| Pennine Way | |
|---|---|
 View from the Pennine Way, nearMarsden | |
| Length | 268 miles (431 km)[1] |
| Location | Northern England and southern Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Designation | UK National Trail |
| Trailheads | Edale, Derbyshire Kirk Yetholm,Scottish Borders |
| Use | Hiking |
| Highest point | Cross Fell, 893 m (2,930 ft) |
| Difficulty | Moderate to Strenuous |
| Season | All year |
| Hazards | Severe weather |
| National Trails |
|---|
 Acorn symbol used to guide the route of National Trails |
Cross-border |
ThePennine Way is aNational Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail stretches for 268 miles (431 km)[1] fromEdale, in the northernDerbyshirePeak District, north through theYorkshire Dales andNorthumberland National Park and ends atKirk Yetholm, just inside theScottish border. The path runs along thePennine hills, sometimes described as the "backbone of England".[2] Although not the United Kingdom's longest National Trail,[a] it is, according toThe Ramblers, "one of Britain's best known and toughest".[4]
The path was the idea of the journalist and ramblerTom Stephenson, inspired by similar trails in the United States, particularly theAppalachian Trail. Stephenson proposed the concept in an article for theDaily Herald in 1935, and lobbied Parliament for the creation of an official trail. The walk was planned to end atWooler[5][6] but it was decided that Kirk Yetholm would be the finishing point. The final section was declared open in a ceremony held onMalham Moor on 24 April 1965. Before the official opening of the Pennine Way theBritish Army was invited to test the route, a task that was accomplished in one day. Junior soldiers from the Junior Tradesman's Regiment of the Army Catering Corps, based inAldershot, were split into patrols of four or five and each was allocated an approximately 15-mile (25 km) section of the walk. A report was then provided on the signage and route feasibility.
The Pennine Way celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 2015. A special four-partBBC One seriesThe Pennine Way was broadcast throughout April.[7]
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The Pennine Way is popular with walkers, and in 1990 theCountryside Commission reported that 12,000 long-distance walkers and 250,000 day-walkers were using all or part of the trail annually and that walkers contributed £2 million (1990) to the local economy along the route, directly maintaining 156 jobs.[8] The popularity of the walk has resulted in substantial erosion to the terrain in places,[9] and steps have been taken to recover its condition, including diverting sections of the path onto firmer ground, and layingflagstones orduckboards in softer areas. The actions have been effective in reducing the extent of broken ground,[9] though the intrusion into the natural landscape has at times been controversial.[10]
Accommodation is available atyouth hostels, camp sites,bed-and-breakfasts and pubs, but is limited on upland stretches, so when planning the walk one must sometimes choose between a long day (between two places offering on-route accommodation) or two shorter days involving an evening descent off-route (to a nearby village or farm) with a morning re-ascent.
There are 535 access points where the Pennine Way intersects with otherpublic rights of way. The route is crossed by many roads and passes through many villages and towns with good public transport. This makes it easy to sample a short section of the trail, or to split the Pennine Way across severalholidays or long weekends.
Most of the Pennine Way is on public footpaths, rather than bridleways, and not accessible to travellers on horseback or bicycle, but a roughly parallelPennine Bridleway is open from Derbyshire to Cumbria. This route, open to anyone not using motorised vehicles, starts slightly farther south than the Pennine Way.
A survey by theNational Trails agency reported that a walker covering the entire length of the trail is obliged to navigate 287gates, 249 timberstiles, 183 stone stiles and 204 bridges. 198 miles (319 km) of the route is on publicfootpaths, 70 miles (112 km) on publicbridleways and 20 miles (32 km) on otherpublic highways. The walker is aided by the provision of 458 waymarks.[11]
The Pennine Way originally climbed north fromEdale across the middle of theKinder Scout plateau. It was rerouted to reduce erosion, and now heads west to climb onto the plateau by steps known asJacob's Ladder. It then turns north to follow the western edge of the plateau pastKinder Downfall, crosses theSnake Pass road (A57) and climbsBleaklow. From the summit the trail descends toLongdendale. In the dale it crosses the dam ofTorside Reservoir toCrowden, the first village since the start of the trail 16 miles (26 km) away.[12]
From Crowden the Pennine Way climbs a side valley past Laddow Rocks to the summit ofBlack Hill on the border ofYorkshire. It descends across Wessenden Head Moor (the eastern part ofSaddleworth Moor) and theA635 road to theWessenden Valley. It climbs out of the valley to leave the National Park atStandedge on theA62 road.[13]
From Standedge the Pennine Way follows the Yorkshire–Greater Manchester border north along a series ofgritstone edges. It crosses theA640 road, then theA672, before crossing theM62 motorway by a long footbridge nearWindy Hill. Past the motorway the trail followsBlackstone Edge to theA58 road, then passes a series of reservoirs. It crosses theCalderdale Way high above the village ofMankinholes, then climbs to the prominent monument onStoodley Pike. From the monument it descends steeply to the valley of theRiver Calder, which it crosses about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the town ofHebden Bridge, the largest settlement near the route.[14]
The trail climbs out of the Calder valley through the scattered hamlet ofColden, crossing Colden Water by an ancientclapper bridge.[15] It then passes theWalshaw Dean Reservoirs and climbs to the ruins ofTop Withens, said to have been the inspiration forWuthering Heights. The trail then descends toPonden Hall, and crosses more moorland to the villages ofCowling andLothersdale.[16]
From Lothersdale the trail crosses Pinhaw Beacon toThornton-in-Craven. There then follows gentler country, including a short section of the towpath of theLeeds and Liverpool Canal atEast Marton, to reach the village ofGargrave inAiredale, on the busyA65.[17]
North of Gargrave the Pennine Way ascends Airedale and enters theYorkshire Dales National Park. It follows field paths, through the small villages ofAirton andHanlith to the larger village ofMalham. It then climbs steps on the west side ofMalham Cove, traverses thelimestone pavement at the top of the cove, and continues north toMalham Tarn. The trail then crosses a shoulder ofFountains Fell, crosses the head ofSilverdale and ascends the nose ofPen-y-Ghent in a very steep section. From the summit of Pen-y-Ghent the Pennine Way descends to the village ofHorton in Ribblesdale (on theSettle–Carlisle Railway).[18]
The Pennine Way then heads upRibblesdale along the oldSettle–Langstrothdale packhorse road. It passes the eastern end ofLing Gill and climbs Cam Fell, where it follows the line of aRoman road, shared with theDales Way. The trail then passesDodd Fell Hill and follows a ridge betweenWiddale andSleddale, before descending intoWensleydale atGayle and the adjoining town ofHawes.[19]
The path crosses the dale toHardraw, then begins the 5-mile (8 km) ascent ofGreat Shunner Fell. From the summit of the fell the trail descends to upperSwaledale and the village ofThwaite. It then crosses the side ofKisdon, with good views down Swaledale, passesKisdon Force, a waterfall on theRiver Swale, and reaches the village ofKeld.
From Keld the path crosses the route of theCoast to Coast Walk, then ascends a side valley known as Stones Dale to reachTan Hill and its isolated inn at the northern boundary of the National Park.[20]
At Tan Hill the Pennine Way enters theNorth Pennines AONB and follows moorland tracks to the isolated settlement ofSleightholme, where the route divides. The main route heads directly north across the moors, crossingGod's Bridge and passing beneath theA66 road in a tunnel. The alternative route enters the town ofBowes and rejoins the main route atBaldersdale. From Baldersdale the trail crossesLunedale and descends to the small town ofMiddleton-in-Teesdale.[21]
From Middleton the path ascendsTeesdale on the right bank of theRiver Tees, below the village ofHolwick. It passes the waterfalls ofLow Force andHigh Force, and reaches the scattered settlement ofForest-in-Teesdale. Further up the Tees, the path climbs beside the waterfall ofCauldron Snout below the dam ofCow Green Reservoir. The trail then ascends the gently rising side valley of Maize Beck to reachHigh Cup Gill, one of the most photographed areas on the Pennine Way. From High Cup the trail descends to the village ofDufton.[22]
From Dufton the Pennine Way climbs back up the fells, passing in turn the summits of Knock Fell,Great Dun Fell, Little Dun Fell and finallyCross Fell, at 893 metres (2,930 ft) the highest point on the entire path. Here, walkers can face tricky conditions in bad weather as a result of theHelm Wind which sweeps down the south-west slope of the escarpment. A long descent follows to the valley of theSouth Tyne atGarrigill. The trail then keeps close to the river to enter the town ofAlston.[23]
The trail continues down the valley of the South Tyne, past the Roman fort ofWhitley Castle, toSlaggyford andKnarsdale. Above the village ofLambley the trail leaves the valley to cross more moorland to theA69 near the village ofGreenhead.[24]
Outside Greenhead the Pennine Way passesThirlwall Castle onHadrian's Wall. For the next 11 miles (18 km) the route coincides with theHadrian's Wall Path, following the wall closely pastOnce Brewed to Rapishaw Gap, 1 mile (1.6 km) west of theHousesteads Roman Fort.
From the wall the trail heads north throughWark Forest. Past the forest it follows field paths toShitlington Crags and descends to the large village ofBellingham. More remote country follows, across Padon Hill and the edge of Redesdale Forest. The trail eventually reachesRedesdale at Blakehopeburnhaugh andCottonshopeburnfoot, two neighbouring hamlets which compete for the longest name in England. The route then follows theRiver Rede upstream to the village ofByrness.[25]
The last stage of the Pennine Way, across theCheviot Hills from Byrness toKirk Yetholm, is 27 miles (43 km) long, with no habitation en route. It is usually tackled in one long day, although there are two refuge huts (orbothies). The trail climbs steeply from the village, then heads north to cross theScottish border near Ogre Hill. For the rest of the stage the path switches between England and Scotland, along a fence which marks the border itself. Back in England the trail passes the Roman fort atChew Green, and briefly follows the Roman road ofDere Street. The path then follows the border ridge, passing the high point ofWindy Gyle. At the west top of Cairn Hill (743 metres (2,438 ft)), from where the path leads to the summit ofThe Cheviot and back down, the path turns sharply northwest with the border fence, descending to a refuge hut before climbingThe Schil at 601 metres (1,972 ft), above theCollege Valley. The path then descends into Scotland and enters the village of Kirk Yetholm. The path ends at the Border Hotel.[26]
The record time for completion of the Pennine Way is 2 days, 10 hours, 4 minutes and 53 seconds, set byJohn Kelly on 15–17 May 2021.[27] Kelly had previously held the record for just one week in July 2020 with a time of 2 days, 16 hours and 46 minutes, before this was broken byDamian Hall with a time of 2 days, 13 hours and 35 minutes.[28][29] Before this, the record had been held for 31 years byMike Hartley (time of 2 days, 17 hours and 20 minutes).
In 1984, after many attempts, Mike Cudahy became the first person to go under 3 days. He completed the route in 2 days, 21 hours, 54 minutes and 30 seconds.[30] His journey is well-documented in his book, 'Wild Trails to Far Horizons'.
The fastest women's time is 3 days and 46 minutes, set byAnna Troup on 14–17 August 2021.[31] The previous record of 3 days, 2 hours and 28 minutes was set bySabrina Verjee on 12–15 September 2020.[32]
The route of the Pennine Way is the basis of theSpine Race, which was inaugurated in 2012.[33]
The Pennine Way has attracted a number of writers over the years, includingTom Stephenson, who wrote the first official guidebook. A popular guide was written and illustrated by the writerAlfred Wainwright, whose offer to buy a half-pint of beer for anyone who finished the Pennine Way is estimated to have cost him up to £15,000 by his death in 1991.[34] The National Trail Guide contains a description of the route, GPS waypoints and 1:25000 maps of the entire walk.Barry Pilton's bookOne Man and His Bog gives a more lighthearted and personal account of completing the Pennine Way, with a foreword byMike Harding.Mark Wallington's bookPennine Walkies (in which the author is accompanied by his dog) is another humorous personal story of the walk, as isWalking Home by Yorkshire poetSimon Armitage, who walked north-to-south along the Pennine Way without money, relying on his 'earnings' from nightly poetry readings along the way.[35] Movement artists Tamara Ashley andSimone Kenyon performed the entire length of the trail in August 2006;[36] their book documents the performance and invites readers to create their own interpretations of the landscapes along the way.
