now that the C2C is over I can start planning the PW for next year. Hopefully this time I'll not fall on the first day and have to stop. Decided that a baggage carrier will be a good idea especially as I intend to camp/bunk it.
Good luck and dry skies for those attempting this year.

Good luck. I always feel that the planning of such an expedition is as much fun as the walk. You have a year to look forwards to it!

Thanks, I agree with you. After last year I have a template to work to, but I have put that work aside and looking at it fresh. I intend to camp and bunk, but will probably use a baggage company for the heavy stuff. Learnt that lesson this year on the C2C.
Plus the planning gives me something to do when I'm stuck away from home in a stuffy hotel on business, at least I can escape and imagine the countryside.

just received so news on the pub in Garrigill. It reopened on Christmas Eve, so that's good news. Looking at stopping in Garrigill now rather than Alston in May.

Hope it stays open. Garrigill has suffered depopulation, as the price of small houses has soared, and when I was there last year the pub was almost empty on a Saturday evening.

I've been doing my best to keep my local rural pubs open by walking to them during the snow - keeps me fit, helps their accounts, and a few drinks strike me as better value than I'd get in the shopping malls.

Well that's the planning finished, all the overnight stops, bar the campsite at Crowden, booked, couple of deposits to send off and then that's it, no turning back now. Set off on the 30th April and God and the weather and injury pixies willing, looking to finish on the 16th May. That gives me time to get home relax and recover enough to celebrate my 50th birthday on the 20th!!

Take precautions at Crowden campsite! The midges will get you otherwise.

Hi W+D,
Can you share your itenary with us ? Im planning on doing the walk for the second time in 2012 an love the walk, would be interested in your plans.
All the best
Les

The same here, I'm planning to walk part of the Pennine Way from Marsden to Bellingham next year, only a fortnight.

W+D,
You are going to love it!
Dave.

thanks all, I'll post the itiniery later. Hope I do manage to enjoy this attempt. Tried in 2009 and tripped up near the end of the first day and hurt my shoulder, next day in far to much pain to continue so here's hoping, although did manage the C2C last year.

Mick

With you there Slowcoach! I really enjoy sitting there working out distances between villages and where I'm going to stop, how far to do on the first day etc. This year I'm planning the Southern Upland Way and just planning the stopovers has taken a few weeks, never mind booking them!

Ok route is planned as a 17 day walk as follows:
Day 1 - Edale to Crowden - Camping Caravan Park
Day 2 - Standedge - The Carriage House camping
Day 3 - Colden - Highgate Farm camping
Day 4 - Cowling - Winterhouse Barn camping
Day 5 - Malham - Miresfield Farm camping
Day 6 - Horton - The Crown B&B
Day 7 - Hardraw - The Green Dragon camping
Day 8 - Keld - Park Lodge
Day 9 - Baldesdale - Clove Lodge
Day 10 - Langdon Beck - East Underhurth Farm B&B
Day 11 - Dufton - Grandie Caravan Park camping
Day 12 - Garrigill - Eastview B&B
Day 13 - Greenhead - Greenhead Hotel B&B
Day 14 - Winshields - Winshields Farm camping (easy day)
Day 15 - Bellingham - Demesne Farm camping
Day 16 - Byrness - Forest View (with Joyce)
Day 17 - Kirk Yetholm - Border Hotel B&B

There are some longish days but also a few easier days

Sounds like a well thought out schedule. Hope that all goes well and you enjoy the experience. Hope you have enough energy left for the final day. One of my overriding memories is of actually overtaking two campers lugging their kit back up from the Linn on the final day having spent the night at Uswayford myself!!!

Agree its looks like a great itinary, similar to what I'm looking at for 2012 apart from my wish to fit in the Bowes loop this time (only because I didn't go that way last time) and I'll be wild pitching somewhere on the Cheviots to split that last stage.

I dont recognise your night 10 stopover, East Underhearth farm. Is this the farm where you can branch off to Langdon Beck YH and pub by the small river brige ? (if so I actually camped there behind the stone wall next to the bridge without knowing its name lol)

All the best with the walk, Im sure you'll love it
Les

Although I didn't stay there I popped into the Highgate Farm shop/Aladdin's Cave quite early in the morning. It was hacking down with rain outside and I got a really nice reception, a big mug of tea and stocked up with Mars Bars. There didn't appear to be anything that she didn't stock. Well worth walking 100 yards off the Pennine Way just to see the place and I am sure that you will get a good reception (and you can use the loo!).

The only thing I have to work out now is how to get to Blackpool from KY. Will Mrs W&D come and pick me up or is it public transport and a tour of the North East!

Mick

............ you WANT to get back to Blackpool?

good point! Well just outside Blackpool in a nice area unburdened by stag & hen parties

well less than a month to go till the big day. How many more times can I read the guide books and look at the maps before then! More neverous about this walk than I was last year for the C2C. Have to finish it this time, got the train booked home, £24 first class Edinburgh to Poulton-Le-Fylde (Blackpool), not bad, an hour either way and it was an extra £100. Got to phone Crowden Campsite tomorrow when they open for the season and confirm with them and that's all the night stops sorted.

Well just over a week till the off, pampering the feet twice a day with a nice covering of vaseline, seems to be doing the trick. Had a good long walk on Saturday around Troutbeck, the only thing I can say is that it was a good navigation exercise couldn't see a thing all the way round. Not as fit as before the C2C last year, but that's down to lack of hill time due to injuries & illness so will have to walk my way into it. Looking forward to it though.
Mick

Hi Mick,
Im sure you'll have a great time Mick, makes my feet twitch just reading you post, we're planning to do it again next year (with better half this time). Let us know how you fare.
Les

Hope the weather cools down for you. Without any wind the tops are currently quite uncomfortable.

As long as I get to see some scenery, the Lakes seem to clag in everytime I go walking!
Mick

The problem has been a persistent heat mist. On the tops there was a very slight breeze which took away the oppressive nature, but once you were sheltered from this you just started to "glow" alarmingly quickly. You could see a fair distance (which for the Lakes is a bonus) but the mist restricted the full panorama.

Final plan - camping most of the way with some B&Bs thrown in for a bit of comfort. Have managed to get some good deals on the trains by booking early, £25 First Class from Edinburgh to Preston, bit of comfort at the end.
Day 1 - (30/4) Edale to Crowden 16 miles camp Crowden C/van Site
Day 2 - (1/5) Crowden to Standedge 11 miles camp Carriage House
Day 3 - (2/5) Standedge to Colden 16 miles camp Highgate Farm
Day 4 - (3/5) Colden to Cowling 16 miles camp Winterhouse Barn
Day 5 - (4/5) Cowling to Malham 17.5 miles camp Miresfield C/site
Day 6 - (5/5) Malham to Horton 14.5 miles B&B The Crown
Day 7 - (6/5) Horton to Hardraw 15.5 miles camp The Green Dragon
Day 8 - (7/5) Hardraw to Keld 12 miles camp Park Lodge
Day 9 - (8/5) Keld to Baldesdale 14 miles camp Clove Lodge
Day 10 - (9/5) Baldesdale to Langdon Beck 15 miles B&B East Underhurth Farm
Day 11 - (10/5) Langdon Beck to Dufton 15 miles camp Grandie C/van site
Day 12 - (11/5) Dufton to Garrigill 16 miles B&B Eastview
Day 13 - (12/5) Garrigill to Greenhead 22 miles B&B G/head Hotel
Day 14 - (13/5) Greenhead to Winshields 8 miles camp Winshields C/site (bit if a rest day)
Day 15 - (14/5) Winshields to Bellingham 16.5 miles camp Demesne Farm
Day 16 - (15/5) Bellingham to Byrness 16 miles Bunk Forest View
Day 17 - (16/5) Byrness to Kirk Yetholm 26 miles B&B Border Hotel

so that's the plan, distances are estimates, just can't believe that in less than a week I'm setting off, time has really flown from the initial planning stage to now. Will try and provide updates as I go along.

Mick

Looks good Mick, hope everything goes well. Will watch for your updates.
Les

ps Your probably aware but just incase; that campsite shop at Crowdon isn't open all that late if your looking to buy anything for a meal at the end of day 1. There's bugger all else around there, no pub etc unless you fancy another 6 miles round trip. The hostel wouldnt allow us in for a meal either so dont get there too late if your relyiong on buying food/drink.

Hope it all goes well for you. The underfoot conditions are excellent with very little in the way of deep bogs at the moment. Rivers are exceptionally low (which makes them a little unsafe to drink from unless the water is running fast). provided the rain keeps off you'll enjoy it.

Mick,
Have a blinder, keep your head up, enjoy every moment, and let us all know about your experience, when you come back down to earth.
Dave.

See you soon Mick. Joyce & Colin

Thanks Joyce & Colin, I really hope so this time, don't want to be falling over again on the first day!!

Does anybody know of a company that does a GUIDED PW, or anybody planning to do it in 2012 that wouldnt mind a walking companion?
The Pennine way is an itch that I have to scratch, but I dont think my navigational skills are up to it,plus cant find any of my friends who want to come along(they all think I am certifiably insane LOL)

Generally speaking if you start at Edale any weekend late May/early june you should find someone to walk with or at least to keep directing you onto the right path. 2012 is a long way off why don`t you use the time to do a course to polish your skills then you don`t need to depend on anyone.Doing it once is far from insane we have a couple in tonight who are about to complete their 4th Pennine way as part of the Lands end to John O groats that they promised themselves when they retired.And in a couple of weeks Nic will be back for his (approx) 13th go.

Generally speaking (and from my experience at leading walks), joining an unknown group to do any long distance walk can be quite traumatic. You inevitably get those who find the pace too slow and steam on ahead to the disdain of the slower ones or those who find the whole effort far too much and crawl along like a ruptured snail!

Only a few weeks ago I lead a charity walk. What a disaster it was. There were so many variations as to what a walk should be that we spread out over half a mile on a six mile course!

As Joyce so wisely states, find yourself a basic map reading course (most National Parks run at least one). Or, join a local walking group where you can pick up the skills yourself. You might even meet someone who is also looking for a companion there. I find that I can alwaysscratch an itch quite successfully myself .... but others just can't seem to do it for me ....

As SC says a group walk can be frustrating not only for different walkers abilities but especially for the leader, trying to keep control of the thing.
What I tend to do is lead from the middle and control those that want to stretch out ahead, by having lots of short stops, so the tailenders can catch up at their pace.
I would suggest that if someone answers your call, you should go on a few walks with them beforehand, not only to compare pace and comfortable daily distance, but to see if you get on with each other.
I know of walking partners that got on well when doing their day walks, but didn't when each other face on multi day trips.
Dave.

The problem that I faced a few weeks ago was that some of the assembled mass came to do a "sponsored walk" not a walk! They had decided that it would take under 3 hours so they had planned alternative activities for the afternoon. The result, they shot off, unwilling to stop for lunch (which was in the program), listen to my stories (which you can't blame them for) or wait for anyone marginally slower who was walking behind them. As there were knocking on 100 participants it was quite a line that stretched out in front and behind me! Never again!

17 days away from Blackpool! Shall I tell you where you can see the tower whilst you are away if you get all nostalgic?

Enjoy the walk and have a fantastic experience.

Well according to his itinerary Mick should be with Joyce in Byrness by now, with his last day tomorrow so we should soon hear about it all.
Dave.

Yes he is here, he is fed and watered (well perhaps not watered) and looking forward to his marathon day tommorrow.

Dougal - have you ever done a long distance path before? What sort of walking have you done?

now in the Border Inn in KY enjoying a few drinks. Pretty dry day today but very windy and chilly. Managed to get here for about 4.30 after setting off at 6am. Left ankle very sore and not sure whether a few more malts or painkillers would be best!

A few malts !!!!!

Also - enjoy the bus into Kelso tomorrow morning. The driver has been on that route for years and picks up loads of Pennine Wayers !!!!

Look out (whilst you are on the bus) for Teapot Street in Morebattle!

If you leave Yetholm by the other road look out for the garden jam packed with hundreds and hundreds of GNOMES of every size and colour, bizzare !!!

The driver was a character, reminded me of the school bus driver from the Simpsons!

Joyce missed the gnomes, thanks for the hospitality (and the ice cream), really enjoyed the stay, but you could have warned me about the climb to Byrness Hill, talk about a wake up call!

Mick

Well done Mick, looking forward to your report. You covered the Chevs quicker than me, by about an hour and half, mind I had to swim half of them. lol.
Dave.

Well done Mick, hope the ankle's on the mend, looking forward to hearing all about the trip.
Les

hopefully will get round soon to posting the photos and a report