Extended Bob Graham Rounds

Though many only aim to complete the basic Bob Graham round of 42 peaks, there are those for whom this is just not enough. Indeed, among the early contenders: Ken Heaton; Eric Beard and Joss Naylor not only completed the basic round but extended the number of peaks traversed - 51, 56 & 61 tops respectfully. This was at a time when the fell record and the BGR were often attempted together.

As the numbers of tops visited increased it became apparent that the basic BGR round was not the best basis for attempts and so the two sides of long distance events in the Lake District became separated. The original BG round was left alone and more efficient circuits were worked out to collect larger numbers of peaks. The absolute record for the number of tops visited in a 24hr period is currently 77 by .

Once beyond the basic round, there is no specified extra set of tops that must be added, nor does there seem to be any intention to specify such a set, it is up to the individual to decide on the merit or otherwise of each top. One criterium often quoted is that the top must be over 2000ft(608m) in height though that has the problem in that two of the original 42 are below that height. The tops shown in the tables below are those that have been appended to the basic 42 by the various successful contenders. These range from the trivial that are often crossed on the standard round to much more significant tops. The extra distance over the standard round ranges from less than a half a mile(!) to around 6 miles.

Fifty at Fifty

As earlier successful contenders grew older, thoughts began to develop about extensions to the basic round. The first of these was the half century of tops and someone thought of the memorable, and symmetrical, “fifty at fifty” tag-line.

The table below shows the select few who have succeeded in completing a 50 @ 50. The first was Edward Hill in 1977, having completed a standard round just two years earlier to become member number 32. Yiannis Tridimas became the first person to gain membership (in 1995) by completing a 50 @ 50 without having earlier done the basic round. The sole lady in this select group is Wendy Dodds, who in 2002 traversed fifty three tops at the age of 51, the foot and mouth outbreak having prevented her from attempting it the previous year. Her original round came in 1979

In the following table - hover your mouse over the names of the completers or the initials of the fells for more info. As of writing I am unsure as to the tops added by a couple of those on the list - it’s a best guess and have just one completer for whom I have no information. I will update the table as and when I find out.


No Name Year LF SM Ba LC MC Bc CH HC Ht GM PA LC HK AC St SF BC LS CP SC Sa EC W WP
1 Eddy Hill 1977   √                           √     √ √ √ √ √ √
2 Don Talbot 1982                     √         √     √ √ √ √ √ √
3 Tom Sykes 1983                     √         √     √ √ √ √ √ √
4 Peter Parkin 1983                     √         √     √ √ √ √ √ √
5 Alan Barber 1987 √ √   √   √         √ √   √   √                
6 Paul Murray 1993                     √         √     √ √ √ √ √ √
7 Dennis Lucas 1993 √ √             √ √ √ √   √   √                
8 Ralph Stephenson 1994                                                
9 Yiannis Tridimas 1995 √ √             √ √ √ √   √   √                
10 Lionel Howarth 1995 √ √   √           √ √ √   √   √                
11 Peter Simpson 1998 √ √   √   √         √ √   √   √                
12 Mike Sadula 1999 √ √             √ √ √ √   √   √                
13 Wendy Dodds 2002 √ √ √ √             √ √   √   √                
14 Geoff Davis 2007   √   √     √ √       √       √ √ √            
15 David Waide 2008 √ √                 √ √     √ √ √ √            
16 Geoff Pettengell 2008 √ √         √     √   √       √ √ √            
17 Mark Richards 2010 √ √                                 √ √ √ √ √ √
18 Dave Makin 2012 √ √         √ √ √ √ √ √   √   √ √              
Credits: Thanks to Duncan Richards and Geoff Pettengell for updating some of the information.