16-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)

   The Way opens hard: Jacob's Ladder onto Kinder, the peat groughs of the plateau, then Bleaklow Head, where walkers lose the path in mist. Navigation matters from the first hour. 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; if you are not camping, 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)

   A short day after Kinder and Bleaklow. Black Hill, the bog Wainwright dreaded, is mostly flagstones now; then Wessenden Moor and its chain of reservoirs to the A62. Standedge Foot Farm is the one bed on the line, and operators send walkers to Diggle, Delph or Marsden. There is almost nowhere to buy food, so carry lunch from Edale.

   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)

   "The worst part of the journey is behind you," said Wainwright. Blackstone Edge's gritstone, a pub at the A58, flat reservoir drains, then Stoodley Pike's monument above the Calder Valley. Only Blackstone Edge is tricky in cloud, with cairns and poles to guide you. Blackshaw Head is up the far side of the valley, so tonight you have already done the steep climb out of the Calder.

   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 test you in cloud. Haworth is a little off route for a café. Ickornshaw has few beds and ours is self-catering: 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)

   Wainwright's "mostly muck and manure": fields, Pinhaw Beacon's views, Thornton-in-Craven and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal through the Aire Gap. Villages and cafés all day, so carry little, but the field paths are vague and fiddly. Gargrave is the lunch stop. Malham is where the limestone starts, and the Cove is a short evening walk away.

   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 Malham Tarn, then two sustained climbs: Fountains Fell, which few remember fondly, and Pen-y-ghent, the highest point yet and worth it for the view. Nothing to buy on the way. Horton is busy and short of beds on Saturdays with Three Peaks walkers in, so book it first. An easy day follows.

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

7. Day 7

   Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Hawes

   6–7 h 13.8 mi (22.2 km) ↑ 510 m (1,650 ft) ↓ 510 m (1,650 ft)

   Packhorse tracks and the Cam High Road over Cam Fell and Dodd Fell, a long gentle climb with big empty views after the Three Peaks crowds. The only awkward bit is the vague path down into Hawes. Hawes is a market town with shops, pubs and everything else, and on a sixteen-day walk a fair place for a rest day if you want one.

   Example stay The White Hart Inn, Hawes (opens in a new tab)

8. Day 8

   Hawes to Keld

   6–7 h 12.6 mi (20.3 km) ↑ 780 m (2,550 ft) ↓ 680 m (2,250 ft)

   A Pennine Way classic: Hardraw's waterfall, the long, gradual climb over Great Shunner Fell, exposed in rough weather, then Thwaite and Swaledale's waterfalls into Keld. Watch for the wrong turn between Thwaite and Keld. Keld has more beds than Tan Hill Inn, a few kilometres on, which is one inn and books out; this plan passes it in the morning instead.

   Example stay Keld Lodge

9. Day 9

   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 squelch over Sleightholme Moor and the Stainmore Gap, past halfway, with walls to guide you. The climb over Lunedale is saved for the end, and the drop to Middleton is not always clear in mist. Carry lunch: nothing after Tan Hill. The 17-day plan breaks this day at Baldersdale; here Middleton is the night, a proper town to restock.

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

10. Day 10

    Middleton-in-Teesdale to Langdon Beck

    3–4 h 7.5 mi (12.1 km) ↑ 260 m (850 ft) ↓ 120 m (400 ft)

    The night this plan adds. A short, gentle day up the Tees through hay meadows, past Low Force and High Force, among the highest waterfalls in England. Wainwright called this riverside "a walk of near perfection", and with the afternoon free you can take it slowly. Langdon Beck is just off the path and has very few beds: the YHA is the one to book early.

    Example stay YHA Langdon Beck (opens in a new tab)

11. Day 11

    Langdon Beck to Dufton

    5–6 h 13.0 mi (20.9 km) ↑ 460 m (1,500 ft) ↓ 650 m (2,150 ft)

    Cauldron Snout and High Cup Nick on fresh legs, which is why the night before is here. Rocky, slippery riverside, a scramble beside Cauldron Snout, England's longest waterfall, then the moor, the day's only tricky navigation, to the rim of High Cup, the best sight on the Way. Down to Dufton. Carry the day's food: there is nothing on the way.

    Example stay Brow Farm (opens in a new tab)

12. Day 12

    Dufton to Alston

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

    The toughest day: Knock Fell, Great Dun Fell and Cross Fell, the highest point, where England's coldest temperature and strongest gust were recorded. 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 before you go.

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

13. Day 13

    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 paths through fields and walls are fiddly and wet. Greenhead is at Hadrian's Wall, and tomorrow is a long day on it.

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

14. Day 14

    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 the silent Wark Forest, farmland and a dreary road into Bellingham. Food means a detour to Once Brewed. A long day: the 17-day plan sleeps on the Wall, this one starts early. From 16 November 2026 to 26 March 2027 the Way is diverted on the road through Bellingham.

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

15. Day 15

    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, purple in September and boggy all year, then stony forest tracks into Byrness. Nowhere to buy lunch; stock up in Bellingham. 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 for the ridge.

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

16. Day 16 Longest

    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 longest day, saved for last: the Cheviot ridge along the border fence, the loneliest hills in England, 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 waits at the end.

    Finish Pennine Way Finish

Cross-check: National Trails' 16-day route description . Their sixteen days stop at Tan Hill and spend a night on the Cheviot ridge; ours stops at Keld and Langdon Beck and walks the ridge in one day. Distances on this page are from our line.

16-day itinerary FAQ