Pennine Way 2024 - Some Final Thoughts

 There is a photo album of the walk, here.

 

 Lots of eyes follow you along the Pennine Way now..

If it is your fourth Pennine Way it is easy to get a bit blase.. done it all before, that sort of thing. But I knew I was underprepared and I was much relieved to find I could still cope OK with a hilly, 20 mile day. I have put some more specific thoughts below. 

The route:

When I did the PW the first time in 2009, I religiously followed the official route, stile by stile, all the way. I think you should, don't you? For the subsequent traverses I felt able to fiddle with the route a little, for example one time I went from Alston over Mohope Moor and on to Bardon Mill. From there you can walk up direct to where the PW crosses Hadrian's Wall. Another time I went from Lothersdale over to Skipton and on to Kettlewell, Great Whernside, Buckden Pike and Aysgarth before going over Buttertubs to rejoin the PW in Hawes. Much more strenuous that was, than the official route and I would not want to do it now; but interesting.

This time I did none of that, I kept to the official route throughout bar a couple of minor shortcuts. I even followed the route along Hadrian's Wall (which I find tedious in the extreme, see below) as instructed, though I have a better plan in mind for the next time.

A note on mileages:

I have gone through the posts and added the tracklog mileages, which come from my GPS and are accurate. The other mileages shown come from my stepcounter. It is very accurate at counting steps but to produce a mileage figure it has to rely on my telling it my average step distance (81cm, if you're interested). This works quite well on the flat but if you are going up (or down) something like Cross Fell your step distance falls a lot. So the difference between the mileage figures is actually quite interesting as it is a measure of the difficulty of the day. The more ups and downs there are, the more optimistic the stepcounter figure is likely to be. The stepcounter also measures the entire day's activity, not just the PW route that the tracklog does.

A health update:

Before starting off, I could not really claim more than average fitness. I do a fair amount of walking but in the year so far I had only done one walk of more than ten miles in a day. In April I did a three day walk with a full pack, about 55 miles in total. This went reassuringly well but is quite inadequate as a preparation for doing the PW. I should have done a week long walk a month or less before setting off, as I did do on my three previous PWs. The result was that on day 1, from Edale to Crowden, (which is a long 18-20 mile day with significant ascent) I was pretty done in, by the time I reached the Crowden campsite. The next day was shorter (and far, far wetter!) and went a bit better, and so on. My muscles reacted really well to the situation and after about a week, I had toughened up considerably. My lungs also improved but took longer and steep climbs took time, right to the end.

In my 74th year, I did worry about how well my ageing body can withstand the rigours of a long walk like this. The answer is, surprisingly well on the whole, with certain reservations.

My knees, which are not good, I saw as a weak point but in the event they held up really well. One of them swelled up a little but I had no pain and there was no impact on my walking.

My feet, normally so resilient, developed two blisters which is very annoying and even embarrassing given that I NEVER have blisters normally, not in over twenty years.. I am blaming my boots. They are good boots but they were quite new and they have a very wide toebox which I think allowed a bit too much movement, especially when the boots got damp or wet inside.

The most significant problem was my back. Over the final week, I developed a back problem which caused me real concern. I've had back trouble occasionally for most of my life but never before while walking. I don't know what set it off this time, it could have been something completely random, it could have been the result of carrying a 10-12kg pack for so long, I just don't know. It is concerning because it can easily become quite crippling .. how can you walk the PW if you can't manage to put your own socks on?! Fortunately it didn't get quite that bad, and I took ibuprofen for the last few days, which seemed to help.

Equipment Review:

I have always tried to carry as light a pack as I reasonably can. See my kit list for details.

For this walk I bought two new pieces of kit, Ultimate Direction waterproofs, and some Hoka Kaha II walking boots. Both did very well I thought, the waterproofs were waterproof, and they are very, very light. The boots were comfortable and robust, and their very wide footprint helped when traversing the frequent bogs I encountered. Yes I got blisters, but I would hope to avoid that next time, perhaps by padding the toebox a little, to reduce foot movement.

A note about Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's wall is three feet high! And in serious need of repair. And in several places, not really Roman at all. Before you say "Oh no! It's a historic monument" fine, but we don't complain about the Tower of London, or Dover Castle being kept in good repair; nor the Great Wall of China, for that matter. All those pictures you've seen of the Great Wall (or visited, perhaps) are 20th century reconstructions. I wish we could rebuild a mile or two of Hadrian's, to show it properly, as it was in its glory days. If the Romans could do 75 miles of it I'm sure we could do two; and I think it would give a much clearer idea of what it was like, and be a more fitting memorial to it, than being shown a tatty wall of doubtful authenticity, or what is basically a hole in the ground and being told it is the best preserved lavatorium in Britain...

Accommodation Review:

I stayed at the places listed below. I have done Tripadvisor reviews of most of them, the items include a link to the review.

I also want to mention two places I visited, Clove Lodge, near Bowes, and Honeysteads farm which is about six miles before Bellingham. Both of them offer refreshments to tired walkers in return for a voluntary donation, and both are run by absolutely lovely people. Do pop in if you pass, even if only to say hello. I was grateful to both, but especially to Norman and Patricia (?) at Honeysteads, they kept me going on a long and tedious trek from Greenhead to Bellingham.

Overall I was well pleased with my accommodation choices, there is not one I could not recommend, with the single exception of Tan Hill Inn. I was about 12 the first time I went there, and I have been dozens of times since. I love the place, and it is a crying shame to see it taken over by impersonal corporate business. See the review ..

Ollerbrook Barn, Edale

Crowden C&CC campsite

My friend Wayne's house (not reviewed!)

An Airbnb in Hebden Bridge (see below)

Winterhouse Barn in Cowling

YHA Malham

Campsite, Horton in Ribblesdale

YHA Hawes

Tan Hill Inn

Teesdale Hotel, Middleton in Teesdale

(wildcamp at Hannah's Well, by High Cup Nick)

YHA Alston

Greenhead Hotel hostel

Campsite, Bellingham

Byrness House... a bit different, Byrness House is. No reviews since my last one in 2019 (!) but I definitely will stay there again in 2029, if possible..

Castle Hotel, Berwick-upon-Tweed

YHA Edale

The Hebden Bridge Airbnb was a lovely place to stay, an interesting building and very central, and the host, Mike, was really nice. Unfortunately I took against the Airbnb website, had a lot of trouble logging in, and found it very intrusive. So I can't put on there the five star review he deserves. But if you are better at handling Airbnb than I am, look for a central Hebden Bridge Airbnb for two, with Mike as your host. He is charging £42/night at present I believe, good value for the area and highly recommended..

Tips for intending Penninewayers:

• You can't be too fit; and the first day from Edale to Crowden is no place to discover that you aren't fit enough. Only a third or less of those that start, intending to walk the whole distance, actually do so. The PW is a hard walk.
  
• Prove yourself by doing a week's walk, if you possibly can, carrying the same pack, a month or less before you set off.
  
• When you get back from that, look through the pack and remove anything it turns out you didn't need. You would be amazed at the number of folk who have to post stuff home from Hebden or similar. The question is not "Will this come in handy." The question is "What's the downside if I don't take it?" Taking a huge heavy pack is not manly or clever, it is daft. The lighter your pack, the more you will enjoy the experience.
  
• What you do need, can you make it lighter for a reasonable cost? I swear by my electric toothbrush but no way am I carrying it up Cross Fell. Using an ordinary one for a fortnight won't kill me. These little things really do add up..
• Get the big three as light as possible: rucksack, tent, sleeping bag. Get as close to 500g for each as you can manage or afford. Also remember that with food and drink, you only need to carry enough to get to the next supply point.
  
• Look after your feet. I have a page about footcare, it's so important. Blisters are a pig.
  

Finally, be aware that the biggest difference between a walk and a long walk like the PW is the mental side of things. You will find that somehow, your emotions have become magnified, both the highs and the lows, often over quite trivial things. At some point, you are likely going to feel depressed, fed up, why am I putting myself through this? etc. Beware the half-way point! Traditionally a time when such thoughts occur. But if you are expecting them, you will find them much easier to deal with. And don't forget, there will also be times when you feel on top of the world..

 

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Did I miss something? If there is some aspect you would like to know more about, just let me know..