Joss Naylor - King of the Fells - A new book about this legendary fell runner and ultra-distance record holder.

By Don Hale don hale blog September 04, 2023

Joss Naylor MBE - King of the Fells...promotes a new book about his remarkable life as a legendary runner and sheep farmer.

Introduction by Don Hale OBE:

https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com

www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk

This is an interesting feature about Joss Naylor, a legendary fell runner and ultra-distance athlete, and a former Lake District sheep farmer, who set numerous long distance and fell running records for decades.

Joss, who is now retired, is a resident of Abbeyfield, and lives at Bradbury House. I have included this article courtesy of the Home to highlight Joss's remarkable career and the fact he has written a new book to help fundraise for BRATHAY - a youth-development charity, of which he is the Patron, that provides vital support for around 7,000 children and young people facing inequality and adversity, every year.

Bradbury House: For our latest interview with extraordinary Abbeyfield residents, we spoke to celebrated fell-runner Joss Naylor, who lives at Bradbury House in Gosforth, about his time as a record-breaking athlete.

Bradbury House resident Joss Naylor, a celebrated record-breaking fell runner, recently spoke to us about his running feats, books, and living at Abbeyfield.

“I’ve lived in the area all my life and grew up working on a farm in Wasdale Head [a hamlet in the Lake District near to Wastwater and Scafell, not far from Gosforth]. It was, as you can imagine, quite labour intensive, so I think it set me up well to become an athlete. I was a wiry lad and a fair turn of speed, so I was quite lucky in that respect.

“My legs were good, and I was a fair climber, so fell running came quite naturally to me. My first competitive event was the Mountain Trial in 1962. I eventually won the Trial in 1966. It turned out to be a favourite of mine and I won it a further nine times between then and 1979, including seven on the trot from 1971-77.

“I went around the Lake District a bit, entering as many events as I could. Peak bagging [reaching as many peaks as possible in a set time period] was my speciality and extending the Bob Graham Round, a 24-hour challenge, was where I got my first record of 61 peaks in 1971.

"I went on to break that record two more times. The last time, in 1975, I managed 72 peaks, which involved running over 100 miles and ascending and descending over 38,000 feet, in 23 hours and 20 minutes. It’s probably one of the achievements I am most proud of, and the record stood for 13 years.

"In 1983 I also visited every Lake, Mere and Water in the Lake District in just over 19 hours, a round that I repeated in 2020. I made a book of the time, which won a prize for its illustrations and presentation and provides a donation to charity for every book sold.

“I also travelled a bit further afield, completing the Three Peaks Challenge in a little under 12 hours in 1971, and the coast-to-coast Robin Hood’s Bay to St Bees in 41 hours in 1976. I managed to break a number of other records: the Welsh 3000s [the 14 peaks of Snowdonia], the Pennine Way, the Lyke Wake Walk and the 214 Wainwrights in just over seven days.

“But I don’t let it go to my head. People have called me ‘King of the Fells’ and ‘The Iron Man,’but I don’t listen to that too much. I consider myself quite lucky with all the records and wins over the years. The conditions and your body have got to be alright on the day, so I was fortunate I was able to perform at the right times. It was particularly difficult to keep going during the heatwaves, but I received a lot of support from friends, family and the fell-running community.

“There are a lot of good people involved in the sport. In my opinion, they’re the greatest people on this earth and I’m very proud to be associated with them. We all like to club together and a number of the challenges I’ve mentioned are often run to raise money for various charities. I was lucky enough to be recognised for my charity work and running achievements with an MBE.

“I’m also very proud of the Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge – a run from Pooley Bridge to Greendale Bridge (where I used to live and that I first ran at the age of 50), which is exclusively for participants over 50. I believe that anyone can get involved in running, and getting involved in sport of any kind is something special.

"It’s all about challenging yourself and reaching your goals and keeping fit and active is particularly important as you get older. I realise I’m lucky to still be here after suffering several strokes and being fit helped me through.

“I’ve been living at Bradbury House for a few months and once again I’m surrounded by a great team of people. The staff are so giving and so kind, and when you spend time with them like I have you really realise what they do. I’ve got to know most of the other residents too and I’ll chat to anyone. “

Joss Naylor: https://abbeyfield.com/blog/king-of-the-fells?fbclid=IwAR0iEZkrJn85HspXMrHv9lmmw_3aQmZqTMP4h6u0aPniBsnOti4pz47fqO4

**Joss’s latest book - Joss Naylor's Lakes, Meres and Waters of the Lake District - is now available to buy for £19.95 with proceeds going to the Brathay Trust, a charity turning young people’s lives around through outdoor education. This is a link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3R92yNs

**If you want to know more about Joss’s life you might like to read a copy of his 2009 published biography - Joss: The Life and times of the Legendary Lake District Fell Runner Joss Naylor by Keith Richardson: This is a link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EmHf3h

ABOUT BRATHAY: ONE PASSION, ONE PURPOSE, ONE BRATHAY

Taking part in our events helps support the work of our charity, Brathay.

Brathay is a youth-development charity that provides vital support for around 7000 children and young people facing inequality and adversity, every year.

We work in the community and at our HQ in the Lake District, using a mixture of outdoor learning and community support to help 10-25 year-olds overcome hardship and feel better about themselves.

BRATHAY 10IN10 PATRON

https://www.brathaychallenges.com/about-us/our-team/joss-naylor-mbe/

JOSS NAYLOR, MBE

Joss Naylor is one of England’s most celebrated fell runners. The Cumbrian sheep farmer broke the Lake District 24 hour fell record three times in the 1970s – his 1975 record of 72 peaks, covering 100 miles and around 38,000 feet of ascent in 23hrs 11mins, stood for 13 years.

At aged 50, he completed the 214 peaks of the Wainwrights in seven days, one hour and 25 minutes, a feat not bettered until 2014. At 60, he bagged 60 Lakeland fell tops – at 70 he ran 70 of them, amassing more than 50 miles in the process. In 2016 the ‘King of the Fells’ celebrated his 80th birthday by running over 35 miles from Caldbeck to Wasdale, raising funds to help vulnerable children and young people.

“I’ve taken a lot from the tranquility of the Lake District – an appreciation of the landscape, wildlife and plants. For me, running has always been more about getting out in the natural environment than it is about exercise or training.

I’ve been Patron of the Brathay 10in10 since the event started in 2007. I’ve been inspired by what Brathay does to help disadvantaged young people. It’s been an education to see how they turn lives around.”

EXPERIENCE: aND RECORDS:

1970: The Four Lake District 3,000ft Peaks (8:20)

1971: Lake District 24 Hour Record (61 peaks)

1971: Three Peaks Record (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike & Snowdon)

1972: Lake District 24 hour Record (63 peaks)

1973: Welsh 14 Three Thousanders Record (4:46)

1974: Pennine Way Record (3 days 4 hrs)

1975: Lake District 24 hour Record (72 peaks in 23:11)

1976: Ennerdale Horseshoe Fell Race (ninth consecutive victory)

1979: Lake District Mountain Trial (tenth victory, seven consecutive 1971-1977)

1983: Lakes, Meres & Waters (105 miles in 19:20)

1986: Wainwright Summits – a round of all 214 tops (7 days)

1990: Establishes Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge (31 summits, 48 miles)

1996: 60 Lakeland fell tops (aged 60)

2006: 70 Lakeland fell tops (aged 70 – under 21 hours)

2016: Caldbeck to Wasdale (aged 80)

2018: Wasdale to Brathay Hall – 30 miles & 6,000ft (aged 82)

**If you want to know more about Joss’s life you might like to read a copy of his 2009 published biography - Joss: The Life and times of the Legendary Lake District Fell Runner Joss Naylor by Keith Richrdson: This is a link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EmHf3h