Pennine Way

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 BusyLizzie 16 Feb 2020

This is a bit bonkers, bear with me ...

A couple of years ago I ran The Ridgeway  in chunks over a few weeks - it took about 7 episodes, distance varied from 8 to 18 miles. It was surprisingly lovely; I now have a mental picture of the whole of the trail, I know how it fits together,  and the different types of terrain, and the fascinating evidence of history and pre-history along the way.

So, how about the Pennine Way. Like most of us I've walked bits, but I'd like to connect it all up. I live in Reading, so it's not within easy reach. I had some spousal car support for the Ridgeway, but that's not going to happen when I go up north for the occasional  weekend. I can do an out and back to the car each time (thus doing it twice), or I can devise circular routes but obvs only a bit of each circle will be miles ticked off the route. It's doable, but will take a while (two or three years of odd days or weekends here and there, and I can probably give myself a leg-up by taking a week to do a long section at some point).

What would be really handy would be sections where you can leave the car, do a chunk - whether a single day or more - and then get back by public  transport.

Any ideas?

 Lankyman 16 Feb 2020
In reply to BusyLizzie:

As it passes through the Dales it's possible to make several longer loops along the PW using stations on the Settle to Carlisle railway. You'd have to add on a few miles in places to get to and from the stations.

OP BusyLizzie 16 Feb 2020
In reply to Lankyman:

That sounds lovely, thank you.

 didntcomelast 16 Feb 2020
In reply to BusyLizzie:

Don’t do things by half. Enter the Spine Race. Get well looked after running the length of the pennine way.......

only problem it’s in January and almost guaranteed to be really bad weather. 

All good fun though.

OP BusyLizzie 16 Feb 2020
In reply to didntcomelast:

I reckon I'd last half a morning ...

 yorkshire_lad2 16 Feb 2020
In reply to Lankyman:

> As it passes through the Dales it's possible to make several longer loops along the PW using stations on the Settle to Carlisle railway. You'd have to add on a few miles in places to get to and from the stations.

I'll second that.  Here are some thoughts, I'm a walker and I live in Settle so I know a little bit about the area.  Coming from the south, the PW first meets the S&C at Gargrave (services to Leeds, and also Lancaster/Morecambe & Carlisle).

  • Going north from Gargrave, you reach Malham: it's a six-mile trip west over to Settle: a pleasant (if hilly) side-trip!
  • Next village north on the PW is Horton where there is a station on the S&C (so you could drive to Horton, meet the train down to Gargrave and run the 20 miles via Malham & Penyghent back to your car at Horton, all PW, no extra non-PW miles!)
  • North of Horton, at Cam End, you could drop to Ribblehead station (a couple of miles off PW).
  • Next town north is Hawes: no longer a railway line there (but the Wensleydale Railway Association would love to see it reinstated), but there's a bus link along to Garsdale station.
  • Next village north is Keld (or Tan Hill), and it would be possible to get to Kirkby Stephen (but it's a fair way, via Coast to Coast route)
  • Further north, at Dufton is possible to reach Appleby station (about 3 or 4 miles)

Do note that the trains on the S&C are not frequent, check your timings to meet a specific train.

S&C website: https://settle-carlisle.co.uk/

OP BusyLizzie 17 Feb 2020
In reply to yorkshire_lad2:

Thank you,  that's amazing.

 r0b 17 Feb 2020
In reply to BusyLizzie:

Up until the Dales it is fairly well served by public transport, stations at:

  • Edale
  • Padfield (a few miles off the PW at Torside along the Trans Pennine Trail)
  • Marsden
  • Littleborough (couple of miles down hill from the White House pub)
  • Hebden Bridge
  • Gargrave
  • Horton
  • Garsdale (from Hawes via the Little White Bus)

Distances between public transport options are quite a lot longer after that!

Post edited at 09:20
 axor 17 Feb 2020
In reply to didntcomelast:

The spine race is in summer too (June). Its full though.

 dread-i 17 Feb 2020
In reply to BusyLizzie:

Could you take a tent and aim to do two or three day sections, camping at sites along the way? It might make logistics easier, if you only needed to get back to the car every few days.

 John Gresty 17 Feb 2020
In reply to BusyLizzie:

I have done Marsden to Edale, on both the fast route and the PW route, in a day, using trains between the start and finish on several occasions. I parked at Edale, early morning train to Manchester, rapid change of stations there, and then a train to Marsden. It was simpler for me to start from Edale. This was several years ago, don't know if the train situation has altered in the meantime. Not all trains stop at those stations.

John

In reply to BusyLizzie:

We did it in 4 sections, 3 day, 3 day, 5 day, 6 day. In these sections it was pretty easy to drive to the start of each visit and public transport back to the car at the end of the few days walking. We camped, often wild, the first 3 trips and b+b the last 6 day bit.

We actually preferred the coast to coast which we did in a continuous push over 11 days carrying wild camping stuff the whole way. We got a train to the start and home from the finish. In fact we only decided to do it the day before we started so there was basically no planning. The only downside of that was that we couldn't pre book the train home making if quite expensive.

If you've got a weeks holiday the West highland way is easily doable in a week, even travelling on public transport from Reading and is lovely if you get the weather.

OP BusyLizzie 17 Feb 2020
In reply to John Gresty:

Ooh, that got me looking at the map. It's actually possible to do Hadfield to Edale by train, and about 15 miles back. Thank you.

OP BusyLizzie 17 Feb 2020
In reply to r0b:

Thank you, lots of options there.

OP BusyLizzie 17 Feb 2020
In reply to axor:

Still requires the ability to keep going all day for ?50/60 miles (just no) and sleep deprivation (really really no). My chunks, compared with the spine, need to be mere vertebrae.

 mbh 17 Feb 2020
In reply to BusyLizzie:

I can be no help at all, but I wish you the very best of luck with that. It sounds like a wonderful adventure.

OP BusyLizzie 18 Feb 2020
In reply to mbh:

Thank you. If I make any progress I will report back.

OP BusyLizzie 31 Mar 2020
In reply to BusyLizzie:

6 weeks since I started this thread, with no clue at all about what was coming!!!

But the hills will still be there, and the planning of trips is a comfort for now.

 thepodge 01 Apr 2020
In reply to BusyLizzie:

Do it with a mate, park one car at the far end then drive back to the near end, it makes for some long days but that's how I did some sections. 


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