Frank,
It's not cheating.Do what you want to do when you want to or can do it.For some people walking anywhere or even standing up is a challenge. You have nothing to prove. How dare some say its cheating. Don,t even ask the question.

The Countryside Commission undertake a biannual survey of national trail users. This involves interviewers standing at hotspots along each trail and surveying everyone that passes, regardless of whether they are doing the full trail or not. This means that dog walkers, picnickers, solitude seeking romantic couples etc are included as well as people doing the whole trail either in one go or as part of a series of walks. Experience as part of this survey shows that people walking at different speeds see different things. To take the PW as merely an example, slower walkers tend to visit "off site" attractions, especially at the end of the day. (Faster walkers tend to establish a base at the end of the day and remain there be it a camp or pub). This is in no way intended as a criticism of either group, but both do it their own way and should get their enjoyment as they see fit. There is no right or wrong way to undertake any walk.
I remember one (faster) walker telling me that he "could spare me a couple of minutes" to answer the questions. He actually told me that he "stopped looking at the views many years ago". On the other hand a slow pair replied "what waterfall" when standing alongside High Force!!!!

Sounds like everyone on here is having a great time, lucky for you all.

Ah .... a slight difference here because a marathon is a particular race run under a set of specific rules. By definition a marathon is a 26 mile run (Sorry Lounge Lizard .... 26 mile 385 yard run) ... so two thirteen mile runs could not be called a marathon, even if one of the two sections was 13 miles 385 yards. However, the National Trails are not governed by any such regulations. So, if you decided, due to the weather, to walk up the Dun Fell access road rather than via Knock Fell you have still completed the Pennine Way.


I was one of the original founders of the Wolds Way (my picture is in Dave Rubenstein's book, so avoid this at all costs). There was never any thought during its formulation of a time schedule and the CC (or whatever it was called then) refused to define any target time for covering it.

Go for it at your own pace ... above all, enjoy the experience!

Fast or slow, camping or not, isn't it down to your own personal agenda and not any unwritten rules?
I met a couple in their late 50's in the Stag at Dufton who had covered every mile there and back most weekends this year and were hoping to complete before the end of the year. There and back meaning park the car walk the route and then turn around and walk back to the car. When they get to Scotland they are gonna meet friends and family and celebrate. They will have completed the Pennine Way twice in one year, both ways. Hats off to em I say!

Must have been a nightmare in the Cheviots. I did look at doing this but found the logistics impossible given accessibility by non 4x4 vehicles is strictly limited.

Yea should be, but i noticed alot of Quad bike tracks all over the Way... mosty by farmers i know, but they are chewing up the route quite badly

A horse and cart would be very interesting on the gradients at Usswayford and other farms in the Cheviots.

they are quite silly animals and often get themselves into scrapes)

i wonder how many of you have seen the ruts caused by a horse and cart

Naff
it was slang name for the hub of a cart wheel
[maybe Yorkshire slang]

Heavier than usual rainfall. Hmmm let me think....yepp that about sums up the bulk of the last 3 years. Short of a helicopter I don`t think it would have made a jot of difference which transport the farmers used the result would have been the same. (except maybe a boat)

Up here it is not so much large flock as large area because the soil in mountains and hills is shallow and often poor the sheep need a greater expanse to graze on.

Speaking of sheep, does anyone know if there eyesight is bad?

reason i ask is because when im walking they seem to see or hear you... stand there looking in your direction, then suddenly seem shocked when you get within 20 feet?

its like they can hear you first, then when they see you.... OMG its a Human.... run for your lives!!!

or heard the expression naff deep , but then again the word naff does not mean the same to-day