A three-year-old boy from Kendal is believed to have become the youngest known person to complete all 214 Wainwright fells and mountains, finishing the challenge in five months alongside his family.
Navy Moores walked every summit himself, completing the full list with his dad Daniel Moores, mum Leanne Helm, six-year-old brother Oliver Moores and 15-year-old sister Jessica Helm.
The previous record was believed to have been held by a child aged four years and 10 months. Navy completed the final Wainwright, Scafell Pike, on Sunday.
Family finishes on Scafell Pike
The family had been hiking together since 2020. That experience inspired them to take on the Wainwrights together earlier this year, beginning a demanding five-month effort that saw them walking every other day, every three days or sometimes every day.
Daniel said Scafell Pike felt like the right summit on which to finish because it was recognisable, although the family faced rain and cloud on the final day. They had hoped to celebrate at the top with small champagne flutes and a view, but the weather meant that was unlikely.
Instead, they took photographs at the summit and more pictures on the way down. Daniel said the achievement did not really feel like an ending to the family, but more like a move on to their next project.
The children chose the family’s immediate celebration: McDonald’s, including chicken nuggets and chips. The next morning, after a late night, Navy had pancakes and Nutella. The occasion was also Jessica’s birthday, giving the family a double celebration.
‘It doesn’t really feel like an end’
Daniel said the family was proud and happy that all three children had achieved the challenge. He added that hiking had become such a normal part of Navy’s life that the three-year-old understood what he had done without necessarily realising the scale of the achievement.
“We’re just proud and happy that Navy, Oliver and Jessica have achieved it. It’s been part of our lives now for the past five months, either every other day or every three days or sometimes every day. But it is quite nice to finish and move on to the next challenge.”
Although the family had planned a more traditional celebration on Scafell Pike, Daniel said the finish still felt special. The family is now looking towards new adventures and plans to maintain its momentum with hiking.
“It felt like the right one to finish on because it’s so recognisable, even though it probably wasn’t the best day to finish, as it was raining and in cloud.”
Daniel said some people had questioned the value of completing the fells when Navy might not remember the experience. His view was that the challenge was about creating family memories and giving the children something they could look back on when they were older.
“It’s about making the memories and he might not fully appreciate it now, but when he’s older he can look back on it all and see what he achieved.”
Advice for families exploring the fells
The Moores family hopes its experience will encourage other families to explore the outdoors and the fells safely. Daniel said parents should let children set the pace and accept that a family hike may become a long day.
He said preparing children, packing the car and organising equipment could make getting started difficult, while the walk itself could take much of the day. However, sunsets, cloud inversions and rainbows were among the moments the family remembered most.
For parents whose children complain about hiking, Daniel said momentum had been important for Navy. His advice was to persevere, allow children to lead and explore, take plenty of snacks and drinks, and avoid feeling that expensive equipment was necessary before getting outdoors.
“Letting children set the pace is the most important thing and you also have to accept that it’s going to be quite a long day.”
Daniel said the family was keen to share its knowledge to help others plan routes and understand the equipment they might need. For the Kendal family, completing the Wainwrights was the destination, but enjoying the journey remained the central part of the adventure.