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INTRODUCTION

Ingleborough from Giggleswick Scar (Walk 21)

The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the north-west of England from the north-east. Often described as the ‘backbone of England’, they form a somewhat disjointed range stretching from Derbyshire to the Scottish border. To speak of them as a ‘chain’ merely serves to draw attention to the weak links, the places where the central spinal mass has been eroded to leave behind distinct groups of hills and moors separated by wide valleys. Geographers would tell you that the Pennines are neither a chain nor a range of mountains, but simply a broad uplift. Moreover, what many would regard as ‘Pennine’ country means different things in different places. First and foremost, the Pennines are a major water catchment area, with numerous reservoirs in the head-streams of the river valleys. Couple this man-made endeavour with that of Nature, and the result is a region widely considered to be one of the most scenic in Britain.

Although the Pennine Way ends among the Cheviot Hills, they are not part of the Pennines, being separated from them by the Tyne Gap and the Whin Sill, along which runs Hadrian’s Wall. Conversely, although the southern end of the Pennines is commonly accepted as somewhere in the High Peak of Derbyshire, often Edale (the start of the Pennine Way), they actually extend further south to the true southern end of the Pennines in the Stoke-on-Trent area, many miles south of Edale.

So, the exact area of the Pennines is difficult to define. In terms of this book they extend no further south than Mam Tor above Edale, and not much further north than Cross Fell, the highest summit of the Pennines, lying on the eastern edge of Cumbria. Within this area is an amazing, and often frustrating, succession of landscapes fashioned from river valleys, moorlands and upland peat bogs, and penned in by a host of cities, towns and villages to form an area that weaves a rich and interesting story of industrial development together with a strong cultural and industrial heritage.

The Pennine Way is often regarded as a strenuous high-level route through predominantly wild country, intended for walkers of some experience, and involving a fair element of physical exertion and a willingness to endure rough going. Those characteristics sum up the Pennines perfectly. But the region is far from the wholly boggy, unremitting, uncompromising, windswept upland desert some might have you believe. The Pennines are not desolate and forlorn, but infinitely varied, rich in wildlife and opportunities for striding out in solitude.

I first explored the Pennines in their entirety more than 20 years ago. I’ve just done it again with a joyous spring in every step... Well, almost every one!

The view across from Rowlee Pasture to the Kinder plateau (Walk 48)

About this guide

The walks in this guide are grouped into five regions – the North Pennines, the North West Dales, the Yorkshire Dales, the South Pennines and the Dark Peak. At the start of each walk is a box containing key information – distance, height gain, time, grade, start point and maps required, as well as details of where to obtain after-walk refreshments. To compare the walks, refer to Appendix 1, which summarises the route information for every route.

The original intention of including at least one mountain in every route was thwarted, partially by the nature of the terrain, but mainly by a desire to ensure that worthwhile lower-level routes were not pushed out by the need to tick off even the dullest of summits. In any case, the Pennines boast remarkably few ‘mountains’, with barely 80 summits higher than 600m. The walks in this book do, however, visit 19 of the 32 Marilyns – summits with a relative height of 150m (492ft) in relation to its surroundings, regardless of actual height – in the area covered by this book. There are just two Marilyns in the Dark Peak, two in the Howgills, three in the Southern Pennines, five in the Northern Pennines and 20 in the Yorkshire Dales. Embracing mountain summits in every route in this guide was always going to be difficult but among the moors and valleys of the Pennines there has been no shortage of terrain with a mountainous feel to explore.

In choosing the walks, the defining criteria was the Pennine watershed. The watershed, if defined literally, is a fine imaginary line that would divide in two a drop of rain falling on it, sending half to the North Sea in the east and the other half to the Irish Sea in the west. The nature of the watershed, which turns out to be nothing like as fine as that dividing line, is admirably described in Andrew Bibby’s book The Backbone of England (see Appendix 2).

However, since walking the watershed is on many stretches neither enthralling nor inspirational, some sections of the watershed were shunned in favour of other defining criteria, namely the Pennine Way, the Pennine Bridleway and (of equal if not more importance at times) ‘clear characteristics of a Pennine landscape’. The Pennine Way is well known and runs from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm just across the Scottish border, following a route that was teased from the landscape under the guidance of Tom Stephenson. The Pennine Bridleway is a relatively new creation, a 320km (200 mile) adventure for walkers, horse riders and mountain bikers, following old packhorse routes, drovers’ roads and newly created bridleways.

Ravenstonedale pastures (Walk 12)

Looking down on Dove Stone Reservoir (Walk 45)

What makes this approach rather tenuous is the very nature and characteristics of ‘Pennine’ landscape and ‘Pennine’ qualities. The gritstone that predominates in the Peak is scarcely evident in the limestone Yorkshire Dales, although it is there. Likewise, the peat bogs and groughs that are hallmarks of the South Pennines are almost nowhere to be found in the Howgills and the Dales. So, it becomes all the more evident that what must, geographically, define the Pennine landscape is whatever happens to flank the Pennine watershed. (It’s an argument that would never withstand close scrutiny, but in the context of a book about Pennine walks, it’s as useful as anything else.)

Most walks therefore include one of these ‘Pennine’ criteria, while no walk is more than 16km (10 miles) from the watershed itself. But the author has had no qualms about including a few excellent walks that don’t comply with this constraint, such as Rombalds and Ilkley Moor (Walk 31), for example, Pendle Hill (Walk 32) and Ingleborough (Walk 21), in the belief that few would argue that they lacked Pennine qualities.

Walk grades

The grading of walks is a very subjective issue; what is ‘easy’ for one walker can be a scary experience for someone less experienced. In reality, nothing in the Pennines can safely be regarded as easy; the terrain is often bouldery and complex, marshy and trackless, or, more usually, a mix of all of these conditions. But, in order to convey some notion of the effort and walking skill involved in each route, four grades have been employed to categorise the walks.

 Moderate: shorter walks without significant height gain; some occasional issues with route finding or terrain, but generally straightforward

 Moderately demanding: devoid of serious hazard in good conditions, but requiring map-reading and compass skills; mainly, but not always, on clear paths

 Demanding: similar to ‘strenuous’, but usually shorter or with less height gain, but still rugged, remote and energetic walks

 Strenuous: lengthy, over rough and/or high ground, sometimes in remote locations; there may be long, rugged and/or trackless sections

These grades are no better than a diagrammatic map, not least because almost all the walks in this book contain some stretches that meet each grade criteria; it is possible, indeed likely, that all four grades will be met with on each walk. The grades are therefore no more than a general overview of each entire walk. Within the book the more difficult grades predominate – there are 14 ‘strenuous’ walks, 17 ‘demanding’, 14 ‘moderately demanding’, and 5 ‘moderate’.

Distances and height gain

This information has been arrived at by a combination of methods, none of which assumes that if the highest point is 500m, and the lowest is 200m, that the amount of height gain is 300m; there are just too many variables to make it that simple. So, precision is not always possible.

The average length of the 50 walks in this book is 15.4km (9.6 miles), and the average height gain is 456m (1495ft).

Times

Timings are subjective, and also depend on the individual’s level of fitness. Those given for each walk are the times taken by the author, carrying a day sack, camera and so on, and so they take the nature of the terrain into account. The timings do not include an allowance for any stops.

However, rather than rely on the author’s figures, it is far better to learn by experience what your own pace is, and then use the distance and height gain information (in the information box at the start of each walk) to get an idea of how long it will take you, given your personal level of fitness. Then be sure to allow for the terrain, which in the Pennines is renowned for being difficult and boggy, to the extent that minor detours become necessary following wet weather.

Maps

Although the guide contains map extracts, you are strongly advised to take with you the relevant sheet map for the route, not only for safety reasons but also to give a wider picture of the landscapes you are walking through. Note that key landmarks that feature on the maps appear in bold in the text to help you plot the route. (The map extracts in this book are taken from these 1:50,000 maps, expanded to 1:40,000 so that 1km is represented by 2.5cm on the map.)

The maps recommended for the walks in this book are Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer maps OL1 (The Peak District: Dark Peak area); OL2 (Yorkshire Dales: Southern and Western areas); OL19 (Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley); OL21 (South Pennines); OL30 (Yorkshire Dales: Northern and Central areas); OL31 (North Pennines: Teesdale and Weardale); OL297 (Lower Wharfedale and Washburn valley)

GPS systems

There is an increasing number of satellite-linked GPS systems on the market these days, some of which contain the mapping needed for specific counties or long-distance trails. The precision of these GPS systems significantly reduces the risk of navigational error, and they are very reliable guides in poor visibility. However, they are no substitute for the ability to read conventional mapping or for sound navigational skills, but for some years the author has been confidently using a Satmap Active 10, with appropriate 1:25,000 mapping on SD cards. Satmap Systems also produce mapping specifically for the Pennine Way, which covers many of the walks in this book, particularly where they cross county boundaries.

Bird's-eye primrose

The River Rawthey at Cautley (Walk 14)

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

Information about mountain rescue teams operating in the Pennines is detailed at:

 www.mountain.rescue.org.uk.

If you need the services of a mountain rescue team:

 Call 999 or 112 and ask for mountain rescue.

 Tell them where the ‘incident’ has occurred, by giving an accurate grid reference, and the nature of the incident.

 Give them a contact phone number.

 The messengers may be required to wait by the phone for further instructions, and may be used to guide the team to the exact location of the incident, so they should be the fittest group members if possible.

 Be prepared for a long wait – comprised of the time it takes for your messengers to reach a phone, the team callout and assembly time, and the time required for the team to walk to your location with heavy equipment. You may decide that if there is a danger of hypothermia it is best to evacuate most of the party and leave a small group remaining with the casualty. You may also decide that it is necessary to move the casualty to a more sheltered or safer location (if so, ensure that someone will be on hand to guide the team to your new location).

 Consider how your group members or passers-by can best be deployed, and how the equipment carried by the group can best be redistributed and utilised.

 Consider ‘alternative’ uses for the equipment you are carrying, for example camera flashes can be used to attract attention in the dark, a rope laid out along the ground will maximise your chances of being located in poor visibility, and a survival bag can be used for attracting attention.

 The standard distress signal is six sharp whistle blasts (or torch flashes) followed by a one-minute silence, repeated.

 Don’t lose touch with common sense when coming to any decisions!

Weather to walk?

Mountains everywhere tend to generate their own micro-climate, while remaining subject to whatever is going on nationally. So, while out in the Pennines, whether on the tops or in the valleys, you need always to be aware of what is happening to the weather: is the wind changing direction?; are clouds gathering?; is it getting hotter or colder? Make allowance for the fact that conditions on the tops are generally more severe than in the valleys.

Some indication of what might be happening can be obtained by checking the weather forecast both the day before you go and again on the morning you intend to walk. There are reliable sources of weather information on the internet, notably:

 www.bbc.co.uk/weather (this site allows you to set your favourite locations in order to obtain a more specific forecast)

 www.metoffice.gov.uk (the Met Office’s own website) – this is also available as a free app for use on iPhones, iPads and hybrid smartphones.

Most other sites draw information from these two.

Before you start

What to wear

Someone once said: ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, just inadequate clothing.’ Well, as everyone knows, there is such a thing as bad weather, sometimes so bad that no amount of clothing will prove adequate. But the comment makes a fair point, and, unless you aspire to being no more than a fair weather walker, going adequately and suitably clothed facilitates walking regardless of all but the most severe weather conditions. Let’s face it, if you have to wait for the sun to shine before venturing out, you may never begin.

Being adequately clothed makes all the difference, and well-prepared walkers, who will always be equipped with wind- and water-proof garments and a stout pair of waterproof walking boots for a day in the Pennines in any season, have nothing to fear from an inclement day.

The question of what to wear can only be answered in such general terms, however, for the simple reason that each of us is physically different – we have different metabolisms, our bodies function in different ways when exercising, and the way, and amount, we perspire varies, too. All these factors generate bodily conditions that are specific to each of us and which require personalised solutions.

At the Aiggin Stone, Blackstone Edge (Walk 42)

To complicate things even further, there are numerous clothing and equipment manufacturers clamouring to sell you their own brand, but without the certainty that one brand is any more suitable for you than another. It is purely a process of trial and error, often over a period of time, sometimes years. But eventually, you find a combination that works best for you. When you do, stick with it. Just as important, when you settle on the type of clothing that suits you and decide to kit yourself out, go for the most expensive you can afford. Quality really does count when it comes to outdoor clothing.

What to carry

So, what is considered essential? It is not intended that this list should be slavishly followed in every detail, by every person in a group, but it is suggested as a guide or checklist. Small groups may manage without some items, but if the group is such that it may become fragmented, then it pays to have the key items throughout the group.

 Map – everyone should carry a map for the area of the walk, and know how to read it. If you are using maps on a GPS device, do ensure that you have more than one set of replacement batteries.

 Compass – much the same; map and compass are essential.

 Whistle – every individual should carry a whistle; it is vital as a means of communication in the event of an emergency. There are numerous inexpensive mountain and survival whistles available, but any whistle will do.

 Torch – you may not intend to be out after dark, but a torch will prove useful if you are. Make sure that every individual carries their own torch, even if there are only two of you. There are many samples of suitable pocket or head torches on the market these days, but be sure to carry spare batteries. A torch is also useful for signalling in an emergency.

 First aid kit – there is nothing worse than a developing blister or getting a bad scratch from a bramble. Even the smallest of first aid kits contain plasters or skin compounds like Dr Scholl’s® Moleskin or Compede Blister Packs that can ease the irritation. The kit does not need to be huge, but should include a good cross-section of contemporary first aid products, including ointments and creams suitable for easing insect stings and bites. Today’s outdoor market offers plastic first aid ‘bottle’ kits containing everything you are likely to need for minor emergencies.

 Food – it is important to carry day rations sufficient both for the walk you are planning to follow and for emergencies. Every rucksack should contain some emergency foods, such as Kendal Mint Cake, chocolate bars or glucose tablets, that remain forever in your pack – although it is a good idea to replenish them at regular intervals.

 Drink – liquids are vital, especially in hot conditions, and in winter a stainless steel thermos of hot drink goes down a treat. Cold liquids can be carried in water bottles or in pliable water containers that fit into your rucksack and have a plastic suction tube that leads over the shoulder and allows water to be drunk as required.

 Spare clothing – there is no need to duplicate everything you wear or would normally carry, but some extras permanently embedded in your rucksack will prove beneficial – T-shirt, sweater, scarf, spare socks (to double as gloves, if necessary) and spare laces.

 Other bits and pieces – strong string (can double as emergency laces), small towel (for drying post-paddling feet during summer months), notebook, pencil, pocket knife and a thermal blanket or survival bag for emergencies. Hopefully you will never use it, but half a roll of toilet tissue in a sealable plastic bag has eased many an embarrassing moment.

Gordale Scar – the route lies up the brown-coloured boulder in the centre (Walk 26)

The route up to Hag Dyke, and Great Whernside beyond (Walk 28)