ACCOMMODATION
Places to stay are numerous and well spaced along most of the Pennine Way, allowing for a modest flexibility in your schedule. Apart from in the high season (mid-summer), it’s not necessary to book bunkhouses, hostels and B&Bs weeks ahead but doing so a few days in advance adds to peace of mind.
Unless you take the hardcore camping option, accommodation adds up to the biggest expense of your walk, and because you can have a fortnight in Thailand for the same money as a fortnight’s B&Bing on the Pennine Way, the trail is less popular than it used to be.
As a result many B&B owners, often in important villages, are throwing in the towel; Thornton-in-Craven in 2006 was a good example. In that same year the drastic YHA hostel closures proved to be less of a disaster than anticipated, with many hostels taken on by new independent owners.
In reality, at the time of writing, only two hostels have not reopened (see p16).
Campsites
Campsites along the Way range from a sloping field shared with livestock and a basic toilet, to offer-it-all caravan parks with widescreen DVDs to rent.
Short of wild camping, this is by far the cheapest option at generally around £5 per person although in these crowded British Isles, for a walker campsites might not be considered the best of all worlds.
You lack the freedom and exhilaration of sleeping out in the wilds (see below) and the negligible sound proofing of close-packed tents means a rowdy group can ruin your evening.
Furthermore, many ‘campsites’ these days are actually caravan parks with just a small patch of grass allocated for the dwindling numbers of backpackers. You end up in the corner of what feels like a grassy car park surrounded by static, sat-dished caravans occupied by weekenders.
You’ll spend little money of course, but the only real advantage over wild camping is a perceived sense of security, the ablutions block and a pub meal down the road.
Compared to B&Bing, your rucksack will of course be heavier and the rub is that the price you pay for good quality lightweight gear (4-6kgs for a tent, mat and bag) would pay for a week of B&Bs.
However, as long as you can avoid packed campsites, autonomy in sleeping arrangements lightens the load in other ways; there’s no need to book accommodation, you can change your plans as you go and so treat yourself to something more comfy whenever it’s available.
As you’ll typically be in or near a village or town, carrying cooking gear and food is not really necessary; the Pennine Way may be tough but it’s not remote. Consider making life easier for yourself by combining inexpensive camping with the convenience of eating in local cafés and pubs.
Wild camping (see also box p28)
The Scots have a more enlightened attitude but the official line in England and Wales is that sleeping wherever you like is not allowed unless you have the permission of the landowner.
Acquiring this permission is in most cases totally impractical and will doubtless be negative but, up to a point, in the hills wild camping is generally tolerated on the uncultivated open fells beyond the last farm wall or fence and well away from any livestock.
And so it should be; if walking along England’s backbone is a great adventure, in good weather how much better can it be to watch the sun set and rise in some of these wild places? Indeed, if you’re attempting the walk in less than a fortnight, some nights in the wild will be your only option.
Whether you have to or you want to, the chance to spend the night out in the Pennine wilderness cannot fail to make your experience all the more memorable.
The key to this activity is discretion and respect.
- Camp late or out of sight (use green tents or bivi bags) and leave early
- Camp in very small groups; two tents maximum
- Never make open fires
- Bury or pack out your toilet waste (see p65-6)
- Leave no trace of your passing
If you get spotted by the landowner, as long as you clearly look like a walker in transit he probably won’t shoot you, but if he asks you to move on, you must comply. Bedding down late and leaving early should avoid the chances of such a confrontation.
As for eating, as suggested opposite, eliminate the paraphernalia and chores involved with cooking. Eat locally then walk on to your pitch with a back-up of ready-to-eat foods. Try and plan your camp spot so that you can get to a café within an hour or two of setting off next day.
In the Pennines one wild camping black spot is the Kinder Scout; the first day out of Edale. Because of the high peat fire risk during very dry and always busy summers it’s not unknown for rangers to set out of an evening to harry wild campers.
Spare the hassle and save your wild nights until you’re over the Snake Pass, if not the A62. Ever busy Hadrian’s Wall is also a place you’d want to camp discreetly or just keep going; head for the Wark Forest instead.
Camping barns, bunkhouses and hostels
Basic stone barns to always crowded, booked and busy hostels await you and it’s possible to stay in this type of accommodation on almost every night of your walk, so keeping your expenses to a minimum.
Apart from this good value, their other appeal is the ease of meeting fellow walkers and having the time to get to know them, rather than a transient ‘ow do’ on the trail.
This bonhomie can get tested when the kitchen resembles Dresden circa 1945 or a snorer gets into their stride (earplugs are a must), but you get what you pay for.
The simplest and cheapest of all are camping barns (£4-5 per person) which, at a minimum, provide a roof over your head, a sleeping platform on which to lay your bag and mat, a cooking area for your stove and a toilet.
You’ll need to bring full camping gear apart from a tent but some barns also provide hot water, showers, cooking facilities and a wood-burning stove.
Bunkhouses (£6-13) are independent hostels in all but name; they are sometimes part of the YHA but not always. They are equipped with bunkbeds, full cooking facilities, showers and a drying room.
Most assume you will have your own sleeping bag with you, although it’s often possible to hire bedding for the night. A few even provide breakfast and an evening meal.
Accommodation is usually in bunk-bedded same-sex rooms and there’s always a self-catering kitchen. In addition, a good-value three-course evening meal costing £10 and a packed lunch (about £5) are available at some places.
To stay at a YHA hostel you need to be a member of the YHA (tel 0870-770 8868, www.yha.org.uk, or join at any hostel). Annual membership costs £9.95 for under-26s or £15.95 for over 26s (which includes under 18s travelling with you). You can either book accommodation online through the YHA website or by phone. If booking less than a week in advance phone the hostel direct.
Including Kirk Yetholm in Scotland, there are 14 YHA hostels along or close to the Pennine Way, a few still owned by the YHA, the smaller ones now independently owned or bought and leased back by local councils, but all still bookable via the YHA under its ‘Enterprise’ scheme.
Their size and facilities vary from simple cottages, as at Mankinholes or Byrness, to purpose-built buildings like Hawes or Malham, or former country houses turned into activity centres where uncorked kids drugged by the country air bounce off the walls; Edale YH springs to mind. Prices range from £12 to £15 including breakfast.
Of the other former YHAs which were dropped during the big sell-off in 2006, Keld has new owners, Baldersdale is no longer a hostel, and in 2007 Bellingham (see p228) re-opened on a new site.
Bed and breakfast
B&Bs are a British institution, although not always for the right reasons. For anyone unfamiliar with the concept, you get a bedroom in someone’s home along with in most cases the legendary cooked Full English Breakfast the following morning.
The main advantage on the Pennine Way is you can travel light, sleep well and start the day with a good feed. At the more rural places, or those with friendly owners, you also gain an insight into how the locals live.
British B&Bs in popular or seaside locations can be notorious for both jamming in beds and crumby facilities; it has to be said B&Bs along the Pennine Way are of a much higher standard.
Tacky or fussy joints with ‘polite’ notices on all surfaces are far outnumbered by well-kept town establishments, unpretentious old farmhouses or characterful country homes with enthusiastic owners.
What to expect Any B&B depending on Pennine Way custom can be considered ‘walker friendly’ and arriving looking like a drowned rat is expected. Some places have drying facilities and understand that you may well want to do nothing more than collapse.
An en suite room attracts a premium although often this can be just for a cramped shower cubicle squeezed in next to a loo. So don’t automatically turn your nose up at a bathroom across the corridor which is often more spacious with a deep, inviting bath just waiting for you to turn the taps on and ease away the aches with a long hot soak.
Single rooms are usually poky ‘box’ rooms and are rarely offered. Twin rooms have two single beds while a double is supposed to have one double bed. Family rooms sleep three or more.
Some B&Bs offer an evening meal, particularly if there is no pub or restaurant nearby. Check what the procedure is when you book. Many will do a packed lunch, too; ask the night before.
Rates B&B prices are usually quoted on a per person per night basis and range from a very rare £18 for a room with a shared bathroom up to £50 or more per person for a very comfortable room with private bathroom and all mod cons. Most places listed in this guide are around £30.
Be warned that if you’re staying on your own most places will charge you a single person’s supplement of between £5 and £10 if only a twin or double are available – some even charge you for a double and, unless you pay for two people, many won’t accept bookings from solo travellers for double or twin rooms at weekends as they can usually be sure to fill them with two people.
Owners change their prices at a moment’s notice in response to the number of visitors, so use the prices in this book as a rough guide. In the low season (September to March) prices may come down to some extent.
Guesthouses, hotels, pubs and inns
Guesthouses are hotel-like B&Bs. They’re generally slightly more expensive (£30-40 per person) but can offer more space, an evening meal and a comfortable lounge for guests.
Pubs and inns often turn their hand to mid-range B&B accommodation in country areas and although these businesses are less personal; you may find the anonymity preferable. They can be good fun if you plan to get hammered at the bar, but not such fun if you’re worn out and trying to sleep within sound of the same rowdy bar. In this case it’s best to ask to see the room first or specifically ask for a quiet room.
Hotels cost around £60-120 for the room, usually inclusive of breakfast. Some are fantastic places with great character and worth the treat – but more likely they are places you’re forced to go to when all the cheaper alternatives are full.
WHEN TO GO
Seasons
The main walking season in England is from Easter (March/April) through to October; in terms of weather and the lack of crowds the best months in which to do the walk are May, June and September.
With rising temperatures – but excepting the monsoon-like weather of 2007 – the Pennine’s once-sodden reputation is becoming less reliable.
Spring
The month of April is one of the most unpredictable for walkers. The weather can be warm and sunny, though blustery days with showers are more typical; there might be snow still lying on the hills.
On the plus side, the land is just waking up to spring, there won’t be many other walkers about but there will be plenty of wild flowers and the bird song will be at its best.
May and June are a great time for walking the Pennine Way; the school holidays and associated mayhem are weeks away and all you’ll meet are fellow walkers.
Temperatures are not too warm, the weather is as dry and clear as can be expected, wild flowers are out in their full glory and the daylight will outlast your stamina. Make the most of it.
Summer
July and August herald the arrival of the tourist hordes. Places such as Haworth, Malham and the Dales become leisure battlezones at weekends, tiny villages are congested with traffic and accommodation gets booked out.
But, as always in England, there’s still a good chance of at least some rain during this time.
Autumn
A slower pace of life returns as schooling resumes. Late September and early October see stunning colours in the woods and on the hills. You’re less likely to meet other walkers, but more likely to encounter rain and strong winds. Temperatures remain mild.
Winter
Late October and early November reliably bring up a crop of glorious crisp clear days, but winter is on its way. The days shorten, the temperature drops noticeably and with it many B&Bs, campsites and even shops close.
You need to be pretty hardy to walk between late November and mid-March. True, some days might be bright and sunny, and snow can add a magical element to the hills, but you are far more likely to be walking through driving rain and sleet, accommodation is what you can get and the short days are a problem on longer stages.
TEMPERATURE, RAINFALL AND DAYLIGHT HOURS
These days the Pennines are certainly less wet than their reputation suggests and if you pick your time of year you can minimize your chances of spending days encased in a rustling cagoule.
Just don’t expect your plan to be foolproof. If there’s one thing you can plan on with the English weather it is unpredictability. The tables on the right can only provide a guide.
If walking in autumn, winter and early spring, you must take account of how far you can walk in the available daylight. It’s not possible to cover the same distance you can in mid-summer.
The table on the right gives the sunrise and sunset times for the middle of each month at Hawes, a town about halfway along the Pennine Way which gives a reasonably accurate picture for daylight for the whole trail.
Depending on the weather you can get a further 30-45 minutes of usable twilight after sunset. By this time you should be nearly done anyway, following a clear path to a village bathed in warm lamplight.
|
