A. W. Andrews

Who was A. W. Andrews?

Arthur Westlake Andrews was a British geographer, poet, rock-climber, and mountaineer.

He trained as a geographer and became a teacher of geography and history in Southwark. In 1913 he published 'a text-book of geography', reprinted in 1922.

As a climber, his first contribution appears to have been, in 1899, the route now called 'Andrews' renne' on Storen, Norway.

He is especially remembered for two later climbing contributions :- for his co-authorship, with J. M. A. Thomson in 1909 of the first rock-climbing guide-book, to the cliffs of Lliwedd, in Snowdonia; and for being the 'father' of Cornish sea cliff climbing, beginning with an early ascent of the Bosigran Ridge Climb followed by Ledge Climb in 1905. With E. C. Pyatt he later produced the first official Cornish climbing guide, in 1950.

He is also believed to have had a project to traverse all the British coastline, between the high and low water marks, aided where necessary by a rope, starting in Cornwall.

In later years he appears to have turned to poetry inspired by the scenery of West Penwith, Cornwall.