Transpennine Trail

OVERVIEW

The Transpennine Trail is in part a coast-to-coast trail that crosses England between Liverpool and Hull, but also a fairly varied trail that extends out to places of interest surrounding this trail.

The core of the trail is a route that starts in Stockport, heads through Liverpool, past Manchester, Barnsley and Doncaster to Hull, and then on to Hornsea.

There are separate spurs off, of which the most notable are to York, Leeds and Chesterfield - and this route takes in a mix of railway lines, canal towpaths and riverside routes.

So far I have only walked one section from Selby to York, but plan to do more sections both in 2026 and beyond.

PRACTICALITIES

The trail is designed to be for walkers, cyclists and horseriders - so the trail itself is easy to walk and it heads through towns, making it easy to sort accomodation.

This does result in a less rural trail than something heading through the hills, but the easy of access makes it very easy to do in sections.

The one challenge on the route is Hornsea - and my plan is to continue on from here to Bridlington (where there is a train station).

MAIN STAGES

Southport to Liverpool

No plans to walk (the coast path looks better).

Liverpool to Widnes

Planned to walk in the future...

Widnes to Sale

Planned to walk in the future...

Sale to Stockport

Planned to walk in the future...

Stockport to Hadfield

Planned to walk in the future...

Hadfield to Silkstone

Planned to walk in the future...

Silkstone to Doncaster

Planned to walk in the future...

Doncaster to Stainforth

Planned to walk in the future...

Stainforth to Selby

Planned to walk in the future...

Selby to Goole

Planned to walk in the future...

Goole to Hessle

Planned to walk in the future...

Hessle to Hull

Planned to walk in 2026...

Hull to Hornsea

Planned to walk in 2026...

LEEDS TO CHESTERFIELD SPUR

Leeds to Wakefield

Planned to walk in the future...

Wakefield to Broomhill

Planned to walk in the future...

Broomhill to Sheffield Richmond

Planned to walk in the future...

Sheffield Richmond to Chesterfield

Planned to walk in the future...

MINOR SPURS

Selby to York (★★★☆☆)

From Selby this section heads over the River Ouse, and then on through Barlby, before following along the A19 on a lesser stretch of this day's walking. However, at Riccall the path heads into the village, and once we come out on the far side the A19 has diverted off to the east - and we can follow the old route of the East Coast Mainline (before it got diverted to allow coal mining in this area).

Here we have a fairly classic example of a countryside rail trail, with a quiet walk through open fields over very flat round, before after some walking we pass by Bishopthorpe - and then cut across York Racecourse, before heading down to the River Ouse and on to explore the historic town of York.

This section totaled 15.1 miles, with 341 feet of ascent. Whilst there are better walks, it is a good one for winter - and it is nice to get the chance to have a poke around York, whilst also getting in a good stint of walking.

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