Pennine Way

Pennine Way
View from the Pennine Way, near Marsden
Length	268 miles (431 km)
Location	Northern England, United Kingdom
Designation	UK National Trail
Trailheads	Edale, Derbyshire Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders
Use	Hiking
Elevation
Highest point	Cross Fell, 893 m (2,930 ft)
Hiking details
Trail difficulty	Moderate to Strenuous
Season	All year
Hazards	Severe weather

The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail runs 267 miles (429 km) from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and the Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes described as the "backbone of England". Although not the United Kingdom's longest National Trail (this distinction belongs to the 630-mile-long (1,014 km) South West Coast Path), it is according to the Ramblers' Association "one of Britain's best known and toughest".

The path was the idea of the journalist and rambler Tom Stephenson, inspired by similar trails in the United States of America, particularly the Appalachian Trail. Stephenson proposed the concept in an article for the Daily Herald in 1935, and later lobbied Parliament for the creation of an official trail. The walk was originally planned to end at Wooler but eventually it was decided that Kirk Yetholm would be the finishing point. The final section of the path was declared open in a ceremony held on Malham Moor on 24 April 1965. Before the official opening of the Pennine Way the British Army was invited to test the whole route, a task which they accomplished in one day. Junior soldiers from the Junior Tradesman's Regiment of the Army Catering Corps, based in Aldershot, were split into patrols of four or five and each was allocated an approximately 15-mile (25 km) section of the walk. A report was then provided on the signage and route feasibility.

The Pennine Way celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 2015. A special four-part BBC One series The Pennine Way was broadcast throughout April.