On The Pennine Way Part One By Steve Rudd

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Why on earth would anyone want to go walking on their week off work? That's the question that most people would routinely ask anybody who would do exactly that, as though walking - and long distance walking in particular - is something simply not to be indulged in. I always argue that there is very little more exciting than setting out into the unknown, armed with little more than a backpack, tent and basic food and drink provisions. Oh, and a map... perhaps.

Most people in the UK - whether they're walkers themselves or not - have at the very least heard of the mighty Pennine Way National Trail that stretches some 270 life-enhancing miles north from The Peak District, through the Yorkshire Dales and over Hadrian's Wall into Scotland. But how many of those people actually ever get round to taking the time out to walk it? First and foremost, the main excuse for many people not walking the walk comes down to the time element and the harsh fact that it's almost impossible for most folk to secure two to three weeks off work, for example, which is the average length of time that the walk will consume.

For sure, this walk ain't easy, and even the youngest and the fittest of people often struggle profusely. Still, you don't necessarily have to walk the way all in one go. Do it in stages. The important thing is that you bother to get out into the country and do it at all.

I'd wanted to walk The Pennine Way for ages, but only had four days to spare and thus resigned myself to setting out from Edale at the southernmost extreme of the trail, to head as far north as I could in such a short space of time, managing in due course to arrive deep in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Haworth. The relatively short distance between Edale and Haworth merely seemed to scratch at the surface of the walk's epic scope, with the first stage of walking from Edale to the not-even-hamlet-sized stopping-off-point of Crowden renowned for being one of the toughest sections of all.

I arrived in Sheffield mid-afternoon of my first day away and was destined for another short train journey out into the country and away from the urban sprawl shortly, but due to having missed an onward train connection to Edale by a few minutes, I had a couple of hours to kill in Sheffield city centre.

Out of the train station, the first building of significance that attacks the eyes is university-affiliated, but the city centre is only a five minute walk away, which is nice and compact and served by a tram system and aesthetically appeased by a charmingly attractive Cathedral. Oh, and Greggs' chain of bakeries is also a Godsend too... if you're hungry that is - which I was. As per usual; yep, there's nothing new there.

Continued ... next page

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