14-day Pennine Way itinerary

1. Day 1

   Edale to Crowden

   8–9 h 17.0 mi (27.4 km) ↑ 890 m (2,900 ft) ↓ 880 m (2,900 ft)

   A hard first day on any plan: Jacob's Ladder onto Kinder, the peat groughs of the plateau, then Bleaklow Head, where walkers lose the path in mist. Navigation starts at once. There is no food on the way and next to none at Crowden, so buy two days of lunches in Edale. Our only bed at Crowden is the campsite; otherwise operators bed walkers in Glossop or Padfield and drive them back.

   Example stay Crowden Camping and Caravanning Club Site (opens in a new tab)

2. Day 2

   Crowden to Standedge

   6–7 h 12.5 mi (20.2 km) ↑ 770 m (2,550 ft) ↓ 580 m (1,900 ft)

   Short on purpose, with the long days still ahead. Black Hill, the bog Wainwright dreaded, is mostly flagstones now; then Wessenden Moor and its reservoirs to the A62. Standedge Foot Farm is the one bed on the line, and operators send walkers to Diggle, Delph or Marsden. Carry lunch: there is almost nowhere to buy food today.

   Example stay Standedge Foot Farm

3. Day 3

   Standedge to Blackshaw Head

   7–8 h 15.3 mi (24.6 km) ↑ 540 m (1,750 ft) ↓ 680 m (2,250 ft)

   Wainwright said the worst was behind you here. Blackstone Edge's gritstone, a pub at the A58, flat reservoir drains, then Stoodley Pike's monument above the Calder Valley. Blackstone Edge is the only tricky bit in cloud, with cairns and poles to guide you. Blackshaw Head is up the far side of the valley, so the steep climb out of the Calder is done tonight, not tomorrow.

   Example stay Badger Fields

4. Day 4

   Blackshaw Head to Ickornshaw

   7–8 h 14.7 mi (23.6 km) ↑ 700 m (2,300 ft) ↓ 780 m (2,550 ft)

   Heptonstall Moor and the Brontë moors past Top Withins, the ruin thought to have inspired Wuthering Heights, then Ponden and the bleaker Ickornshaw Moor. Route-finding on both moors can be testing in cloud. Haworth, a little off route, has cafés. Ickornshaw has few beds and ours is self-catering, so carry supper in and check your bag firm can leave the bag.

   Example stay Little Grans Self Catering Holiday Cottage (opens in a new tab)

5. Day 5

   Ickornshaw to Malham

   8–9 h 17.5 mi (28.2 km) ↑ 750 m (2,450 ft) ↓ 760 m (2,500 ft)

   "Mostly muck and manure," said Wainwright: fields, Pinhaw Beacon's views, Thornton-in-Craven and the canal through the Aire Gap. Plenty of villages and cafés, so the pack can be light, but the field paths are vague. Gargrave is the lunch stop. Malham is the start of the limestone; on this plan it is worth an evening at the Cove before the two big Dales days.

   Example stay The Buck Inn (opens in a new tab)

6. Day 6

   Malham to Horton-in-Ribblesdale

   7–8 h 14.6 mi (23.5 km) ↑ 870 m (2,850 ft) ↓ 830 m (2,700 ft)

   Malham Cove and Tarn, then two sustained climbs: Fountains Fell, tougher than it looks, and Pen-y-ghent, the highest point so far. Nothing to buy on the way. Horton fills with Three Peaks walkers on Saturdays, so book it first. Eat well tonight: tomorrow is the longest day on this plan before the Cheviots.

   Example stay The Crown Hotel (opens in a new tab)

7. Day 7 Longest

   Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Keld

   12–13 h 26.4 mi (42.5 km) ↑ 1,290 m (4,250 ft) ↓ 1,190 m (3,900 ft)

   The day that makes this plan fourteen. The Cam High Road climbs gently over Cam Fell and Dodd Fell to Hawes, the only food stop, then Hardraw's waterfall and the long climb over Great Shunner Fell, exposed in rough weather, down to Thwaite and Swaledale. Start early and watch the path between Thwaite and Keld. Keld has a handful of beds; book them well ahead.

   Example stay Keld Lodge

8. Day 8

   Keld to Middleton-in-Teesdale

   9–10 h 20.4 mi (32.8 km) ↑ 730 m (2,400 ft) ↓ 850 m (2,800 ft)

   Tan Hill Inn early, then the long, wet crossing of Sleightholme Moor and the Stainmore Gap, past halfway, with walls to guide you. The climb over Lunedale is saved for the end, and the way down to Middleton is not always clear in mist. Carry lunch: there is nothing after Tan Hill. Middleton is a proper town to restock.

   Example stay The Teesdale Hotel (opens in a new tab)

9. Day 9

   Middleton-in-Teesdale to Dufton

   9–10 h 20.5 mi (33.0 km) ↑ 720 m (2,350 ft) ↓ 760 m (2,500 ft)

   The best day on the Way, and long. Meadows by the Tees, Low Force, High Force, the rocky scramble beside Cauldron Snout, then the moor to High Cup, where the only tricky navigation is. More descent than ascent. Lunch at the Langdon Beck Hotel, just off the path. Dufton is the last village before Cross Fell, so it is a night for an early bed.

   Example stay Brow Farm (opens in a new tab)

10. Day 10

    Dufton to Alston

    9–10 h 18.9 mi (30.5 km) ↑ 1,030 m (3,400 ft) ↓ 930 m (3,050 ft)

    The hardest climb of the walk: Knock Fell, Great Dun Fell and Cross Fell, the highest point, with England's coldest temperature and strongest gust on record. Greg's Hut is the only shelter; nothing to buy before Garrigill. In foul weather wait a day in Dufton. The South Tyne footbridge between Garrigill and Alston is flood-damaged and the Way diverted (National Trails, October 2026): check the notice first.

    Example stay Alston Youth Hostel (opens in a new tab)

11. Day 11

    Alston to Greenhead

    7–8 h 16.6 mi (26.7 km) ↑ 590 m (1,950 ft) ↓ 720 m (2,350 ft)

    Low ground after Cross Fell. The old railway out of Alston, the Roman Maiden Way and Hartley Burn, then Blenkinsopp Common's bog, where the Pennines end at Round Hill and Wain Rigg. Wainwright called it tedious; the field paths are fiddly and your feet will be wet. Greenhead is at Hadrian's Wall, and tomorrow is a big day on it.

    Example stay Holmhead Guest House (opens in a new tab)

12. Day 12

    Greenhead to Bellingham

    10–11 h 22.2 mi (35.7 km) ↑ 920 m (3,000 ft) ↓ 950 m (3,100 ft)

    Hadrian's Wall for 8 miles (12.8 km) of its best crags, steep up and down among Wall walkers, then Wark Forest, fields and the dull road into Bellingham. Food means a detour to Once Brewed. A long day: start early. From 16 November 2026 to 26 March 2027 the Way is diverted on the road through Bellingham, where you stock up for the last two days.

    Example stay Lyndale Guest House (opens in a new tab)

13. Day 13

    Bellingham to Byrness

    7–8 h 15.2 mi (24.5 km) ↑ 640 m (2,100 ft) ↓ 530 m (1,750 ft)

    Heather moor over Whitley Pike and Brownrigg Head, boggy all year, then stony forest tracks into Byrness. A shorter day, and it should feel easy: tomorrow is the ridge. Nowhere to buy lunch. Byrness is barely a village and Forest View has seven rooms, so book it first, and ask for supper, an early breakfast and a packed lunch.

    Example stay Forest View Walkers Inn (opens in a new tab)

14. Day 14

    Byrness to Kirk Yetholm

    12–13 h 24.9 mi (40.1 km) ↑ 1,320 m (4,350 ft) ↓ 1,440 m (4,700 ft)

    The second 24.9 mi (40 km) day of this plan, and the one with no way off: the Cheviot ridge along the border fence, with no bed, shop or road. Leave Byrness at dawn. Deep bog, exposed tops and a military range (blank firing only); the huts at Yearning Saddle and Auchope are shelters, not beds. Skip the Cheviot summit detour if the day is slow. The Border Hotel has your half pint.

    Finish Pennine Way Finish

Cross-check: National Trails' Pennine Way trail information . The trail body says most walkers allow 16 to 19 days. This plan is faster: it walks Horton to Keld and the Cheviot ridge each in one day. Distances on this page are from our line.

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