Pennine Bridleway

OVERVIEW

This national trail was launched with the aim of providing a long distance route for horse riders or mountain bikers - but for walkers it also offers a route across the Pennines, that relies heavily on fairly well maintained tracks and lanes.

The route remains fairly challenging, with around 40,000 feet along the 205 miles of the trail - but also crosses some very pretty countryside.

The trail itself starts slightly to the south of Kirkby Stephen (in the Yorkshire Dales) and finishes just outside of Wirksworth (south of Matlock).

Along the way there are two loops that accompany the more direct route of the trail from A to B - the Settle Loop and the Mary Towneley Loop (with Mary Towneley having been one of the key driving forces behind the creation of this trail).

It remains the only trail specifically designed to be used by equestrians, and often meets up with the Pennine Way, which it usually runs fairly close to along the way.

PRACTICALITIES

The northern end of the trail starts just off the A683, and so when I walked it at the northern end, I started instead at Kirkby Stephen train station, and met up with the trail for the first time when it crossed the B6259 (missing out the first three miles or so of the trail).

From here it passes Garsdale train station, close to Dent train station, fairly close to Ribblehead, sort of close to Horton-in-Ribblesdale, and then runs very near to Settle (with all of these being locations of train stations).

From Settle it heads past Long Preston (another train station), and then access on and off the trail is more limited until it passes the town of Colne (although the route itself passes some distance from the town and train station).

The next section of trial includes the Mary Towneley Loop, with the eastern side passing close to Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, with the western side passing close to Rawtenstall (not on the main train network) and Rochdale. 

Then the route runs close to Littleborough (again with a train station), from which it heads on to Diggle, after which the trail runs past towns with train stations at Greenfield, Mossley, Hadfield, Chinley, Chapel-en-le-Frith.

The final section runs along the High Peak Trail, from which you can get across to the train network at Cromford by following the canal.

There are logistical challenges on this trail, mostly caused by the fact it takes a fairly remote route across the countryside.

USEFUL LINKS

Guidebook : Guidebook
National Trail Website : Pennine Bridleway - National Trails

STAGES

Kirkby Stephen to Ribblehead (★★★★★) 

Here I started at Kirkby Stephen train station and ended up skipping the official first three miles, but replacing them with more miles following the route of the Pennine Journey. 

From the B6259 crossing I followed the official route though on past Garsdale Head, Widdale Fell and Wold Fell to meet up with the B6255. This section generally follows a ridge line and offers great views out over the countryside with views towards Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent as you head south.

From here I finished on the Pennine Bridleway and headed on down to Ribblehead train station.

This totaled 23.0 miles (of which 12.8 miles were on the Pennine Bridleway itself), with nearly three thousand feet of ascent (two thousand on the Pennine Bridleway).

Ribblehead to Settle

Yet to be walked...

Settle Loop 

Yet to be walked...

Settle to Colne

Planned to walk in 2026...

Colne to Hebden Bridge 

Planned to walk in 2026...

Burnley to Littleborough (Western Loop)

Yet to be walked...

Hebden Bridge to Greenfield

Planned to walk in 2026...

Greenfield to Broadbottom

Planned to walk in 2026...

Broadbottom to Chapel-en-le-Frith

Yet to be walked...

Chapel-en-le-Frith to Buxton

Yet to be walked...

Buxton to Cromford

Planned to walk in 2026...

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