Senior Hikers Challenged In Pennine Way, England

I recently read information on the seven epic walking trails in the world. Senior hikers, where you are headed with your best pair of hiking boots, is called Pennine Way.  So grab your coffee, your boots and let’s be on our way.

Often called the most physically challenging trek in the United Kingdom, the 268-mile Pennine Way walking trail follows the mountainous backbone of England through the moors of Bronte Country, over limestone cliffs and glacial valleys, past Hadrian’s Wall and across the wildest stretch of land in the nation before concluding at the Scottish border.

The traditional starting point of the trail is The Old Nags Head, Edale in the beautiful Peak District. This charming 16th-century property features its own, well-known pub.

I’d want to check in here prior to hiking the trail as the cozy pub is listed as one of England’s top 100. With a log fire, it also offers a selection of local beers, ciders, lagers and its own ale, The Nag’s 1577. Let’s meet there and take the trail together, okay?

Seniors Check Out High Cup Nick

It takes about 18 days to complete, but many walkers prefer to break it up into smaller sections. Some forgo the southern and northern extremities altogether and focus on the more accessible middle section of the trail, the highlight of which is a breathtaking glacial valley called High Cup Nick.

Bronte Country is an area which straddles the West Yorkshire and East Lancashire Pennines in the North of England. A windswept land of heather and wild moors, it is hardly surprising that this region became the inspiration for the classic works of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne.

Seniors Find Hadrian’s Wall

Seniors, wouldn’t it be neat to hike across the famed Hadrian’s Wall. Know anything about that Wall? Well, Hadrian’s Wall, also called the Roman Wall, Picts’ Wall, or Vallum Hadriani in Latin, was a defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia, begun in 122 AD in the reign of the emperor Hadrian.

If you would prefer a shorter trail, walk 84 miles from coast to coast following the World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Wall, past Roman settlements and forts. There’s history every step of the way, and cosy pubs, bustling market towns and great views too.

Small wonder then, that this landscape fueled the imagination of the Bronte sisters in writing their classic novels – including “Wuthering Heights”, which was reputedly inspired by the isolated moorland farmstead of Top Withens and “Jane Eyre”.

Seniors, enjoy your visit to the area and walk part if not all the Pennine Way. You will certainly enjoy the legendary landscape. -jeb