High Cup Nick On Cross Fell The Aire Gap
peewits , snipes , meadow pipits and heard two cuckoos .
◆ Witness the wild�lower meadows and rare plants of the Aire Gap and Teesdale and live our own impressionist paintings .
◆ Engage with people , securing a common bond with fellow Pennine Way trekkers , and empathy with B & B and inn keepers who provided early breakfasts if we needed to depart promptly . Farmers also seemed happy , giving a cheery wave as we waited for them to herd cattle . We met the family at Honeystead Farm in Northumberland that goes out of its way to support Pennine Way wayfarers , providing a do-it-yourself pit stop in a barn , replete with hot drinks and other goodies , plus a bed for the completely knackered . There is no charge , just a donations box and a notice welcoming receipt of goodies .
Tom Stephenson �irst went public in the Daily Herald newspaper in June 1935 about his idea to create a Pennine Way . Headlined , ‘ WANTED – a Long Green Trail ’, the text explained that it would be “ a Pennine Way from the Peak to the Cheviots ”. He saw it as a tough , invigorating walk but never a competition as he described the feelings that wayfarers would have , including the highlights that I have listed above . Thirty years later , the Pennine Way was of�icially inaugurated at Malham .
I know , however , from other trekkers whom Trish and I met that there are many ways of thinking about the trail . Here are a few :
The purists who have a particular idea of the real Pennine Way , never deviating from the map route , and carrying everything they need to be selfsuf�icient . As someone who has experienced enlightenment and deep freedom when backpacking in the Pyrenees , I admire them . But two groups sniffed at us , and we returned the compliment . There is no need to be judgemental or zealous about the ‘ of�icial ’ route which is an accommodation with existing rights of way , and negotiation of new ones with landowners . It need not be set in stone . For example , six miles of the more recent South Tyne Trail heading North from Alston is arguably preferable to the acorned route 250 feet above that yomps over bog and neglected �ields . Of course , it should be top priority to witness the amazing landscapes and highlights , while knowing that very occasionally one may be forced elsewhere , especially by the great British weather .
Doing it in sections over two or more years . For those with jobs , Wainwright advocated this , although he went a step further . He walked the Pennine Way neither in logical order nor in a single trek . Perhaps that is why his 1968 Pennine Way Companion is somewhat disparaging . You can only appreciate the Pennine Way as a complete whole , and you can ’ t do that if you ’ re �itting bits together like a jigsaw .
A footpath that joins other paths to form circular walks This is how Trish and I use the trail in our everyday hiking . It is particularly noticeable on the southern section where the route lies between large conurbations . Here the path is often paved , host to many who are out for the day . Pennine Way trekkers are a minority , and almost non-existent in winter . Things change dramatically in the North Pennines where there are few connecting paths . In places , especially Northumbria , the path on the ground becomes narrow and winding through moorland heather .
“ In many ways a pointless exercise leading from nowhere in particular to nowhere in particular ” The quotation is from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage ’ s book Walking Home . They are clever words , but I disagree . For millions of hikers and trekkers worldwide , the names of wild places are laden with meaning , even when viewed only on a map . Simon Armitage walked along the Pennine Way from North to South . In Walking Home he also gave the trail human characteristics , imbuing it with a logic to which he vowed not to succumb . He had a special dislike of Kinder Scout which he decided to abandon in bad weather . He had walked home , reaching his destination two days previously , but did not complete the Pennine Way . The �inal words of Walking Home state that “ perhaps ” he would do the whole thing again , but
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