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.

USEFUL LINKS

Guidebook : Pennine Way : National Trail Guide

LDWA Page : Pennine Way National Trail - LDWA Long Distance Paths
National Trail Website : Pennine Way - National Trails

STAGES

Edale to Marsden (★★★★★) 

From Edale the Pennine Way heads up Jacob's Ladder and then up onto Kinder Scout plateau - with quite a punchy start to this National Trail. From here the path heads through a boulder field to Kinder Downfall, where it turns to follow the opposing ridge.

From here the path drops down, and then cuts across to Snake Pass, and then on through a boggy section of the path at Bleaklow. From here it follows a stream, which heads down Torside Clough - whilst the Pennine Way heads along the top of Clough Edge, before dropping down to Torside Reservoir.

The reservoir is crossed at the dam, and once on the far side there is a new ridge to clear - and the top of this ridge is reached at Laddow Rocks - before having a boggy walk across a very empty area of land to Black Hill. From here the path cuts up to Wassenden Head Reservoir and on to Wassenden Reservoir.

Including the walk to Marsden at the end this section totaled 26.6 miles (24.2 miles on the Pennine Way) with over four thousand feet of ascent.

Marsden to Hebden Bridge (★★★★☆)

From Wassenden Reservoir the path drops steeply down and back up before heading over to Swellands and Black Moss Reservoirs - and on to cross the A62 - where the path passes over the top of Standedge canal and rail tunnels.

From here the walk goes across Castleshaw and Moss Moors with views out towards the towns to the west - before the path has to cross over the M62. After this the path winds round to The White Horse and here a run of reservoirs is reached that last for a number of miles.

Once these are cleared the path cuts up past Stoodley Pike Monument, and then drops down to the Rochdale Canal at Charlestown. Here I opted to follow the Rochdale Canal to Hebden Bridge.

This section totaled 20.9 miles (17.0 miles on the Pennine Way) with an excess of two thousand feet of ascent.

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 (★★★★★) 

From Bowes you head past the former Bowes Academy (inspiration for Dotheboys Hall in Nicholas Nickelby and up past the former site of RAF Bowes Moor. From here you head across Deep Dale, and past Goldsborough, before dropping down to Blackton Reservoir. 

This is followed on the far side, before you cut up over the next ridge to reach Grassholme Reservoir. From here the next ridge is climbed, and the path skirts just shy of the top of this ridge, before dropping down into Middleton-in-Teesdale on the far side.

This section totaled 11.8 miles (11.5 miles on the Pennine Way), with around one and a half thousand feet of ascent.

Middleton-in-Teesdale to Dufton (★★★★★) 

From Middleton-in-Teesdale this section head along the River Tees and then passes by waterfalls at Low Force and High Force in quick succession. From here the path bends round Cronkley Fell, generally following the path of the river. 

After passing Langdon Beck, the path heads past Cronkley Scar and Falcon Clints, before reaching a cascade at Cauldron Snout. From here the River Tees is left behind and the path generally follows Maize Beck, before reaching High Cup Gill, a massive U-shaped valley. The path follows the western edge of this valley, before dropping down into Dufton.

This section totaled 23.7 miles between Middleton and the train station at Appleby (just beyond Dufton), with 19.8 miles of that being on the Pennine Way. The ascent was in excess of two thousand feet.

Dufton 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...