Pennine Way

What is the Pennine Way?

"For none could walk that Pennine Way without being improved in mind and body," wrote Tom Stephenson in 1935, when he first asked for "a Pennine Way from the Peak to the Cheviots". Thirty years later, on 24 April 1965, it opened as Britain's first National Trail: 268 miles (431 km) from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm, just over the Scottish border.

It walks the backbone of England. Kinder Scout comes on the first morning, where the 1932 Mass Trespass helped open the hills to walkers. Then the gritstone moors of the South Pennines, the limestone of Malham Cove and Pen-y-ghent, High Force and High Cup, Cross Fell at 893 m, eight miles of Hadrian's Wall and the long Cheviot ridge along the border. Finishers at the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm are traditionally offered a free half pint.

How hard is the Pennine Way?

Hard. National Trails calls it arguably the most challenging National Trail in England and recommends it for experienced walkers. The combined climb is more than the height of Everest, and much of it crosses open moor, often boggy, where a map and compass are the minimum and phone signal is patchy at best. You do not need to scramble.

Dufton to Alston, over Cross Fell, is the toughest day, and the last is the 24.9 mi (40 km) Cheviot ridge with no bed, shop or road. Our plans run from 13 to 21 walking days, and we suggest 15; even that has several days over 18.6 mi (30 km). You don't have to walk it all at once: every section has its own page.

Pennine Way itineraries and official sections

Pick a day count and the 13–21 day splits show where you would sleep each night, or read the route as the official town-to-town sections.

• Itineraries 13–21 day splits with overnight stops mapped out. See how the daily distances change between the fastest and slowest options.
• Official sections The official route split into 16 town-to-town sections. Each section page covers distance, terrain, and where to sleep.

When is the best time to walk it?

National Trails puts the best weather from mid-May to September. May and September are the first-timer pick: long days, bags moving, and quieter beds than high summer.

June to August is busiest. The nights with one or two beds, at Crowden, Standedge, Baldersdale, Langdon Beck and Byrness, go early, and Horton fills with Three Peaks walkers at weekends. April and October still work, with shorter days and more weather; bags move from late March to mid-October. The trail is open all year, but expect snow on the northern sections in winter.

Carry waterproofs and warm layers in any month. The tops get around 2.5 metres of rain a year, and with wind-chill the summits can reach zero even in summer.

How do I get there and back?

Edale has a station on the Hope Valley line between Manchester Piccadilly (about 44 minutes) and Sheffield (about 32 minutes), with trains roughly hourly. The Way starts by the Old Nags Head, a few minutes' walk up the lane from the station.

Kirk Yetholm has no station. The 81 bus runs to Kelso, Monday to Saturday only and a few times a day, and from Kelso the 67 goes to Berwick-upon-Tweed for trains to Newcastle and London. A Sunday finish needs a taxi or a booked lift. Check the times before you travel.

Frequently asked questions