Pennine Way conditions?

[HikeyMikey72]

Flying in from Ireland 19th May to have a crack at the Penny Way for the 1st time. 43 year old but I only look 42. Camping en route, have 9 days to see how far north from Edale I can get (hoping Middleton in Teesdale). Using Trailblazer as a guide, AZ maps hardcopy and Backcountry Navigator GPS app. Have pre booked a few sites that may be busy Edale Crowden Mankinholes etc. Going to dine in basically anywhere I pass so not carrying grub.

Blessed here the past week with weather hoping to bring it with me. Hows the footing conditions been in the past week or so. Im a lightweight lycra and trail runners kinda hiker. Total kit 7.7kg excl water. Not too bothered about the rain but knee deep in peat bog gets my goat.

Any tips for a Pennine virgin, anybody going the same direction?

[bricam2096]

The days of the pennine way peat bogs are long gone, nowadays the worst affected parts are crossed on stone slabs, which makes walking far easier. Obviously the weather could do anything between now and when you set off but I did the walk in August and I'd probably say that it wouldn't get possibly soggy until after Tan Hill Inn.

[sussamb]

Middleton should be more than doable.  As Bri says, probably be okay until after Tan Hill although should the weather change it can get quite wet between Keld and Tan Hill 

Hope it all goes well for you 

[geordie33]

It has dried out remarkably in the last couple of weeks.Still some wet patches but nothing to worry about.No heavy rain forecastat the moment

[HikeyMikey72]

Ta lads for the heads up. Been watching Plodders Pennine Way on Youtube for inspiration. Well worth the watch. Pre trip anticipation setting in now. Have packed and unpacked kit about 20 times, studied every forecast available and read anything I can find. Talked the talk and now just the walking to do.... Camping kinda pricey round those parts, Ł12 a night is just the wrong side of a fiver for me.

[youradvocate]

I start hiking the Pennine Way on 25th May from North to South. I've done it this way before and I can only remember two really wet places, in the forest just after Byrness and just before I got to the Tan Hill pub. If its wet when I hike this time I'm sure I'll experience other places en route but I always try to remain positive. I'm alive and well enough (I hope) to know its better for me to face what comes my way on a hike than sitting in front of the TV or shopping at Tesco's. Hiking long distances can sometimes be hard but I try to convince myself on the bad days and on the despair days, that 'it can only get better'!

[ninthace]

I start hiking the Pennine Way on 25th May from North to South. I've done it this way before and I can only remember two really wet places, in the forest just after Byrness and just before I got to the Tan Hill pub. If its wet when I hike this time I'm sure I'll experience other places en route but I always try to remain positive. I'm alive and well enough (I hope) to know its better for me to face what comes my way on a hike than sitting in front of the TV or shopping at Tesco's. Hiking long distances can sometimes be hard but I try to convince myself on the bad days and on the despair days, that 'it can only get better'!

Tan Hill area counts as a local walk for me. Sleightholme should be practicable at present as we have had a protracted dry spell following the snow the other week, although it is always a bit squishy in places.  If the worst comes to the worst, it can be omitted anyway by using the C2C cycle route instead to gain the Arkengarthdale road.

[HikeyMikey72]

http://imgur.com/ZuQgmXa [nofollow]

Looks like Im getting wet.

[ninthace]

http://imgur.com/ZuQgmXa

Looks like Im getting wet.

Shame 'cos walking conditions in the Pennines are superb at the moment - actually got dusty boots on Sunday.

[HikeyMikey72]

Knee deep it is so. Got an awful lashing today. Stone pathway all but gone in a lot of places, torrents rushing over it. Crossed 4 rivers (up to my waist in parts). Head down, crack on, seen nothing.

[rural roamer]

I'm prepared for knee deep bog, and paths being waterfalls but 4 rivers up to your waist? Where was this, had you veered off the path?

[ninthace]

For what its worth, conditions from Swaledale to Garrigill are still good at present as far as I can tell. Boggy bits are fairly easy and there isn't a lot of mud.  C2C ditto.  Now watch it rain.

[HikeyMikey72]

Down Black Hill towards Standedge was shocking. Chap broke his foot during one crossing ending up in Halifax A&E.

[snoopdawg]

Thinking about doing the Pennine Way in August this year. Before I start doing the research how do people go about getting to the start? ie buses and trains. I would be traveling from the NE

[sussamb]

You can get a train to Edale, at the end from KY I took buses to Berwick and trained from there.