Pennine Way hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Pennine Way is England's oldest National Trail. It runs for 268 miles (431 km) from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm, just over the border in Scotland, along the hills that people call the backbone of England. It opened in 1965, and 2025 was its 60th year. The official length includes loops and detours: walked end to end on the main line it is nearer 253 to 256 miles (about 410 km), and that is what this guide measures. The trail is waymarked with the National Trail acorn, and most walkers go from south to north, with the prevailing wind at their back.

The route

The first days cross the high peat moors of the Dark Peak: Kinder Scout, Bleaklow and Black Hill, now mostly on stone flags laid to stop erosion. After Standedge the trail follows the gritstone edges of the South Pennines past Stoodley Pike, drops into the Calder Valley at Hebden Bridge, and crosses the moors near Top Withens, linked with Wuthering Heights. North of Gargrave it enters the Yorkshire Dales: Malham Cove and its limestone pavement, Malham Tarn, the climb of Pen-y-ghent, the old Cam High Road to Hawes and the long pull over Great Shunner Fell to Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in Britain.

From Teesdale the North Pennines begin. The trail follows the River Tees past Low Force, High Force and Cauldron Snout, then reaches the edge of High Cup Nick, a huge glacial valley, before Dufton. The next day crosses Great Dun Fell and Cross Fell, at 893 m the highest point of the walk, and goes down to Garrigill and Alston. Further north the trail joins Hadrian's Wall for a few kilometres of crags, crosses Wark Forest to Bellingham and the Redesdale forest to Byrness, and finishes with a long, remote day along the Cheviot Hills on the England-Scotland border before the descent to Kirk Yetholm.

This guide splits the walk into 19 stages, about 21.6 km each. They follow the National Trail's own 16 suggested days, plus three of the splits it suggests (Gargrave, Langdon Beck and Once Brewed), so no day is longer than about 30 km.

Highlights

• Kinder Scout and Kinder Downfall: the plateau of the 1932 Mass Trespass on the first day
• Stoodley Pike: the monument above the Calder Valley
• Malham Cove: a limestone cliff with a famous pavement on top
• Pen-y-ghent: one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks
• Tan Hill Inn: the highest pub in Britain, alone on the moor
• High Force and Cauldron Snout: big waterfalls on the River Tees
• High Cup Nick: a deep, U-shaped valley edged with dark crags
• Cross Fell: the highest point of the Pennines, with Greg's Hut bothy below it
• Hadrian's Wall: the Roman wall on the Whin Sill crags
• The Cheviot ridge: the border fence, wide views and the last miles to Kirk Yetholm

When to walk the Pennine Way

The trail is open all year, but mid-May to September is usually best. The Pennines get about 2.5 m of rain and snow a year and are often windy; even in summer the wind can make the tops feel close to freezing. May and June have long days and drier ground; July and August are the busiest months. In winter, snow, short days and frozen bogs make the high sections serious, and many small places to stay close.

How many days do you need?

Most people take 16 to 19 days for the whole trail. This guide uses 19 days from about 11 to 30 km. The hardest day is Dufton to Alston over Cross Fell (about 30 km and 900 m of climbing, with no services until Garrigill). The last day from Byrness to Kirk Yetholm is about 40 km over the Cheviots with no road access and only two emergency refuge huts, so most people split it at Windy Gyle: Forest View in Byrness runs a shuttle from a roadhead south of Windy Gyle on a two-night stay, or you can wild camp on the Scottish side of the fence. Many people walk the trail in sections over two or three years.

Getting there and away

Edale has a railway station on the Hope Valley line between Manchester and Sheffield; Manchester Airport is the nearest airport. From Kirk Yetholm take a taxi or bus towards Kelso and Berwick-upon-Tweed, then the train from Berwick to Newcastle, Edinburgh or London. On the way there are railway stations near the trail at Marsden, Hebden Bridge, Gargrave, Horton in Ribblesdale and Haltwhistle, which makes section walking easy.

Where to stay

You sleep in inns, B&Bs, hostels, bunkhouses and campsites in the villages and towns along the way. Some stops have only one or two places (Tan Hill, Langdon Beck, Byrness), and some stops are off the trail: for Crowden many people stay in Glossop, for Standedge in Marsden or Diggle, for the Calder Valley in Hebden Bridge. Book ahead for May to September. There is no right to wild camp in England, so camp on campsites or ask the landowner. Baggage-transfer companies carry bags between overnight stops.

Money and phone signal

Cards are accepted in most pubs, hotels and shops, but carry some cash for small farms, campsites and honesty boxes. Shops are few: stock up in Hebden Bridge, Gargrave, Hawes, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Alston and Bellingham. Mobile signal is patchy at best on the moors and in the Cheviots, so do not rely on your phone for navigation.

What to pack

Good waterproof jacket and trousers, warm layers, hat and gloves in any season, boots that can cope with bog and wet grass, a map and compass and the skill to use them, a headtorch, a first-aid and blister kit, a whistle and a survival bag. Carry water and food for the long days: there is nothing between Dufton and Garrigill, between Greenhead and Bellingham, or between Byrness and Kirk Yetholm. Treat stream water before you drink it.

Difficulty and safety

The Pennine Way is a hard walk because of its length, the remote moorland and the weather, not because of technical ground. There are no scrambles, but there is deep peat, wet grass, rocky paths and slippery limestone, and on Black Hill, Blackstone Edge, Ickornshaw Moor, Cross Fell and the Cheviots navigation in mist is difficult. The Helm Wind can blow very hard on Cross Fell. Between Byrness and Windy Gyle the trail runs along the edge of the Otterburn military training area: stay on the path and obey red flags and signs. Keep dogs on a lead near sheep and on access land from March to July. Before you go, check diversions on the National Trail website: in 2026 there is a diversion between Alston and Garrigill (Dryburn footbridge) and a short road diversion in Bellingham from 12 October 2026 to 1 January 2027. In an emergency call 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.