In March 2007 we walked a whole day and a half on the Pennine Way. Little did we know that those few miles would scratch an itch, and that over the next three and a half years, we'd walk the whole thing in many stages.
The oldest National Trail in Britain, and perhaps the most famous, the Pennine Way links Edale in Derbyshire with Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders.
Its 267 miles of walking in the Pennines and Cheviots is, perhaps, best known for the bogs, mud and rain. Although that's not all it offers. There's wild moorland too.
Read about my journey in book format. Available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, Kobo, Nook, Google Play and more.
Published 30 April 2015
From the Old Nags Head in Edale, the Pennine Way heads over to a place of walking history, and some big stones.
Published 6 May 2015
Sherpas carry some luggage as the trail heads over to a morass of peaty pools, and past a famous snack van.
Published 13 May 2015
The rain is coming down, providing the perfect look for a trip across stone-topped moors, over the M62 and up to Stoodley Pike.
Published 19 May 2015
The wild moorland throws up some surprises in the form of a mecca for Japanese tourists who have all come to see a place that certainly isn’t Wuthering Heights.
Published 21 May 2015
Ponden is left behind for a journey over the moors, past a pub that is no more, and along a highly ‘dangerous’ old railway line.
Published 27 May 2015
Grassy fields, canals and farmland? Is this really the Pennine Way?
Published 3 June 2015
Heavy rain and a dead sheep. Perhaps not the best way to start walking the Pennine Way.
Published 10 June 2015
When you start the day with Malham Cove, you may think things could only get worse. You’d be wrong.
Published 14 October 2015
We enter caving country and traverse Roman Roads with views of mighty railway structures.
Published 21 October 2015
A day of walking that’s basically a warm up to a visit to the best pub on the Pennine Way. And perhaps anywhere.
Published 28 October 2015
With a heavy heart it’s time to depart the Tan Hill Inn, and head over the wild moorland of the North East.
Published 4 November 2015
Water, waterfalls, moorland and a hidden gem nestling in the moorland near a firing range.
Published 11 November 2015
A couple of years after last being there, there’s a return to Dufton, and a tour of snow covered hills with hidden radar stations, followed by a closed pub.
Published 18 November 2015
If there is to be disappointment on any section of the Pennine Way it is likely to be found on this one. Or so said the guide book.
Published 25 November 2015
Featureless moorland and muddy paths pave the way for a triumphant entry into one of the most famous areas of Roman Britain.
Published 2 December 2015
A lie-in, the clocks going back, terrible service in a pub and pouring down rain can do little to spoil the fact that we’d made it to Hadrian’s Wall!
Published 6 January 2016
It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring. But despite the rain, two hikers head off Hadrian’s Wall, and out into the wilderness of Northumberland.
Published 13 January 2016
Mist is filling the air, and rain is falling, as we head into one of the most remote parts of the Pennine Way. And all just in time for some extremely inclement weather.
Published 20 January 2016
A day which should have been spent traversing the Cheviots and doing the final push to Kirk Yetholm, is instead spent looking at fallen snow and playing board games.
Published 27 January 2016
After being thwarted at the last hurdle, we were back in Byrness and this time the weather wasn’t going to stop us getting to Barrowburn Farm on the penultimate day of our Pennine Way walk.
Published 3 February 2016
The end is near. Kirk Yetholm is but a few more miles away. First though there’s the Cheviot to visit, the Hanging Stone to admire and a strange man to escape.
Published 10 February 2016
Four years after finishing the Pennine Way, and many more since we’d last been there, we revisit old haunts and say hello again to an old friend.
Published 29 November 2011
Everything you need to know (probably) if you fancy walking between Edale and Kirk Yetholm on the granddaddy of UK long distance footpaths.
Published 6 February 2011
From Edale to Kirk Yetholm, covered in photographs from five trips between 2007 and 2010.
Published 13 May 2018
Edale offers a choice of starting points. A pub. Or a gate.
Published 25 June 2023
In 2025 we’ll be getting a new National Trail. But how long have the others been around?
Published 6 March 2022
In 1984 the BBC challenged four teenagers to walk the Pennine Way. for a four part documentary that chronicles the Pennine Way in the early 1980s.
Published 7 July 2019
Every now and then, someone emails me to ask which walk they should do. Now there’s an open ended question, I think, because it totally depends on who you are and what you like. And if you fall into one these categories, you’ll find your answer here! And if you don’t fall into one of these categories, you might not.
Published 2 June 2019
When is a 268 mile long walk, not actually 268 miles long? When it’s the Pennine Way!
Published 4 February 2018
Is there a reason I haven’t walked a particular trail? Yes, absolutely. But that’s no indication on the quality of the the trail.
Published 7 September 2016
What will greet you when you arrive at the start of the Pennine Way in Edale.
Published 27 April 2016
Because the Pennine Way is an amazing walk, and this is a list of reasons why.
Published 17 February 2016
It’s easy to think of the Pennine Way as 268 miles of drudgery, yet there are some fine moments on the walk and some great memories. Memories such as these…
Published 24 April 2015
Get out the party hats and balloons, for the Pennine Way is 50 years old.
Published 26 November 2014
Need some Christmas inspiration? Here’s five superb walking related books handpicked by the Rambling Man team
Published 26 June 2013
A duck resting in a tin bath next to a roaring fire? What’s not to love about this pub?
Published 16 December 2012
When seeking shelter leads to desperate measures.
Published 14 December 2012
Take a look at the map from Simon Armitage’s book, Walking Home, on the top of the page and see if you can see what the error is.
Published 30 September 2012
The surreal point of the Pennine Way
Published 17 July 2012
Whilst I was off galavanting around Scotland, a piece of good news was announced – the news that Kirk Yetholm hostel is to re-open.
Published 10 May 2012
I recently had an email that posed me an interesting question. They were hoping to do a long distance walk in 2013 but weren’t sure which to do.
Published 24 April 2012
80 years ago, on a Sunday in 1932, 400 people went for a ramble. The Kinder Trespass was defining moment in British walking history.
Published 3 April 2012
There are times when you can look back and spot a life changing moment. And who would have thought that, for me, it would involve a day and a half on the Pennine Way during a particularly soggy part of March in 2007?
Published 18 December 2011
December isn’t the best time for walking. Too many Christmas parties to attend, shopping to do. I always seem to spend more time in the pub than outdoors.
Published 13 November 2011
After spending lots of time climbing a fell, there can be no better experience than finding it doused in cloud with nothing to see.
Published 6 November 2011
You spend ages going up a big hill where you should be able to see an amazing view, only to get to the top and found it shrouded in cloud.
Published 30 October 2011
Throughout October I’ve been doing sunsets in A Sunday Picture and here’s the final one.
Published 11 September 2011
If there’s a photograph that could sum up the Pennine Way, it’s probably this one.