Pennine Journey
A 244-mile long-distance path in the north of England following the walk taken by Alfred Wainwright in the late 1930s, featuring the Yorkshire Dales, North Pennines, and Hadrian’s Wall. With map, statistics, and GPX route file.
Statistics and Files
Grid Ref: SD 817 635
Distance: 244 miles (393 km)
Time: 110–130 hours
Duration: 15–20 days
Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps (1:25,000):
OL2 Yorkshire Dales – Southern and Western Area
OL19 Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley
OL30 Yorkshire Dales – Northern and Central Area
OL31 North Pennines – Teesdale and Weardale
OL41 Forest of Bowland and Ribblesdale
OL43 Hadrian’s Wall, Haltwhistle and Hexham
307 Consett and Derwent Reservoir
Summary
In September 1938, Alfred Wainwright — who later gained fame for his Pictorial Guides to the Lake District Fells — made a solitary walk through the Pennines. The following year, he wrote an account of this walk, which was eventually published in 1986. A revised route based on the original walk was developed by David Pitt of the Wainwright Society for modern roads and rights-of-way.
Starting in the market town of Settle in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the route heads north on the eastern side of the Pennines through the Yorkshire Dales and the moorland stretches of County Durham before arriving at Hadrian’s Wall. It follows the wall for 21 miles before heading south on the western side of the Pennines. After traversing the Pennines just below the highest point of Cross Fell, it enters and travels down the Eden Valley, skirts the Howgill Fells, and finishes back in Settle.