks by Peter Little (left). Peter has lived in Cumbria for over 50 years, volunteered with Keswick Mountain Rescue for more than 25, and walked at least 12 rounds of the Wainwrights (the 214 fells in that Pictorial Guide series). “I first discovered Poucher’s guidebooks in the late 1960s. My father had a copy of the third edition (1965) of The Lakeland Peaks and I’ve since made good use of them throughout Britain. The photography was the initial draw. It was always inspirational and a fine way of previewing a planned route.
“Unfortunately, I never met Poucher. His appearance on Russell Harty was memorable, though. I met his son John through my father who played golf with him. I remember John saying how meticulous his father was, when he was looking for the correct composition and lighting for a photograph. And how multitalented – photographer, perfumer, musician, and mountaineer.
“Knowing of my devotion to the Lake District, John approached me about the book’s revision. I really enjoyed checking every last detail, since I knew there was considerable scope to update the information. Poucher had a way with words, a ‘flowery’ language, like using ‘belvedere’ for viewpoint, and describing snow-covered fells as wearing ‘winter raiment’. When I undertook to revise The Lakeland Peaks I knew it would be essential to retain the original flavour of the text.
“The toughest thing definitely wasn’t walking the routes and doing the research in the field! It was the work using a word-processor and hand-drawing the amendments to the photographs. The material was then all discussed in person with John. Communications with the publisher were all by post. It was very enjoyable, but the work was done before email went mainstream.
“Sometimes you overhear fellwanderers talking about different guidebooks. Alfred Wainwright’s books are works of art, with his handwritten details and sketches, but I see the two approaches as complementary. Poucher and Wainwright and the Ordnance Survey are all my guiding lights!”