We start the Pennine Way!

Wednesday 30 May – Edale to Torside

So, here we are. The start of the Pennine Way.

As we’ve commented before, we knew the Way would be a challenging walk. We had read a lot about its changeable weather, the navigation challenges, the ups and downs, as well as the beautiful scenery. We’d also read that a lot of people give up after this first day. So it’s fair to say that we were both excited and a bit nervous as we set off this morning!

Today was a 27km walk, up to Kinder Scout, along a plateau, then down to the Torside valley.

We started off in good spirits, knowing our packs were being transported and the weather, though cloudy, was dry. The forecast was for a lot of low cloud (translation: mist up in the hills!) and a high likelihood of some showers. The first part of the day took us along the Edale valley, slowly rising along the way. Looks good, we thought. Don’t be fooled, said the guidebook. Sure enough, after a while the easy part finished, with a steep climb up Jacob’s Ladder, essentially a stone staircase, then along to Kinder Low, which despite its name is actually a peak! At just over 600m high it may not be Everest, but it was the highest we’d got to, and it gave us grand views back along the Edale valley.

Then the rain began.

Then the cloud closed in.

The rest of the day was basically rain, cloud, fog and drizzle. Our guidebook kept describing “magnificent views to the west”. Yes, we had magnificent views – of low cloud and raindrops. Such a shame particularly at the end of the walk when we walked high along a river valley, which should have been so picturesque but we couldn’t see more than 50m away.

Our biggest concern for today had been navigational challenges at a couple of points. Fortunately, by chance we wound up walking much of the way with Steve from Bristol, who had done the Pennine Way twice before.  It also helped that the Way was better marked than we had expected.

On the plateau itself we were walking for a long time across peatlands, originally forested but cleared 7,000 years ago and since becoming peatland and heather. It had a wild beauty all of its own. Fortunately the peat bogs that had plagued earlier walkers have now been tamed in most areas with huge stone slabs that have been repurposed from demolished stone buildings. This not only helps walkers such as ourselves but helps protect the peatland environment.

It sounds like a pretty grim day but in fact chunks were very enjoyable.

It’s fair to say that we have slightly differing opinions on a day like today. Peter really enjoys the wild remoteness of areas such as the Pennine uplands, even when wet and cloudy, in part because he has experienced this sort of walking back in NZ. Val on the other hand isn’t so keen, and definitely prefers more lowland walks such as the Cotswolds. Just as well we have a lot of variation on this Grand Adventure!

Both of us though were delighted to descend into the Torside valley, to our accommodation at The Old House B&B, and be welcomed with hot drinks. The hot showers that followed were bliss!

The forecast for tomorrow is much better and it will be a shorter route with no navigational challenges. Roll on the sun!

Distance today: 27km