What is the Pennine Way?
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Pennine Way, it is the oldest National trail in England opening back in 1965, and, to this day, is arguably the most iconic of the trails in England.
All in all, the trail is a total of 268 miles, starting from the village of Edale in the Peak District and finishing in Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. Avid walkers will spend up to 19 days completing the entire trail! However, the beauty of the route is that you can easily walk just a section of it in a single day and as all of our cottages have access to the Pennine Way, we’re going to tell you how!
Where should I stay to access the Pennine way?
The quick answer to that is, any of our cottages! One way or another, you can access the trail from any of the cottages we offer. The villages in which our cottages sit are ideally placed to be ‘base camp’ on any adventure onto the Pennine Way!
If you want the trail to be right on your doorstep, the best place to be is the lovely little village of Thwaite, home to one of our cottages, Westholme. From these two cottages you can walk over Great Shunner fell on to the Pennine Way which takes you over to the quaint hamlet of Hardraw, sat just above Hawes town. This route is about 8 miles, so a hearty walk that deserves a delicious treat at the end of it – luckily, there are lots of spots in Hawes for cake and a cuppa!
Another option from Thwaite, that is a little shorter and perhaps more suitable for walking with the little ones, is taking the route up over Kisdon – a mighty hill with incredible views. From Kisdon you can walk to either Keld, which is around 3 miles, or Muker which is slightly shorter, being around 2 miles.
For those of you looking to stay in our cottages in other locations, perhaps a little further down the dale, such as Gunnerside, Low Row and Reeth, you can take a short drive or use the local bus service to get to either Thwaite, Muker or Keld for easy access to the Pennine Way too.
If you are staying with us, we would highly recommend venturing the trail. It is full of spectacular views and a perfect activity to blow the cobwebs away and recharge in the fresh Yorkshire air. Our cottages make the ideal spot to retreat back to after a long day walking, so be sure to book your stay and start planning your next adventure!