articles > 2009

Pennine Journey website goes live
Members may like to know that, with the expert help of Andrew Leaney, David & Heather Pitt have just launched the website for the Pennine Journey project.

background to the project
In 1998 my wife and I set out from Settle on the first long distance walk of our own creation after 18 years of following other people's walks. We had been mindful for a long time of a comment made by AW in his guide to the Coast to Coast Path encouraging walkers to plan their own routes. Having, after early retirement in 1991, read "A Pennine Journey” it seemed natural to try to devise a route that would take in as many as possible of the places mentioned on the route that AW took. The walk that we did covered 231 miles and, coincidentally, was completed 60 years to the day that AW began his Pennine Journey

For those that have not read the book it was never intended to be a walker's guide but is essentially a narrative story about a circular walk he did from Settle, North Yorkshire.  He travelled north through the countryside traversed by the rivers Wharfe, Ure and Swale, over the bleak moorland country around Tan Hill before encountering the valleys of the rivers Tees, Wear and Tyne.  Just beyond Hexham he came to Hadrian's Wall which he followed west for a while and then headed south crossing the Pennines from the high moorland town of Alston, passing through Appleby and Ingleton before returning to the start of his 'journey' at Settle. 

His description, in the book, of the route he took is at times sketchy and in view of the limited time at his disposal involved a lot of road walking – albeit minor ones.  Whilst in 1938 this would not have been so hazardous, it certainly would have been 60 years later.  From our collection of maps and walking guides we put together a revised 'Pennine Journey' using public footpaths. The walk takes in sections of other well known long distance paths such as the Pennine Way, Ribble Way, Dales Way, Hadrian's Wall Walk and the Westmorland Heritage Walk as well as AW's 'Walks in Limestone Country'

David Pitt