Pennine Way

OVERVIEW

The Pennine Way was the first National Trail created in Britain and is a very long and challenging walking trail that runs up through England to finish in Scotland.

Along the way the trail takes in many of the best areas of walking in Britain - and seeks out the best route through the countryside along the way.

Notable highlights include Hadrian's Wall, High Force waterfall, Kinder Scout, Malham Cove and Pen-y-Ghent.

One of the problems with this trail is that you will want to come back and explore the areas around the trail - and so this 268 mile trail can lead to a lot of walking when all is said and done.

PRACTICALITIES

In general the Pennine Way is fairly easy to walk.

At the southern end Edale has a train station and then there are trains at Marsden, Littleborough, Hebden Bridge, Gargrave, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Haltwhistle and Bardon Mill (although many of these require a degree of walking off trail).

Other areas along the trail have buses, but accommodation can be more complex.

Probably the biggest challenge the Pennine Way presents are long section of the trail in the middle of nowhere - and so resupplying and finding places to stay can be tricky. This does encourage longer days, but at the same time this is one of the hardest trails to walk in one go.

My personal approach is to generally walk this trail in sections and that allows for longer days of walking, with fewer compromises. However, there is no way that this trail can be completed without taking on a certain level of challenge.

STAGES

Edale to Marsden

Planned to walk in 2026...

Marsden to Hebden Bridge

Planned to walk in 2026...

Hebden Bridge to Gargrave (★★★★★) 

I used the Rochdale Canal to get from Hebden Bridge to the Pennine Way (a flat mile and a half walk). From here the trail heads up onto the ridge above Hebden Bridge and onto Heptonstall Moor. 

From here a very quiet and isolated section begins, heading over the moor to Gorple Lower Reservoir - and then across to Walshaw Dean Reservoirs - before climbing up to Within Heights, where people become visible again.

From here the path cuts down to Ponden Reservoir, and then takes on a second quiet and isolated section crossing Oakworth Moor and Ickornshaw Moor to the village of Cowling. From here the path continues to Lothersdale, and then across Elslack Moor (more visited than the other moors) to Thornton-in-Craven.

The path then heads north to meet up with the Liverpool & Leeds Canal, before leaving that behind to head across the fields to Gargrave.

This section totaled 28.3 miles (26.6 miles on the trail) and over four and a half thousand feet of ascent (both on and off the trail). This section can easily be split into two to make it shorter.

Gargrave to Horton-in-Ribblesdale (★★★★★) 

From Gargrave, the route heads north along a road, before turning off to head across the fields to meet up with the River Aire. This river is then followed, passing the villages of Airton and Hanlith on the way to Malham.

From Malham the path heads up a road, and then turns off to head to Malham Cove, where a series of steps takes you up onto the limestone pavement above. From here the path heads up Ing Scar and past Comb Hill Crag to Malham Tarn.

Having gone round Malham Tarn, the path then starts to climb up and over Fountains Fell, before dropping down to the road on the far side. This is then followed for a bit, before cutting up to Pen-y-Ghent - and then the route heads down and into Horton-in-Ribblesdale via Horton Scar.

This section totals 21.3 miles and just under three and a half thousand feet of ascent. You can split this section into two at Malham.

Horton-in-Ribblesdale  to Hawes

Yet to be walked...

Hawes to Bowes

Yet to be walked...

Bowes to Middleton-in-Teesdale

Yet to be walked...

Middleton-in-Teesdale to Appleby-in-Westmorland

Planned to walk in 2026...

Appleby-in-Westmorland to Alston

Planned to walk in 2026...

Alston to Haltwhistle

Planned to walk in 2026...

Haltwhistle to Bardon Mill (★★★★★) 

This walk first heads south from Haltwhistle, and follows the River Tyne Trail to Featherstone. From here it cuts across the fields to join the Pennine Way near Kallah.

From here the walking is on the Pennine Way itself, and heads up across very quiet, and very marshy moorland crossing Hartleyburn Common and Blenkinsopp Common. After crossing the A69, the path then joins up with the Hadrian's Wall Path and heads past Thirwall Castle and up onto the ridge at Greenhead.

From here it heads on past Walltown to Aesica Fort at Great Chesters and then on up Cawfield Crag to the high point of the Hadrian's Wall Path at Winshields Crag. From here the path heads down, before climbing up to Peel Crag and Highshield Crag, where the path heads above Crag Lough, before heading up Hotbank Crags, where the Pennine Way continues to the north (just before Housteads Fort). Here I cut down across the fields to Bardon Mill.

This stage included 20.2 miles of walking (although only 13.0 miles on the Pennine Way itself), with just under three thousand feet of ascent (a bit over two thousand on the Pennine Way).

Bardon Mill to Bellingham

Yet to be walked...

Bellingham to Byrness

Yet to be walked...

Byrness to Kirk Yetholm

Yet to be walked...