Pennine Way - Bowes to Hawes (★★★★★)

Today I am back ticking off sections of the Pennine Way, and am taking on a fairly long stretch of the trail, between Bowes and Hawes - with the plan being to continue on to Horton-in-Ribblesdale on the following day (an easier day of walking)

With this in mind, I'm heading out by train to Darlington, and then catch two buses to Barnard Castle and Bowes respectively - where we join up with the Pennine Way (by the church and castle).

The castle at Bowes

Bowes itself is usually quite a quiet village - but with it being half term there are plenty of people out camping in the fields - and we pass a number of these as we head out across the fields, and then on down a track to meet up with Sleightholme Beck.

But by the time we cross the beck, we have left all the campers behind - and continue to make our way across the fields surrounding Bowes, as we follow the route of Sleightholme Beck.

Heading across the fields

Here we are tracking below the route of the A66 - but the impact of the road is not too bad - and it is a useful marker of the old railway route that ran between Darlington and Kirkby Stephen - with a few of the old railway tunnels visible as you look up towards that road.

Looking towards the road (and old route of the railway)

Before too long, we are crossing over Sleightholme Beck once again - and here we very briefly follow the River Greta - with the old route of the railway also dropping down from the route of the A66 here, to run past on the far side of the River Greta.

At the second Sleightholme Beck crossing

Much of the line seems to still exist on the map - and not being content with passing close by this piece of history without finding out a bit more about it, I went on a hunt for some more information as part of writing up this route.

The old railway network around Bowes

From Kirkby Stephen the line remains able to be walked, along a short section that features some impressive viaducts, but this walkable section is very short. 

Beyond this, there is no plan I can see to open a walking route along any sections of the old line - but I did find out that someone has (perhaps stupidly given the terrain) headed out to walk further stretches of this railway. And that can be read by clicking here and/or here.

But on this walk, we turn away from this old railway - and start heading south.

Here we climb up onto a ridge - and soon find ourselves looking down into a fairly steep valley, and in this valley we are re-united with Sleighthome Beck.

Looking down on the Sleightholme Beck

And here for a brief span of time we are not walking alone - for (as is often the case on these trails if you walk in the 'wrong' direction) we are heading past a group of hikers - who are moving as one in staggered intervals (about four minutes apart).

Being in such tight formation, and in an area where the countryside has been empty since Bowes, this group have clearly all set out from the same point at roughly the same time. And here we are able to gauge the popularity of the Pennine Way, with the nine walkers heading past confirming that the trail is getting more popular (at least compared to similar surveys I conducted in the previous year).

To a lot of you nine won't sound a lot (and spoiler alert, I didn't see any more Pennine Way hikers till I reached Keld - though I may have missed out one or two passing the Tan Hill Inn) - but for the Pennine Way it is quite a lot of people. For comparison my best guess was that only 2 or 3 were 'doing the trail' last year. 

But whilst seeing so many people out on the trail is a welcome sight - as I clear the back end of the group, there are some titters as I head past - and one of the hikers coming the other way quietly remarks 'he looks like he's off on holiday'.

And here, I feel it is only right for me to make a formal apology. You see - here I (shamefully) have committed the cardinal sin of wearing whatever I please to do so.

The specific offence committed here, is that of wearing a football shirt - although I feel that I am allowed to point out, that it is a rather classy 23/24 Lens away shirt - that in my eyes is a fairly respectable selection.

But these days what you wear out hiking seems to have risen in importance - and I'm afraid that I'm rather letting the side down today - wearing running shoes (basically trainers), shorts and a football t-shirt. 

But still - as we cross over Sleightholme Beck one more time - we can be fairly confident that we won't see a soul for a while in any case - as we are about to head out over Sleightholme Moor, and then Stonesdale Moor - which are likely to be quiet now this group has passed through.

As we continue on we soon make it past Sleightholme Farm - and from here we continue to follow the route of Sleightholme Beck along a track, which splits further along the path. Here our route goes along the right fork, whilst the left fork takes any cyclists up to the nearby road, and on to the Tan Hill Inn.

Our our fork, we briefly follow a track - before that too is left, as we start to follow the Frumming Beck through a surprisingly wet stretch of countryside.

A stream across the moors

The previous day had broken thirty degrees Centigrade, and the reservoirs are starting to see their water levels drop - but this boggy moorland is showing no sign of drying out - and given how wet this section is today, I dread to think how wet this section gets in winter.

But when undisturbed by human activity, peatlands are very slow to dry out - although these areas are easily damaged if too heavily drained, and so must remain wet to be enjoyed.

The solution to this level of water in most areas, are nice stone paths - but here the solution is to get good at jumping from dry spot to dry spot, and to accept that at some point you will get wet.

What shoes to wear in this terrain is always something of a dilemma. Waterproofing is preferable - but that point when you sink a waterproofed shoe far enough in to take on water can be a soul destroying moment - and so in summer I just opt for light fabric shoes, since they will dry off quickly anyway.

Some stacked rocks

As well as being wet and boggy, through this section the marker posts are few and far between, but the route is fairly straight-forward, as we generally head in a straight-line - and on towards the Tan Hill Inn.

The Tan Hill Inn is the highest pub in Great Britain (at 1,732 feet above sea level), and whilst it might have once been a remote place (mostly serving local coal miners and drovers), these days it is remarkably busy.

Here I make my way up from the boggy moorland below, to find myself among the crowds at this inn - who gaze upon me as if I am some ghostly apparition.

This time there are not titters, but proper laughs - and here I just have to say fair enough - because who in their right mind would come here via the swamp, when there is a perfectly good road and car park.

By this point I have made good progress through my drinks supply - and this inn feels like it offers up an easy solution to this problem - but having made my way inside, it is clear that it will take at least 20 minutes to clear the queue in the bar.

And so it is, that the grubby demon from the swamp, scampers back out the pub - and heads on along his muddy errand.

But upon crossing the road at the Inn, we have made our way out of the North Pennines into the Yorkshire Dales - and rather fittingly we immediately leave behind the bog and swamp, and start following a well made track across pretty countryside.

Here I don't intend to be rude about the North Pennines - it is an area that is increasingly becoming one of my favorites to go walking in. But the North Pennines are a tough rugged country - where tough rugged people go to be humbled (and to get soggy feet).

The Yorkshire Dales by constrast, are something different. Here you do still have a lot of drama and spectacle - and very genuine countryside - but it is all wrapped up in a much more pleasant package, with lots of well-made paths, and a general absence of swamp wading.

Less hardship in the Yorkshire Dales

And heading out from the inn, the very first section of path is relatively busy, before the amount of people quickly drops off to a slow trickle - as we head out, and start to drop down towards Stonesdale Beck.

Losing height now

West Stones Dale

Here we start walking along a fabulous section of path, that runs along the top of West Stones Dale - which is a very pretty (and very green), gently sloping valley - with the surrounding hills completing a perfect picture.

And for the next mile and a half, we are able to just enjoy walking along this ridge.

Further along the ridge

And a bit further still (looking back along the ridge)

These valleys (or Dales as we should call them in this part of the world), are genuinely as green as they appear in the pictures - and seem to benefit from the steady flow of water, down from those water heavy peatlands above - and at this time of year there really are few better places to be.

Soon, though, our journey on this ridge is set to come to an end as we find ourselves looking down upon the village of Keld.

The village of Keld

Dropping down into Keld

The name Keld is a fairly unusual sounding one - but here you have to remember that we are in an area of heavy Viking activity - with many towns having the indicative -by, -thwaite or -beck endings (or otherwise deriving from Norse words) - and Keld derives from the Norse word for spring, 'Kelda'.

On the way down into Keld we pass some busy waterfalls (and cross the Coast to Coast trail) - although with it being half term week the waterfalls are packed with people - with plenty opting to have a swim (and camp out by the falls) in the hot weather.

If you do want to visit the falls, it is probably best done whilst staying over in Keld - as then you might find things are a little quieter. But on a day like today it is probably not worth trying.

And so here I continue on, and head up a fairly steep path - up the base of the ridge on the far side of the River Swale (we are now in Swaledale).

At the top of this ridge the Pennine Way turns left, but a sign for refreshments points to the right - and I still have a need for a bit more drink to get through the day.

Here I have a moments pause to consider what to do. Before dropping into Keld, I had passed two more people hiking the Pennine Way (walking Hawes to Tan Hill), who had told me that there was no food or drink available in Keld, but yet here we have a sign that looks pretty promising.

And so, in the end I decide to trust the sign over the people - and ten minutes later I'm buying an ice lolly and drinks from the shop down the road (Sign 1 - People 0).

On the way back from the shop

By the time I get back, I'm in a good mood - not only because I now have enough drink to get through the day - but also because I'm really liking Keld, and it's not a bad option for a day out (particularly for those who live within reach of Richmond or Kirkby Stephen).

But up ahead we are set to take on a section of path that I have a few doubts about.

The onward path runs along the top of a very steep ridge, and on the Pennine Way this usually means one of two things - either it will follow a nice well made track, or it will be a gnarly goat-track that will have you fearing for your life, and praying to whichever God might be listening.

And so here, it is not great news that on my way towards this ridge I pass a family who appear to be completely traumatised - to the point that they are extremely nervously making their way down a path that looks completely unproblematic (at this point there is complete head loss, and I'd laugh if I didn't understand the feeling).

That said (and without being rude), this does look to be a family that don't look particularly outdoorsy (I'm not judging here, just trying to work out the situation) - and so their looks of complete fear may not fairly represent the situation.

There are alternate routes along this section - either via the Swale Trail on the far side of the Swale, or the Pennine Journey route along the base on this side of the river - but as it is we are going to stick with the Pennine Way route, and work on the basis that the family may be overreacting.

By the time I do get up on the ridge, it is clearly a steep-sided section - but the ridge itself isn't all that bad - and unlike sections of path you find (like Clough Edge), you don't have to deal with crossing streams or eroding sections of path along the way. 

Instead, it's a nice solid path, with a decent gap to the ridge, and with much of it also having the remains of a wall (hopefully the wall didn't fall on the people below).

Upon on the ridge (looking back)

Upon on the ridge (looking forward)

Here the views are very good, but very hard to capture nicely in a photo, due to the steep sides of the valley.

But as we continue on round the ridge, the two sides of the valley start to move apart - and here you get the best views down to the River Swale.

View down to the River Swale (Swale Trail on the far side)

From here the Swale Trail certainly looks worth walking. Aiding you in completing that trail is the Little White Bus (number 30), although that only runs so often, so if you don't want to walk out and back the trail needs a bit of planning.

But as it is, the views from here do make this the best possible vantage point to look out across this valley.

Slightly further round

Before too long though, our ridge starts to flatten out - and after this starts to happen, we start to drop down into the valley of the Straw Beck.

Straw Beck Valley

Here we are making our way round to Thwaite - and having dropped down off the ridge, we pass through Thwaite, and then briefly head up a road - before turning off onto a track.

This track will now take us all the way round the Hawes, but before we reach there we have quite a bit of climbing to do.

Heading off down a track

Thwaite sits at 286 meters above sea level, whilst we must next pass over the top of Great Shunner Fell, which sits 716 meters above sea level - and so here we just need to find a nice steady pace, that we can maintain for the foreseeable future.

And whilst at first this section continues on through the green fields, after a time these fade away - and we are back in that peatland of the upper moors.

More brown than green

This means that we are back into that boggy terrain - but the path up the ridge is good, and it's really just about managing through the heat of the day as we continue to climb.

On this side the climb has a bit of a false top at the 'Beacon' - but as the true peak can be seen ahead of reaching this point, it's not a misleading false top - and instead I pre-plan to have a break, and the last of my drink, at the 'Beacon'.

Looking back from the 'Beacon'

From my resting spot

From here it's a short final trip up to the top of Great Shunner Fell - which the third highest summit in the Yorkshire Dales. 

As hills go, this one doesn't have the same sharp edges as other hills in the Dales - and so it is just a very big, but otherwise normal hill.

But from the top you can see a long way - with plenty of other (more jagged) hills lining the horizon.

My only company since Thwaite has been these sheep

View form the final ascent

At the top with (I think) Pen-y-Ghent in the distance behind

I have real trouble working out which is Pen-y-Ghent and which is Ingleborough from this direction - but I think Pen-y-Ghent should be more side on, whilst Ingleborough should be more squished.

Coming down off the peak

And in the photo just above this paragraph, I think we have on the horizon (left to right) Pen-y-Ghent (side on), Ingleborough (squished) and Whernside (squished and blending in with other hills) - but I may be complete wrong as well.

Still - we have some hills on the horizon.

More hills - whoever they are

But in any case it is definitely a day for views - with no clouds spoiling any of the sights, as we start to take on the long descent down into the village of Hawes.

As we descend, it is interesting to note on the map how close we are to the Settle-Carlisle railway - and indeed it is only 2.5 miles as the crow files from here to the route of the Pennine Bridleway as it heads between Kirkby Stephen and Garsdale Head.

This descent, however, takes quite a lot of time - but since not a lot happens in this time, we can skip over it somewhat - and as if by magic start to arrive into Hawes (where I see my first fellow human since Thwaite).

Dropping into Hawes

From here we head through Hardraw, and then on across the fields past some of the friendliest farm animals I have ever seen (one lamb just stood on the path as I effectively stepped over it, whilst some cows gathered round and gave me a sniff on the way through).

Eventually, this route across the fields takes us across to a road that heads on down into Hawes itself - and here I head to my overnight stop.

It's been a long day of walking, but it's also been a really lovely day - and now all I can hope is that tomorrow can match up against this.

Total Distance: 24.8 miles (24.5 miles on the Pennine Way - diversion to Keld for drinks)

Total Ascent: 3,281 feet (3,205 feet on the Pennine Way)

Enjoyment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

Click for the joining section of the Pennine Way to the north, from Bowes to Middleton-in-Teesdale.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 92 and 98 OS Landranger maps - while there is also a Pennine Way guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in fairly well way-marked, although you have stretches without clear direction except by spotting the feet of people who walked before you