This book presents a portrait of the Pennine Way, Britain's oldest and best known long-distance footpath, tracing its remarkable history through the experiences of walkers past and present. As Andrew McCloy walks the 268-mile route from the Derbyshire Peak District to the Scottish borders, he discovers how the Pennine Way set a benchmark for personal challenge and adventure and how reconnecting with wild places and the unhurried rhythm of the long walk continue to provide a much-needed antidote to our busy modern age.

The resilience of the long distance walker is mirrored in the path's fascinating history: the initial struggle for access, battles to tame the bogs, later challenges of path erosion and the fluctuating circumstances of the rural hostel. Above all else however this is a book about Pennine Way people - from crusading ramblers to resourceful BandB landladies, hard working rangers to fanatical trail walkers. Their conversations and memories are woven into the narrative to give an account of the changing fortunes of the path and its special significance.

Personal, thoughtful and often humorous, The Pennine Way - the Path, the People, the Journey is an exploration of our desire for challenge and adventure, the stimulation of wild places and how a long journey on foot through our own country still resonates today. It will appeal to people who have walked or are preparing to walk the Pennine Way, as well as to those with an interest in the history and legacy of this iconic path.

Acknowledgements

Overview map

Introduction

1. Edale – Crowden: 'The cockpit of the battle for access'

2. Crowden – Hebden Bridge: 'Repairing the green trail'

3. Hebden Bridge – Malham: 'Tom Stephenson's big idea'

4. Malham – Horton-in-Ribblesdale: 'We have waited long enough'

5. Horton-in-Ribblesdale – Hawes: 'Racing and relaxation in the open hills'

6. Hawes – Keld: 'A tale of two trails'

7. Keld – Middleton-in-Teesdale: 'The Pennine Way's eccentric side'

8. Middleton-in-Teesdale – Dufton: 'Waterfalls, wildflowers and wilderness'

9. Dufton – Alston: 'Close to the sky: overcoming Cross Fell'

10. Alston – Once Brewed: 'In the footsteps of history along the Roman Wall'

11. Once Brewed – Byrness: 'A question of motivation in Northumberland's woods'

12. Byrness – Kirk Yetholm: 'The testing home stretch through the Cheviots'

Afterword

Bibliography and sources

Index

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