I decided years ago that I would do the Pennine Way every five years, for as long as I could. The first time was in 2009, then 2014 and 2019, so this will be the fourth traverse, 2024, starting on Monday 4 June.
The first time I did it, I followed the official route completely, stile for stile. The second time, I felt able to fiddle with it a little to see new places, while still starting at Edale and finishing at Kirk Yetholm. The third time, 2019, I did it the other way round, starting at Kirk Yetholm and finishing at Edale. This time I am going to do it S-N again, I have not finalised the route but I am going to stick pretty close to the official one.
I do a reasonable amount of walking - I run a local walking group - but lately, nothing close to approaching the effort required to walk 300 miles in one go. And I am not getting any younger, I am 74 this year. So a certain amount of tuning up is required. In March I started doing a few longer daywalks, 6 or 8 miles. Then when the clocks went forward, I did a three day walk with tent and backpack, walking about 50 miles over the three days with a 10kg backpack. The backpack makes a difference! But I did the walk OK, and my dodgy knees held up .. so I was well pleased, and somewhat reassured. Hmm, but that was it, still a bit nervous, but we shall see!
Now here we are with less than a week to go. What do I need to do, before I go?
1. Sort out the route. Done that now, and I have inserted a couple of rest days including one at Hebden Bridge, after day 3. I also have the tracklogs from 2014 and 2019 available to see where I went then ..
2. Sort out accommodation and travel. Done that, thanks to the wonderful Teresa and Mark at Ollerbrook Barn, I shall stay Sunday night in Edale and then set off, leaving the car behind for when I get back. Travel is booked from Berwick back to Edale on 22 June. Several, but by no means all, of the intervening nights have been booked. I intend to have a mix of nights in the tent, and more salubrious nights in B&Bs and hotels.
3. Sort out the backpack and equipment. Done that too .. I am not short of a bit of equipment but for this trip I have treated myself to some new boots, Hoka Kaha 2. I've been out in them a few times now and they are outstandingly comfortable. Also some new waterproofs, Ultimate Direction, very light at 180gm. I will do reports after the walk as to how they perform. In the meantime, my carry weight is now under 10Kg and I am very happy about that. I will try to post my kit list below.
4. Sort out the technology. Not a great deal to do here, I am totally digital now so really have no option but to pack a spare phone in the bottom of the rucksack, with a spare sim card that EE have kindly provided. My Samsung Galaxy S10+ has been completely reliable and I am confident it will be fine, but if it is lost, stolen, or dropped down a cliff I shall be able to switch to the spare and still complete the walk. The two together weigh less than a Cicerone guidebook. Paper is heavy!
5. Sort out the blog. Doing that now! My problem is that doing blog updates on the phone is quite awkward, and really not what I want to spend a lot of time on after a hard day walking. Still I will try to provide at least a brief update on a regular basis, and then spend a little time expanding them when time allows.
So there we are, keen to get started but rather nervous, in particular as to whether my ailing knees are up to the challenge ahead. We shall see!
Here is my kit list:
Pennine Way 2024
g
Basics Rucksack [Zpacks Arcsoft] 591
Sleeping bag [Zpacks] 818
Sleeping mat [neoair xlite] 480
Thermarest inflation sack 98
cuben small sack 26
Tent [Zpacks Hexamid] 677
Basics: 2,690
Toiletries Toiletries bag (inner) 214
& Sundries Toiletries bag (outer) 46
Microfibre towel and cloth 55
Suntan lotion 44
Washing powder 50
Toiletries & Sundries: 409
Equipment Bits & bobs bag 162
& Documents Sunglasses 82
Credit cards & cash 40
Samsung S8+ phone (spare!) 173
25Ah charger + transformer & 2 leads 569
Equipment: 1,026
Clothing & Rohan microgrid ziptop fleece (orange) 328
Waterproofs Ultimate direction jacket 232
Ultimate direction trousers 142
Trousers Rohan Escapers 34L 305
Base layers Rohan Ultra Silver T (graphite l/s) 109
Rohan Ultra Silver T (royal blue s/s) 72
Rohan ultra silver knicks 42
Rohan Aether boxers 73
Accessories Paramo hat 64
Socks, Rohan Liner socks (x2) 54
Rohan socks 49
Rohan socks 35
Rohan gloves mauve/black 66
Clothing: 1,571
Base weight: 5,696
Food & Drink 5x water bottles 3.5l total 124
750ml water 750
500ml wine 500
food total: 2,000
Food & Drink: 3,374
Carry Total: 9,070
To Wear
Rohan Fuse shiny jacket 335
Hoka Kaha 2 boots 1,225
Rohan GR Explorers 34L 302
Rohan Ultra Silver T (graphite l/s) 112
Rohan Alpha Silver boxers 69
Rohan socks + liner socks 75
Rohan gaiters 190
Step counter 37
Penknife 78
Rohan Ether walking poles (pair) 357
To Wear: 2,780
Grand Total: 11,850
Apologies for the dodgy formatting..
I think I have everything I need. Still thinking about the gaiters, (in the end I took them, and used them a lot) but they are a useful part of being fully waterproofed, and useful for walking through, eg heather.
I am not taking any cooking gear, but might need to pop a mug in. (Didn't, should have!)
Overall the carry total is 500g less than my last traverse in 2019, and the grand total is 850g less, which I am pleased about.