Schoolboy Frankie McMillan, 9, would like to set a world record by climbing the 214 Wainwright peaks in the Lake District 100 times, while most see completing the climb once as a ‘life goal’
A nine-year-old schoolboy has become the youngest climber ever to conquer all the ‘Wainwrights’ twice, climbing a total of 428 peaks.
Frankie McMillan was starting ‘Round Three’ today, with the stated ambition of doing them all 100 times. Frankie has been climbing fells and mountains since the age of three; it is in the blood. His proud mum Basia McMillan, 40, is a mountain guide who specialises in Lake District walks for families. She said of her son’s latest achievement: “This is a story of courage, determination, and never give up attitude.” In 2023, the Mirror reported how Frankie, then aged seven, was the youngest person to climb Mount Olympus, the highest peak in Greece at 2,917m (9,572ft).
One year later, he conquered Toubkal, at 4,167 m (13,671 ft), the highest peak in Morocco, and the Arab world. He did that on the second anniversary of the death of his paternal grandfather, Andrew McMillan, raising money for charity in his memory.
Wainwrights are the 214 English peaks that lie within the boundary of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria. They are named after the writer Alfred Wainwright, described in his famous guide to the fells. It took Frankie one and a half years to complete this round, through ‘rain, snow, hail and blow’.
Frankie, of Gosforth, west Cumbria, described it as “astonishing” to achieve the feat for the second time. “It takes some people all their life to do only one round and I have already done two rounds at only 9 years old,” he said. “I am very proud of myself.
“Sometimes we had to go through bad weather and we go all year round. I like to see different seasons on the mountain and how the landscape changes. Even if you go to the same peak more than once it is never the same, every day is different.”
Basia told how he only climbs at weekends as weekdays are dedicated to school work. She added: “Completing one round of Wainwrights for some is a life goal. But two rounds at the age of nine? Sometimes through rain, sometimes through wind, sometimes through snow. Sometimes he had to turn back as safety comes first but he came back to do it again. This is a perfect example of ‘you can do anything, believe in yourself’, no matter what age.”
Frankie said Bessyboot, Ullscarf and Tarn Crag were the ones that he enjoyed the least. For his last climb from Greendale on April 6, he was filmed running under a ‘guard of honour’ as fellow climbers raised their walking sticks at the peak of Middle Fell. He vowed: “I will never stop. I have new boots ready and we decided to take new routes, so even if we visit the same tops, the journey will be different. In my lifetime I want to do it 100 times, 100 rounds, and set a new world record.”
Frankie has climbed almost 800 mountains with his mum who is a qualified mountain leader and founder of the guided walk company Hills and Skills. She is also a trained Mountain Rescue Team volunteer with Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team. She said Frankie “thrives” outdoors; she could not be ‘more proud’ of his achievements.
“He is just a perfect role model to us all. Here is for round three and many more,” she said. Frankie climbed England’s highest peak Scafell Pike (978m, 3,209ft) at the age of four.
In Africa, he was raising money for Anthony Nolan Trust, a UK stem cell charity, in memory of Mr McMillan, who died of myeloma, a blood cancer. Frankie’s umbilical cord was donated to the Anthony Nolan charity when he was born, but the family did not expect cancer would “circle back” and “touch” them.
The pair did not tell Ms McMillan’s husband “for ages” of their plan to wave to his father from the African mountaintop. Frankie wants to climb the highest peak of every country in Europe, and the highest in each continent.
“So far I have climbed seven highest peaks of seven different countries,” he said. Adding: “There is so much to see and explore Mountains make me feel free and alive. In the mountains I can do whatever I want and just run.”
