A Pennine Journey

A Pennine Journey is a 247-mile circular route inspired by a walk the legendary Alfred Wainwright took in 1938 as the clouds of the Second World War were gathering. It is a fine long distance walk, less well known than the Pennine Way and Pennine Bridleway but all the better for it.

Summary

Due to the length of the walk it inevitably takes in many different qualities, both in terms of landscape and difficulty. The start and finish through the Yorkshire Dales are well signposted and more popular; as is the section along Hadrian’s Wall where you simply keep the wall to your right! However the Pennines to the north of the Dales are more remote, less walked and therefore do need good navigational skills.

Housesteads Fort on Hadrian’s Wall

Starting in the market town of Settle in North Yorkshire the route heads up the eastern side of the Pennines through the Yorkshire Dales. The journey then takes in stretches of County Durham before arriving at Hadrian’s Wall. This is followed for 21 miles, taking in the best section of the wall, before heading down the western side of the Pennines, travelling down the Eden Valley and then, skirting the Howgill Fells, it arrives back in Settle.

Map of the Route

Maps Required (From South to North) OS Explorer 2, 19, 30, 31, 41, 43, 307

The route is marked on the 1.25,000 O/S map but is not waymarked on the trail itself.

My Journey by Richard Aylwin

Richard Aylwin is the Pennine Journey Public Relations Officer. Official: https://penninejourney.org/

He has split the journey into three sections of approximately 80-miles each, the
first of which he completed in 2022. He undertook the next two sections in
successive years finishing it in the Summer of 2024.

The words from here are his own and describe his personal journey.

Introducing Myself

My long-distance walking career flourished in the 1980s, went into abeyance in the 1990s while bringing up a family and was resurrected again in the noughties.

I became aware of Alfred Wainwright in those early years when tackling the 190-mile Coast-to-Coast path, created by the great man, and at the time a joy to walk as it was so peaceful. Today, of course, it is hugely popular with 6,000 walkers estimated to be walking the trail each year and in recognition of that popularity has recently been designated with National Trail status.

(L to R) Richard Aylwin, Heather and David Pitt at Settle Station

I came into his orbit once again when meeting Wainwright acolytes David and Heather Pitt on the St Cuthberts Way in 2012. We kept in touch, and they regaled me with details of the route they had created inspired by the solitary walk Wainwright undertook through the Pennines in September 1938. His account of that walk is a wonderful companion to have on the journey (A Pennine Journey – The Story of a Long Walk in 1938 published by The Wainwright Society).

The rest, as it were, is history and on becoming the PR Officer for the Pennine Journey, I determined to undertake this lesser well known, and more peaceful route, than some of its more crowded peers.

Planning the Walk

I decided to do a first seven days stretch from Settle to Westgate in Weardale, a distance of 80 miles and benefitting from public transport at both ends.

For a Londoner, the start of the Pennine Journey route is eminently accessible by train via Leeds to Settle and one can be on the path in the early afternoon with a 10am departure from King’s Cross station.

Organisation of my week-long walk was made easier by putting it in the hands of Brigantes Walking Holidays, a well-run professional company that booked overnight accommodation and arranged luggage transfer each day with military efficiency.

The Pennines near Middleton

The week-long itinerary organised by Brigantes was dependent on where bed and breakfast accommodation was available so distances varied from fairly short days of just 7.5 miles to a moorland romp of over 17 miles from Keld to Cotherstone and another 16-mile section from Middleton in Teesdale to Westgate in Weardale including a delightful section along the lively River Tees. None of the days were too exhausting and should easily be manageable for the average walker.

The bed and breakfast accommodation comprised a mix of pub, hotel and private homes ranging from the comfortable to the downright luxurious at Low Mill Guest House, with the ancient mill-wheel still in place, in Buckden.

Goldstone Hill on Cotherstone Moor

I used the excellent Ordnance Survey App on my smartphone although I had paper maps as back up together with a spare powerful external battery charger. Route finding is easy with the OS app (make sure you have spare batteries) and is mirrored on the ground with good general sign posting helped by the fact that parts of the route are shared with the Pennine Way. Only once was route finding a challenge on the moorland terrain leading to Westgate with plenty of bog-hopping, but the invaluable Pennine Journey guidebook (Edited by David & Heather Pitt and published by Sigma Leisure) wisely advised heading towards a telegraph pole on the distant skyline.

Section 1

Day 1. Settle to Horton 5.5 Miles

My companion and I arrived in Settle in the early afternoon and were treated like royalty, being met at the station by Pennine Journey founders David and Heather Pitt, there to see us off and to have our picture taken standing beside the Wainwright blue plaque in the station waiting room.

It was a relief to be heading off into the hills echoing the words of Wainwright who described how “he was in chains, body and mind as Europe sunk into crisis”, and perhaps provides something of a parallel with the current atrocities taking place in the Ukraine. However, as he headed out of Horton-in-Ribblesdale Wainwright’s mood changed and he commented: “I was a free man on the hills again”. A sentiment that my companion and I could fully appreciate.

The day was pleasant with sunny spells. We eased ourselves into the walk with a 5.5-mile short leg up the Ribble Valley through the peaceful villages of Stainforth and Langcliffe  that afforded regular regular sightings of the trains on the iconic Settle to Carlisle railway line passing by in the valley below.

Our first night’s bed & breakfast was at Middle Studfold Farm a short way off the path near Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

Day 2. Horton to Buckden 11.9 miles

Pen-y-Ghent

Our first dilemma was whether to stick strictly to the route or to divert over Pen-Y-Ghent, one of the Yorkshire three peaks that, veiled in low-hanging cloud, looked threatening in the distance. It meant missing out on the dramatic collapsed cavern of Hull Pot but having never done The Three Peaks we decided to tick off at least one of them. The ascent of the nose from the south, while not exactly a proper climb required a scramble over rocks half-way up and although there was no rewarding view at the summit (694 metres) we felt a great sense of an achievement.

The stroll along the hump-backed ridge took us down a steep descent once over Plover Hill into Foxup Moor and on to Halton Gill, looking down Littondale. There we had a welcome cup of tea at the Brigantes offices and saw their new litter of sheep dog pups. This is sheep farming country after all and proprietor Annette Hirst’s family are long term farmers in the area.

The next part of the walk led over Horse Head Moor on a well-marked track and down into Yockenthwaite where we joined a path beside the River Wharfe and I had the rewarding experience of seeing my first ever Kingfisher flashing past us down stream. Our second night’s stay was at the comfortable Romany Cottage on the village green in Buckden that was conveniently placed only a few paces from the Buck Inn for our evening meal.

Day 3. Buckden to Bainbridge 9.8 miles

Day Three beckoned drizzly and wet and threatened to  immobilise the OS app on my phone – touch phones don’t like the damp –  but by the time we had ascended and crossed over Cragdale Moor and were heading into the hamlet of Stalling Busk with its striking Grade II Arts & Crafts church of St Matthew, the clouds had lifted.

If one blinked one might almost miss the hamlet which would be a shame as it played an important part in opening up the countryside for ramblers.

In 2017 Vice President of the Ramblers Association Janet Street Porter unveiled a blue plaque on a cottage there to mark the Stalling Busk Conference of 1996. This formulated a prototype access bill that would lay the foundations of the Labour Government’s Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, giving walkers extended rights to roam certain areas of mountain, moorland, common land and heaths in England and Wales.

And if that wasn’t inspiration enough a short while later our path took us alongside Semer Water, the second largest natural lake in North Yorkshire, where we passed a presentation board commemorating the spot where JMW Turner the “painter of light” sat to make a sketch of Semer Water, for his painting, Simmer Lake, in 1816.

Our night’s rest at Bainbridge in Wensleydale was at the extremely comfortable Lower Mill B&B next to the River Ure where we were let into the secret that the Governor of The Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, had holidayed there a year before.

Day 4. Bainbridge to Keld 12.7 miles

The Pennine Journey route heads across Wensledale and up through the picturesque village of Askrigg with its appealing looking King’s Arms and Crown Inn pubs. There then followed a long and steep climb via quiet lane up onto Askrigg Common, but bathed in glorious October sunshine it hardly seemed a chore at all and with precious little traffic we really felt we were walking in Wainwright’s footsteps. As he said: “And finally, there we were at the highest point on the moor looking down on perhaps one of the most picturesque valleys in all of North Yorkshire, Swaledale…., unfolding a little more of its beauty with every step I took”. After passing through a silent Gunnerside with the one café in the village shut for no obvious reason, we had almost five miles to walk alongside the River Swale to Keld.

This little village might be described as the Spaghetti Junction of long-distance footpaths where the Pennine Journey, the Pennine Way, the Coast-to-Coast and the Herriot Way converge on each other. It is little surprise then that the Keld Lodge – once a youth hostel – is now the meeting point for numerous walkers from all over the world who gather over pints of beer and hearty meals to relate stories of their hiking adventures. The overnight stop is made all the more enjoyable by the entertaining and wry sense of humour of front-of-house man, and joint owner, David Gray, who is an experienced long distance walker and happy to impart his knowledge of the routes that criss-cross the Pennines.

Day 5. Keld to Cotherstone 17.3 miles

Was change over day for my walking partners with one arriving on the Little White Bus from Richmond and the other heading out the same way.

As if Keld wasn’t walker’s paradise enough then before long, after tramping over Stonesdale Moor in deteroriating weather, yet another iconic walker’s landmark appeared in the mist. The Tan Hill Inn, might in other circumstances be described as the Nashville of Country Music, the Bayreuth of Wagner operas  or the Seville of Flamenco dancing, but for generations of walkers it is the Pennine holy grail. Many a tale is told of hikers holed up in the Inn seeking shelter from winter snow storms so it would have been churlish to pass it by without stopping for a warming ale.

But while its warm and welcoming interior wraps its tentacles around one the call of the wild drives us on. The next stage is as bleak as one can imagine heading out and down onto mile after mile of boggy moorland where a hop, skip and a jump is the only form of perambulation that has any chance, pointless as it turns out, of keeping one’s feet dry. Still, if all one can see as far as the horizon is moorland, the regularly placed painted poles ensured that we headed in the right direction across Stainmore Forest – a misnoma as it turns out as there is no sign whatsoever of any tree cover. Eventually we became aware of the din of motor traffic heading across the Pennines on the busy A66 while heading towards the ruined tower of Bowes Castle.

Once across the A66 we headed out over an almost cloudless  Cotherstone Moor, except for one long thin cloud streak crossing the horizon above Goldsborough Hill that could have easily been mistaken for the fumes of a steam train crossing the relentless prairie plains of the USA.

After a 16-mile day of relentless walking, Brigantes had arranged for us to be picked up at Clove Lodge beside Blackton Reservoir, by the friendly landlady of the Fox & Hounds in nearby Cotherstone, our resting place for the night. This saved us a further 5 miles to walk by road to the pub and yet again, we were treated to good food and beers.

Day 6. Cotherstone to Middleton 7.5 miles

As it was only 7.5 miles to our next stop at Middleton in Teesdale we decided to walk from the pub back up to the Pennine Journey path via an abandoned railway line and country lane passing Hurly, Blackton and Grassholme Reservoirs that was made more strenuous walking into a strong headwind. Nevertheless, the weather was relatively kind until passing by the summit near Harter Fell we were chased down into Middleton-in-Teesdale by a squall heading in from the Western Pennines that held off until we were safely installed in a café entering the town.

Middleton in Teesdale

Middleton came into its own from the early 19th Century when the London Lead Company moved its main headquarters there. It was responsible for many of the buildings. In September 1877, an elaborate fountain was unveiled to honour Robert Walton Bainbridge, superintendent of the London Lead Mining Company. (7.5 miles or 11.5 miles if walking from Cotherstone).

Day 7. Middleton to Westgate 16.2 miles

This was a day of varying delights walking along the banks of the lively River Tees for seven miles to be confronted along the way by the geological fault lines of Low Force and High Force, the latter creating a spectacular waterfall of some 70 feet. On reaching Forest in Teesdale the Pennine Journey leaves the river and doubles back heading north east while the Pennine Way, whose route we had shared since Middleton, headed west towards spectacular Highcup Gill. This is true Pennine country surrounded by fells with white-washed farms and farming cottages dotting the valleys in between.

River Tees

We were nearly at our journey’s end but a final moorland dash before hitting Swinhope Head and the descent into Westgate in Weardale for our final night was the most strenuous of the week with no clear path to follow and an unending expanse of uneven boggy ground to negotiate.

So, it was a relief to hit the lane at the summit of Swinhope Head and to finish the 3.75 miles down into Westgate on a firm surface.

And so our first section of the Pennine Journey was complete after seven days of very enjoyable and varied walking that I can’t recommend highly enough for other long distance walkers with the added bonus that we were walking in the footsteps of Alfred Wainwright.

Section 2

Having completed the first 80-miles of the Pennine Journey from Settle to Westgate-in-Weardale in October 2022 my companion Richard and I returned to Westgate in May 2023 again using public transport that makes this route so accessible.

We travelled to Bishop Auckland via Darlington and then took the bus to Westgate-in-Weardale.

For those with the time to stop in Bishop Auckland this former mining town is going through an interesting renaissance.

The town once employed 16,000 in the mining industry and suffered considerably from the mine closures. But now a multi-millionaire philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer, is putting new life into the town.

 This includes the opening of the Mining Art Gallery, the Northern Museum of Archaeological Importance, the Spanish Gallery, the Auckland Tower, the Auckland Project, the Auckland Castle – once the home of the Bishops of Durham – and most recently Weardale Railway which will provide a direct link from Killhope Lead Mining Museum to Bishop Auckland.

Our night’s stay was in the very comfortable Lands Farm bed & breakfast in Westgate-in-Weardale where we had stayed on the last night of the initial 80-miles. Hosts, Barbara & John Reed, couldn’t have been more welcoming and were very happy to drive us to the local pub for our evening meal. In 1938 Wainwright was far less complimentary about Weardale, dismissing it as “the least attractive dale I saw. The aspect, seen under leaden sky, was drab and uninviting in the extreme, like a landscape painted by an artist afraid to use his colours.” A bit harsh Mr Wainwright, a bit harsh.

Section 2

Day 1 Westgate in Weardale to Blanchland 11 miles

It was great to be back on the trail once again in sunny weather and for the most part it remained dry for the next section of the route to Appleby, aside from the deluge we experienced a few days later going over Cross Fell between Greenhead and Dufton.

The steep climb out of Weardale then follows an old railway line heading east along the contour passing the massive Heights Quarry, where limestone aggregates for building materials are extracted.

While not the most attractive sight to confront at the start of this leg of the walk, it demonstrates the rich mineral wealth that has dominated this part of the country for almost 130 years.

Having climbed out of Weardale and dropped down into Rookhope, we passed through a yard where custom-built mobile homes looking more like dolls houses are constructed and according to the marketing blurb are much in demand.

Sadly, it appeared that Rookhope’s one and only pub looked permanently closed but as it was only mid-morning we would probably have forsaken the opportunity for a beer anyway. We pushed on and found ourselves sharing the route with the Coast-to-Coast Cycle path passing over the Bolts Law Incline, built in 1846 by the Weardale Iron Company. The standing engine provided power to haul railway trucks up and down the incline loaded with iron ore and limestone from the local mines.

Coast to Coast Cycle Route

Our short day’s walk having been mainly dominated by moorland scenery ended with peaceful woodland walking alongside the River Derwent. Arriving in the honey-stone historic village of Blanchland and  crossing over the River Derwent we left County Durham and entered Northumberland. “When you set foot in Blanchland, you step into the Middle Ages,“ was Wainwright’s verdict.

According to the Blanchland Community website Blanchland Abbey was founded in 1165 with the village’s subsequent rich history that included “battling Kings, powerful Prince Bishops, enigmatic ruins” and visits by, John Wesley, and WH Auden.

Our stay overnight was in the historic Lord Crewe Arms where lead miners used to enjoy a pint after a day’s shift, but is today a comfortable, some might say posh, hotel offering hearty fare.

Blanchland

Day 2 Blanchland to Hexham 12 miles

The day started fine and sunny and we headed up onto Blanchland Moor into Slaley Forest. One of the joys of this walk is ticking off the great rivers of the North East that flow into the north sea and we had an enjoyable woodland walk in the valley of the strangely named Devil’s Water, a tributary of the River Tyne.

Here we came across two large and graceful stone and brick gothic-style arches that are the most visible remains of the once important Dukesfield lead smelting mill. This was probably the largest such smelting mill in the country for a century or so from the 1670s. Lead ore was carried in by packhorse from the high Pennine dales to the south and west, then the smelted lead – and silver- was carried on to the markets of Tyneside.

Pack Pony Structure at Dukesfield

Soon on this short day’s walk we were climbing up onto the ridge above Hexham giving views down into the town with its fine abbey that originated as a monastery founded by Bishop Wilfrid in 674.

Hexham Abbey

This historic Northumberland market town acts as something of commuter retreat for those working in Newcastle twenty or so miles to the east. It has topped Rightmove’s annual Happy at Home Index on a number of occasions, drawing the comment from the Mayor of Hexham Derek Kennedy that “We are a small town with great history, ….. There is a wonderful community spirit, people are very supportive of one another.” Even better, there’s a fine micro-pub for beer enthusiasts at Hexham Railway Station. It wouldn’t have been right not to stop for a couple of pints before eating at the County Hotel, our overnight stay in the centre of town.

Day 3 Hexham to Twice Brewed 18.5 miles

Heading out of Hexham we crossed the mighty River Tyne which shortly afterwards splits into the North and South Tyne, with the latter appearing once again later, on the Pennine Journey. After five miles of gently rolling hills and once again crossing a tributary of the Tyne at Chollerford we were confronted with a flow of walkers of all nationalities doing the Hadrian’s Wall path.

In eager anticipation we headed west on a mile-long straight stretch of Roman road, the B6318 that passes Chesters Roman Fort and then, hey presto, there were the remains of  the iconic wall set in a wild and expansive landscape leading to a very atmospheric day’s walking.

For almost 11 miles we followed the remains of Hadrian’s Wall as it snaked up and down the ridge with great views of the Northumbrian countryside for many miles in both north and south directions. We imagined what it might have been like for a young Roman centurion, confronted with this bleak landscape enveloped in scudding clouds and lashed by wind and rain, whilst dreaming of his sun kissed Mediterranean homeland far, far away. What a contrast.

So, it seemed appropriate that there were many walkers of all nationalities, some of whom had arranged whole holidays around Britain’s  ancient  sites, to come and see the famous wall including the Temple  of Mithras and the great Housesteads fort.

After a number of miles on the wall we at last, came to a gap in the ridge with its iconic sycamore tree, made famous in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner. Little did we realise that just four months later the tree in Sycamore Gap would be wantonly felled in an act of mindless vandalism.

Sycamore Gap

Our night’s rest was at the curiously named Twice Brewed Inn, a regular stop for those tackling the Hadrian’s Wall Path which, as its name suggests, is all about beer and offers a wide-selection of its own-brewed beers as well as a comfortable bed on which to rest our weary limbs. For those interested in astronomy, Twice Brewed offers stargazing sessions in the dark skies above, that given clear weather, is mercifully free of artificial light pollution.

Day 4 Twice Brewed to Slaggyford 18.25 miles

After our fill of Roman history, and having reached the most northerly  section of the Pennine Journey, we headed south at Greenhead, with the satisfactory feeling that the end was in sight, well psychologically at least, with just under 120 miles to go.

Having enjoyed straightforward navigation along the wall, we headed into serious moorland countryside south of the A69 and for about 25 miles we shared the route with the Pennine Way or close to it across the bleak and rain swept Blenkinsopp and Featherstone Moors following a narrow but distinct footpath on the ground leading south. This is not too taxing for those with adequate map-reading skills, or who are using the brilliant Ordnance Survey app.   

Nevertheless, it was reassuring to reach the South Tyne Valley at Lambley, coming across the impressive Grade II listed viaduct that was opened in 1852 to carry the Alston to Haltwhistle railway line hauling coal and lead from the Alston mines that closed in 1976.

Lambley Viaduct with companion Nicholas

For the next five or so miles our path went alongside the disused railway line to Slaggyford and our night’s stay at the Fell View Bed & Breakfast that is now unfortunately closed. However alternative accommodation is available in the village or for those wishing to splash out and enjoy gastro-pub quality grub there is the Kirkstyle Inn nearby.

Day 5 Slaggyford to Garrigill 9.25 miles

This was a short day and a chance to enjoy the easy and pleasant valley walk in sunshine close to the South Tyne River. It enabled us to stock up on provisions in Alston for the long haul over Cross Fell the following day. Depending on your energy levels and maybe not for the purists but for the steam train enthusiasts it is possible to walk along the trackside from Slaggyford to Alston, whereas the official Pennine Journey route hugs the fell side to the west of the A698. I chose the former and with accommodation somewhat scarce in Garrigill headed back to Slaggyford via taxi for the night.

South Tyne Railway

Day 6 Garrigill to Dufton 16 miles

So our big day dawned ominously grey and cloudy for the crossing of the big beast, the meat and two veg part of this walk, as it were. Yes, Cross Fell as the highest fell in the Pennines has its enthusiasts as well as its detractors and is reckoned to be shrouded in cloud for a considerable part of the year.

Predictably, perhaps, we ascended Cross Fell in heavy rain and low cloud but were relieved that the route follows a wide and easily navigable track.

We couldn’t have been happier to reach Greg’s Hut, giving us ‘shelter from the storm’ (note the Bob Dylan reference for the initiated) and after a half-hour break to eat our packed lunch headed back out into the rain.  Shortly after, we reached the junction where the Pennine Journey continues west while the Pennine Way turns south over the summit of Cross Fell.

Greg’s Hut

While the rain eased off during the rest of the afternoon our descent into the Eden Valley turned into a watery dash with streams coming off the fells swelling into rushing torrents. It is at times like this that the milk of human kindness comes to the fore and while we were passing through the village of Milburn and passing between houses a head popped over the fence and voice said “would you like a punnet of raspberries”. It would have been churlish to decline and was a kind gesture when our spirits were at low-ebb. The remaining four-miles into Dufton were largely over pasture land, farm-tracks and country lanes and our spirits perked up considerably at the sight of the excellent Stag Inn in Dufton where we stopped for an excellent pint of Flowers IPA before retiring to our b&b and supper in the village.

Day 7 Dufton to Appleby 4.3 miles

Our day’s walk was four short miles into Appleby home of the famous Appleby Horse Fair, held each year in early June, attracting roughly 10,000 Romani and Travellers, about 1,000 caravans, several hundred horse-drawn vehicles, and about 30,000 visitors.

The fair is billed as the largest traditional Gypsy Fair in Europe. It began in 1775 for cattle and sheep drovers and horse dealers to sell their stock; by the 1900s it had evolved into a major Romani and Traveller occasion. Conveniently, Appleby is on the picturesque Carlisle to Settle railway and it is there that the second stage of our Pennine Journey walk ended and we returned back south to London via Leeds.

Section 3

The appeal of the  Pennine Journey is its ease of access by public transport, and this makes it readily divisible into three sections for time poor hikers, especially for a Londoner like me. The approximate time when pulling away from the platform at King’s Cross to alighting in Appleby, including the transfer at Leeds can be done in four- and-a-half hours. Our first night’s stay was at the excellent Bongate House run by Anne Rogers close to the town centre. Anne always goes out of her way to make guests feel welcome and as we had a two-night stay there she willingly drove us out to the start of the amazing High Cup Nick, glaciated valley, for our circular walk around the top of the valley.

Day 1 Appleby to Kirby Stephen 15.9 miles

After an excellent breakfast provided by Anne we were quickly on our way in overcast but dry weather and headed down onto the east side of the River Eden, but not before we had noticed Appleby Castle on the other bank.

The Eden at Appleby

Now, if you don’t have a bent for the comings and goings of Britain’s internal wars throughout its history, involving barons and royals, land grabs and general mayhem, then one particular period in this castle’s history might appeal involving Lady Anne Clifford born in 1590.

The Clifford family estates in northern England were vast, and included the five great castles of Brough, Brougham, Pendragon and Skipton as well as Appleby, two of which I passed later in the day. Anyway, to cut a long story short, as the eldest heir, she should have inherited these castles and much of the land around, but she was done out of them by her father who left them to his brother Francis. It was only when Francis’s son Henry died without issue that the castles finally fell into her lap.

According to English Heritage: “Lady Anne (gradually) restored her estates, and repaired all five castles. Conscious of their antiquity, she took great pains to restore them in a style that was in keeping with what was already there.

“Anne was a staunch Royalist, but when it was suggested to Oliver Cromwell that he should stop her building, he is said to have replied: ‘Let her build what she will, she shall not be hindered by me.’”

She was, clearly, some formidable lady.

For the next 10 miles the Pennine Journey route passes along the wide Eden Valley bordered on one side by the high Pennines and on the other the foothills heading into the Lake District. It was in woodlands hugging the riverbank, that I caught sight of a red squirrel which as a southerner was a rare treat.

Brough Castle

Much of the rest of the day provided easy walking in sunshine through sheep and dairy farmland with the approach into Brough giving fine views of the castle if one blocked out the noise of the traffic on the A66 as it headed east up into The Pennines.

We arrived into Kirkby Stephen in the early evening and, for me, this provided happy memories of staying in the town about 40 years ago when walking the Coast-to-Coast path. Even though it had been created by Alfred Wainwright a decade earlier it was still relatively quiet by present day standards. Then, we met hardly anyone on the route compared to what is said to be 6,000 walkers per year today and so popular is it now that it has been given National Trail status. I wonder whether the Pennine Journey, an equally fine walk, but less crowded, might achieve the same status in years to come.

Talking of which, in 2013 Kirkby Stephen Town Council unveiled a pavement tablet memorial in the centre of the town to Alfred Wainwright marking 75 years since his Pennine Journey and 40 years since the publication of his Coast to Coast path.

Our overnight stay was at the Old Croft House in the centre of Kirkby Stephen, a real walker’s mecca being at the crossroads of Wainwright’s iconic routes the Coast-to-Coast and the Pennine Journey, not to mention Lady Anne’s Way, The Eden Way and Yoredale Way too. The B&B is run by lovely hosts Rachel and Nick who are the font of all knowledge on walking in the region. You can tell that walkers are their target market (oh, and cyclists too) as they have a flower arrangement set in old walking boots bang outside the front door. The hearty Old Croft House breakfast is, of course, a must for its guests who need to properly fuel up for the day’s walk on the surrounding fells.

Kirkby Stephen Parish Church

Day 2 Kirkby Stephen to Garsdale Head 12.8 miles

The day started cloudy and brooding in contrast to the previous day’s walking in warm sunshine. The path continued with the ever-present River Eden close by and would stay so for most of the day as  Mallerstang Valley closed in on both sides eventually reaching the watershed with the River Ure; the former running into the Irish Sea near Carlisle with the latter starting its long and tortuous journey to the North Sea.

On this stretch of the walk we passed Wharton Hall a fortified Grade I listed manor house and scheduled monument. Wikipedia advises us that in 1568 English Courtier Francis Knollys escorted Mary, Queen of Scots from Lowther Castle to Wharton and the next day she went to Bolton Castle. Her son, King James I stayed at Wharton on 8 August 1617, returning from his visit to Scotland.

And as if that wasn’t enough history it was not long before we passed Pendragon Castle. According to legend, the castle was built by Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur, who is said to have unsuccessfully tried to divert the River Eden to provide the castle’s moat.

The Watercut

A more recent point of interest is the Water Cut, a stone sculpture by Mary Bourne that sits high up on the eastern side of the Mallerstang Valley and is one of ten stone sculptures that are located at intervals along the length of the river Eden. The sculpture symbolizes the river’s power as it cuts through the rock, and the human journey through life.

We finished our day at the rather curiously named Goats & Oats B&B – a vegan establishment just a short distance from Garsdale Head railway station.  At the time of writing the Moorcock Inn next door was closed and its future as a place for walkers to stay and sink a pint is under threat.

Day 3 Garsdale Head to Sedbergh 14.25 miles

We didn’t like the look of the weather setting out from our B&B and  no sooner had we crossed the Carlisle to Settle railway line and climbed up onto the fell than the rain set in. At first the track was clear heading up past derelict farm buildings along the Uldale Valley in the shadow of Baugh Fell shrouded in cloud. Then, for almost three miles snaking across the fells, the path became more unclear with a significant amount of bog hopping. This section required reasonable map-reading skills, backed-up in our case with the use of the handy OS App.

We finally reached Uldale House with its minor road leading to the A683 Kirkby Stephen to Sedbergh Road.

This coincided with the rain lifting and with my pal Kieron retiring injured to hitch the rest of the way into Sedbergh (amazing that he managed to hitch a lift, a practice I gave up in the mid-1970s, but it helped that the driver was a keen walker too!) I ended up enjoying a solitary but fine 6.75-mile walk round the escarpment of The Howgill Fells, above the River Rawthey, into Sedbergh.

Rawthey Bridge under Baugh Fell

We made a note that on a future trip we would head up into the Howgills to see Cautley Spout described as England’s highest (cascade) waterfall above ground, tumbling 650 feet down the cliff face.

The Howgills are a remote distinctive range of steep sided, rounded grassy hills reaching heights of over 600 metres, and dissected by narrow deep valleys.

Who better to describe them than Wainwright: “The Howgill Fells ….. are sleek and smooth, looking, from a distance, like velvet curtains in sunlight, like silken drapes at sunset; they are steep-sided but gently domed, and beautiful in a way that few hilly areas are …… The compactness of the group is emphasised by a remarkable concentration of summits, often likened to a huddle of squatting elephants …..” Mr Wainwright had a turn of phrase that perfectly described the landscape in which he was walking.

Our night’s stay was in Sedbergh, a decent sized Pennine town and, incidentally, one that wants to compete with Hay-on-Wye in Shropshire as the second-hand book capital of the north. It has plenty of pubs, B&Bs and, most importantly, an excellent butcher to provide us with sausage rolls and pies to fuel us up Whernside on our next day’s walk.

We were booked in to The Dalesman pub, but as it was full it provided us with its own well-appointed cottage to stay in. The next morning we realised how much the town is dominated by Sedbergh School, a co-educational boarding school, one of whose alma mater is former England rugby union captain Will Carling. However, of most interest to my companion, a cricketing enthusiast, was the fact that once a year Lancashire Cricket Club play at the school’s fine cricket ground.

Sedbergh Visitor Centre/Book Shop

Day 4 Sedbergh to Chapel le Dale 14.8 miles

Having tackled Pen-Y-Ghent right at the beginning of our Pennine Journey we now faced the prospect of tackling the two remaining Yorkshire Peaks – Whernside and Ingleborough – on successive days.

But first there was a 10.5-mile stretch up Dent Dale through the ancient village of Dent.

Just outside Sedbergh, as we were passing over the Long Rigg saddle into Dent Dale, we came across a couple of walkers and having proudly told them we were walking the 247-mile Pennine Journey they responded that they were doing the LeJog, better known as the Land’s End to John O’Groats route, in one go, which at not less than 850-miles made our walk look like a gentle stroll. Or, rather, it just confirms what a wonderful country Britain is to walk in where there is something for everyone.

In good weather Dent Dale is a delight to walk up but on this occasion it was rather damp and soggy and by the time we reached Dent we were ready for a scone and coffee.

Apparently in Summer it is jammed with tourist traffic but on this occasion we had the village almost to ourselves giving us time to stop by a distinctive hunk of rock standing on end in the centre of the village dedicated to Adam Sedgwick born here in 1785. He was an English geologist who first applied the name Cambrian to the geologic period of time, now dated at 570 to 505 million years ago, and regarded as the founder of modern geology.

The Adam Sedgewick Stone

After a walking alongside a stretch of the River Dee, our path turned south to ascend the northern extremity of Whernside, which starts off very gently along a clear track and, largely, stays that way for most of the ascent.

Halfway up we walked into the mist and clouds, and before long stumbled across a duo of atmospheric shimmering shallow lakes that brought to mind the Arthurian legend, of the “sword rising out of the lake”. Were we really going to see “Excalibur” being presented to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake?

The remainder of the ascent followed a stone wall to the summit with a dramatic steep drop into the Ribblehead Valley a few yards from the path that was obscured by clouds but on a clear day would have given us an excellent view of the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct.

Summit of Whernside

The steep descent off the south-east side of Whernside is made very easy by the man-made rock slab path which happened to be my undoing. I was skipping down it spring lamb like and, if I am being honest, was showing off a bit to my friend demonstrating how agile I was, while he was taking it more gingerly. By the time we hit the valley I was feeling sharp twinges in my knee – later diagnosed by the physio back home as patellar tendonitis – that became extremely painful over the final two days of the walk.

Anyway, I am not one for giving up and, hobbling on, we came upon a strange vision beside the track leading into Chapel Le Dale. Rounding a bend we were presented with a large metal sculpture. The plaque below told how in the 1980s this lanky demonic form birthed by Charles L’Anson was torn down by vandals and hurled into nearby Hurtle Pot, a massive pothole cave system, now flooded and only accessible by divers. The sculpture was eventually rescued from the pot and replaced as found. A sign now reads “Time will tell if the spirit of the Boggard of Hurtle Pot is now enshrined in the statue.”

Sculpture of Chapel le Dale

Our next night’s stay was at an isolated pub, the Old Hill Inn on the outskirts of Chapel-Le-Dale. It’s not strictly open as a pub, as the owners hit by the covid lockdown are, at the time of writing, operating it as a B&B with dinner thrown in and, mercifully, you can still procure a pint at the bar.

The proprietor Colin Martin and his wife run the pub. Colin, a famous pastry chef and sugar sculptor extraordinaire who once ran the show at The Ritz in London and made sugar sculptures for Princess Di and Michael Jackson, has some of his spectacular sculptures on display in the dining room. The Old Hill Inn is an ancient inn of great character, part of which dates back to 1615. It is said that Winston Churchill used to stay there on hunting, shooting and fishing holidays.

Day 5 Clapham le Dale to Clapham 14.9 miles

Day five started overcast, but thankfully dry, and retracing our steps past that curious sculpture, we headed up onto Scales Moor that looks like something from another planet. It comprises a series of bare limestone pavements that are said to surpass all others in the country for sheer size and interest, not least of which are the mass of isolated boulders standing on end that were deposited there in the last ice age, one so large it is known as ‘the obelisk’.

Our descent into Ingleton led through a fortress of limestone crags, followed by a gentle 1.5-mile long lane leading into the town, famous for its waterfalls and caves. Cognisant of the need for more sustenance to tackle Ingleborough, our final Yorkshire Peak, we were rescued by a kind local who drove us to the wonderful Seasons Bakery on the outskirts of town where we loaded up with pasties, pies and other goodies.

While Whernside edges Ingleborough in height, the latter feels more like scaling the walls of a castle and in thick mist, rock outcrops kept rearing up in front of us as we struggled up the final section and from time to time my companion was lost in the mist even though he was only some 50 metres ahead.

According to the history books in 1830, a horse race was held on Ingleborough as part of celebrations on the mountain, possible because its summit is a wide plateau that in the mist makes it difficult to establish the right path down unless you are a competent navigator or you have a gpx file to follow as your trusty steed to take you down to your destination.

Summit of Ingleborough

By this time my knee was hurting a great deal and so focused was I in keeping pain to a minimum by a sort of crab-like walk I was totally unaware that a short distance away is the famous Gaping Gill pothole – that accounted for the large group of tents occupied by caving enthusiasts who enjoy the dark, slimey underworld rather than the open, light and airy moorland – I know what I prefer.

Thankfully, other than the awkward and steep descent through Trow Gill, a collapsed cavern, the remainder of our walk of almost two-miles length was via a clear, wide track into Clapham for our night’s stay at the New Inn Hotel. Clapham is a pretty linear village set along both sides of Clapham Beck and Ingleborough Hall. This was, for generations, the family seat of the well to do Farrer family. Here Reginal Farrer, a Victorian gentleman, was known for his travels abroad where he collected plants and created the Craven Nursery, to where he sent back alpine plants from his expeditions in the mountains of Europe and Asia.

Day 6 Clapham to Settle 6.25 miles

Our final day on the Pennine Journey dawned fine and sunny bringing a  a fitting end to an epic journey. The Farrer family had created a pedestrian tunnel under Ingleborough Hall to protect them from the hoi-poloi and conveniently for us Pennine Journey walkers it led us out onto the south-eastern foothills of Ingleborough and a gentle walk, with lovely views of the surrounding fells down into Austwick and across the valley floor to Feizor, where there is a tearoom well known to walkers called Elaine’s Tea Room.

However, we had no time to stop as we were in a hurry to complete the final 3.5-mile walk into Settle for our rendezvous with the Pennine Journey founders David and Heather Pitt. For us there was a kind of symmetry, as David and Heather had seen us off from Settle Station where we began the walk.  

After two 240-odd miles it was great to see Settle basking in sunshine in the valley below us, and having picked up our bags from the Brigantes driver at Settle Station, who we had used for significant stages of our walk, we met up with the Pitts at the famous Ye Olde Naked Man café in the centre of the town, to reminisce about the ups and downs of our walk, before catching an early train back to Leeds and thence to London.

The Pennine Journey is a long distance path that I will never forget with its huge variety of terrain, its archaeological history – both ancient and industrial – its famous northern rivers to cross and the sheer joy of being out on open moorland.

Thank you David & Heather Pitt for taking up the challenge of mapping out a route that follows in the footsteps of Arthur Wainwright’s trek in 1938.