Bill Smith

[Brian J]

On Monday there was a report on BBC North West of the discovery of a fell walker’s body in a peat bog on Saddle Fell in the Bowland Fells near Preston. Police thought that the walker was in his 70s, from the Liverpool area and that he had travelled by public transport 3 weeks earlier. It appears that the walker whose life had ended in these tragic circumstances was Bill Smith, a member of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers and the author of Studmarks on the Summits which is the definitive book on the history of fell running. Bill must have met his end on or very close to the original route of the Fiendsale Race which I used to organise. Bill was always a great supporter of the race, competing in it in the early days and often turning up to spectate and give encouragement to the runners. Bill was a shy and gentle man and kept out of the limelight despite the fame that his writing brought to him within the fell running community. I remember that I once tried to get him to present the prizes but he politely declined. However, his magnus opus together with the many articles he wrote for the fell runner and the gentle encouragement he gave to race organisers and fell runners will be remembered for many years to come.

[Simon]

I'd heard of the death of a fell walker in a peat bog and the death of Bill Smith seperately... I didn't put the two together.

Very sad news indeed.

[Beneficial Dictator]

A treasure within my bookcase is "Studmarks....". No longer in print & a 2nd hand copy would cost you a small fortune.
Very sad to hear of Bill's passing.
Craig.

[david tucker]

Presumably Fell Runner will carry reports in its next edition. Inextricable bogs are rare but obvioously do exist. I remember we rescued Mandy from one on the way to Brown Knoll and being rescued by a walker on the top of Kinder during Tanky's, an unfortunate entrapment as it allowed Phil C to catch me. Normally though we just plough through with the belief we'll carry on to the other side - of the bog.

[Simon]

Graham Breeze has put a tribute on the FRA site and it will be carried in the next edition of the Fellrunner

[Colin Ardron]

A sad loss indeed - maybe some comfort can be taken from the knowledge that he was up where he wanted to be, doing what he wanted to do.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/ne ... rs_runner/

[geofpet1]

Very sad news indeed, although he was up in the fells he loved, not a pleasant way to go RIP

[DominicTook]

Shame no small presses could get the manuscript together for a print re-run. Great shame indeed - can't be many really good books out there on this topic. Might have to find a copy.

Dom

[Brian J]

There is a scanned-in version of Studmarks on the Summits on the FRA website. It is not easy to read in this format but OK if you just want to look up one or two things. Happily I bought a copy when it was published.

[geofpet1]

Me too - 1986 or early 87 at a fell race in Lancashire