The Pennine Way

[ANewMe2022]

I'd like to walk this route, and just wondered what sort of training you'd need to do to be able to complete it. Has anybody on the forum done it?...xx

[Oldfloss]

Not me but husband... in the long hot summer of 1976.... in the days when Grinds Brook was the very start of it..( Route has been altered slightly now.He carried all his gear and it took him and his friend 17 days.

He and I were walkers and climbers already, I trained for it with husband and friend, walking, hiking, trails and mountains, and long , long days on Kinder Scout...in very bad weather. The peat groughs are superb training...ha ha... ( if they do not put you off the whole idea) especially after rain... and we had so much of it... we camped too on practice walks and outings, as husband was carrying his gear, they did not use Youth Hostels or B and Bs. Many folk walk, but have their gear carried to stopping points or night halts...

Map reading skills/compass use are absolutely essential..Kinder Scout alone is a very dangerous place, particularly in low cloud or inclement weather. We both have Mountain Leadership Qualifications and husband was, at that time, a part time volunteer for the Snowdonia Mountain Rescue Team.

The last training walk we did, before the planned start in the August Summer holidays, was vile. Heavy rain, low cloud, Kinder Scout traverse using the bearings on a compass...it nearly killed me, and I decided, after aching for three days afterwards, that I would slow them down and so did not go.. as it was...husband had bought brand new waterproofs and never wore them!

Hot, hot summer, he lost two stone and came back, brown as a berry, fighting fit and very streamlined.! I repainted my car!!!

Organisation is paramount and there is much information on it now...he absolutely loved it, and his log book and slides... are testament to it!

Sounds like a great idea...go for it and keep us posted maybe if you decide to do it

[ANewMe2022 in reply to Oldfloss]

Thanks Oldfloss you've mentioned loads of things that I hadn't even considered - like map reading skills Doh!!! I think if we do start, we may start smaller........something like the Teesdale Way which is also just on the doorstep. Then at least if it starts to rain we can hop on the bus home!

I was 6 during that Summer of '76 and we spent every day of the 6 weeks holidays up at the 'Bomb Pool' swimming and laking about. We were given croggies by the older kids to get there. We were out playing from first light until dark and our parents weren't worried. I lived on Tudor pickled onion crisps, treacle sandwiches, and cider barrel ice lollies. We were told that if we saw a glass bottle lying in the grass we had to pick it up and put it in the bin because it could cause a fire. There was a water ban and the waterboard left us water bowsers on the village green so we could collect our own water. I can remember the grass was so parched that it crunched underneath our feet. The heat was cloying in our nostrils. My Uncle caught an Adder in his bate box. We sang Don't Go Breaking My Heart, and Save Your Kisses for Me, all day long. Mam made herself a deck chair lounger, it had red, green and black stripes. Yup, '76 brings back a lot of wonderful memories ...xx

[Oldfloss in reply to ANewMe2022]

Wow! Now I feel really old!!!!! I was 26!!!!

Great times that you had there, what super memories... I loved playing out all day when I was little.. happy times

Yes loads to be aware of... some friends of ours did the Coast to Coast..

northwestwalks.co.uk/coast_...

They B and B-d and hotel-d it.. they really enjoyed it too.. it rained for much of the time, but there was always a hot bath or shower and a meal at the end of each day

[ANewMe2022 in reply to Oldfloss]

Time never stops, if it does you're in trouble !

My dad has cycled the C2C with a load of his mates and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Deep Joy, the Caravan Club mag had an offer of 40% off maps etc at Dash4It. Had a peep and ordered walks for The Great Glen Way and The Teesdale Way by Cicerone, OS Explorer Oban and North Lorn, and OS Landranger North Pennines for less than £30 delivered. Happy days...xx

[Oldfloss in reply to ANewMe2022]

Sounds good to me...we are planning lots of walks on the Welsh Coastal path...just got a holiday home at Criccieth..and access to the path!!!

[Hidden]

I have done some long walks, the entire length of hadrians wall being one of them. The best thing is you just have to get out walking, if you are not used to it, just get out walking to begin with, don't set a time or distance to begin, just get used to walking. Then after a week or so add distance and increase it every few days.

[ANewMe2022 in reply to Hidden]

That sounds a good one too Hidden . Do you wild camp, or is there bunkhouses along the way? Got me thinking now, I wonder if there are walking holidays for trails such as this? Google here I come...xx

[Hidden in reply to ANewMe2022]

i used to do walks with a company called uk outdoor pursuits but I'm not sure they are going anymore, but they used to set the walks up, for example the hadrians wall walk, you walked so far for a day and they would bring you to a hotel at night, next day back to the walking. it was always really good.

[pollyp1]

No. But one day...