Pennine Way North (7 Days & 6 Nights)
- Walk the Pennine Way North from Hadrian’s Wall to the Scottish border.
- Enjoy the majestic vistas of the Northumberland National Park
- Mesmerising and historical sights of old Roman mile castles and forts.
- Wonderful and warm “northern” welcome from your accommodations.
- Taking on the challenge of the Cheviot Hills, a romantic and wild landscape.
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in Greenhead and overnightGreenhead is very near Britain’s exact geological centre, a point equidistant from all shores. This interesting fact aside it is also adjacent to Hadrian’s Wall and home to the Carvoran Roman Army Museum, so it is worth trying to arrive early for some exploration.
Holmhead offers comfortable accommodation in a great location right on the Pennine Way. Holmhead has four cosy en-suite bedrooms, the rooms are comfortably furnished and have all the amenities you need with plenty of storage space and lovely countryside views.
You will be guaranteed a warm welcome when you check into this accommodation. Each guest room is individually designed in keeping with the heritage of the building, all rooms are en-suite and have all the amenities you require for a lovely overnight stay. Their restaurant serves homemade meals, freshly prepared and uses local ingredients. The hotel also has a warm and friendly bar with a large open fire and two imposing stone fireplaces. The bar stocks a selection of beers, lagers, ales and wines.
Set against the backdrop of historic Hadrian's Wall in the heart of the glorious unspoilt Northumbrian countryside, Blenkinsopp Castle Inn is a coaching stable dating back to the 13th century. Connected to a grade 1 Listed Castle with ancient and historic origins, the Inn is a veritable treasure trove of architectural features.
Get ready for one of the most interesting, and at times the most challenging section of the Pennine Way. Begin in Greenhead (very near Britain’s exact geological centre, a point equidistant from all shores) where the Pennine Way meets Hadrian’s Wall. You will discover Roman Forts and milecastles galore. For this reason Once Brewed makes an ideal stop to give you more time to take in the historical sights. The town is around a kilometre off the main trail, otherwise, you can continue on along the Way.
Ascent/descent: +290m/-175m
Situated within an acre of grounds in the Northumberland National Park, Vallum Lodge is a family run guest house offering excellent en-suite accommodation and personal service.
The Inn is set amongst some of the most breath-taking scenery in England and stands in the shadows of Steel Rigg, without doubt one of the most dramatic parts of Hadrian's Wall. Their guest rooms in the inn are fitted with a flat-screen TV. The private bathroom is equipped with a shower and free toiletries.
Bridge House has fabulous panoramic views of Milecastle 42, Cawfields and Hadrian’s Wall which encompasses its entire northern outlook. The house has two letting bedrooms; a double with an en-suite and a twin-bedded room also with en-suite. Both rooms have been newly refurbished to an excellent standard and have tea and coffee making facilities, hairdryers and televisions with Freeview and a DVD player.
Continue along the Hadrian's Wall Path for just a short while, past the famed lone Sycamore tree, before turning northward and soon into the forest. Following this, you'll pass through Haughton Common and later over Shitlington Crags before descending into Bellingham.
Ascent/descent: +307m/-442m
The Lyndale Guest House has been tastefully furnished throughout and home cooking is a speciality of your hosts Joy and Ken Gaskin. Breakfast is a four course meal of your choice in their sun lounge with its beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. Most of the rooms have delightful views, all have central heating, vanity units, colour TV, hairdryers, tea and coffee making facilities, dressing gowns and toiletries. Lyndale greet you on arrival with 'Tea & Biscuits' served on the terrace, next to the fountain.
Deep in the heart of the North Tyne valley, in the village of Bellingham lies the recently re-furbished, updated and renovated Cheviot Hotel. Each room is individually designed and they have all the amenities you require for great overnight stay. The Cheviot Hotel is well known locally - and further afield - not only for the warmth of their welcome, but the standard of their food. Their chef is always on hand to tend to your every need and he prides himself on serving nothing but the best, made only from fresh local produce - and in Northumberland they know a thing or two about the best local produce!
Riverdale Hall is Northumberland’s premier country house hotel. With an award winning restaurant, swimming pool, sauna, cricket field and salmon river in its own delightful grounds. Their Les Routiers Gold Plate award winning restaurant, and team of chefs, headed by Iben Cocker, Stuart Naylor and Tony Johnston, have established for themselves an enviable reputation for the standard of their cuisine. Their menu changes daily and uses seasonal and local produce of the finest quality. All hotel bedrooms are well appointed with en-suite bathrooms, shower, colour television, telephone, and tea and coffee making facilities. Some of the bedrooms have a balcony or small patio area.
As tomorrow takes you over the Cheviot Hills enjoy today’s relatively low-level route through heather-clad moors, forestry tracks , green fields and alongside Redesdale Forest before reaching the foot of the Cheviots and Byrness.
Ascent/descent: +445m/-342m
You will be given a warm welcome at Forest View. Meals are served in Foresters Restaurant and Bar, where a range of locally brewed hand pulled craft ales are available alongside a choice of quality wines, spirits and soft drinks. Guests can use the drying room to dry walking gear and boots and relax in the new sun lounge.
You'll do some solid climbing today, starting with Byrness Hill, pass the former Roman camp of Chew Green and do a fair bit of ridgewalking until you reach Windy Gyle top. Don't forget to enjoy the worthwhile views you've earned!
As there is no accommodation near Windy Gyle we arrange a second night in Byrness for you with transfers. Make your way off the path, south from Windy Gyle top to Trows Farm (approx 1.5m) and await your pre-arranged collection here. You will be returned to Trows Farm the following morning to finish your walk.
Ascent/descent: +564m/-226m
You will be given a warm welcome at Forest View. Meals are served in Foresters Restaurant and Bar, where a range of locally brewed hand pulled craft ales are available alongside a choice of quality wines, spirits and soft drinks. Guests can use the drying room to dry walking gear and boots and relax in the new sun lounge.
After being transferred back to Trows Farm, make your way back to Windy Gyle top where the Pennine Way continues. The strenuous ascents continue on this section, and you'll have the choice of the official high route or slightly shorter low route as you officially cross the Scotland England border you've been straddling. Enjoy the views from White Law if you've chosen the high route before coming to a triumphant finish at the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm.
Ascent/descent: +613m/-1058m
This award-winning bed and breakfast has outstanding views of the village of Town Yetholm and offers a very homely stay. All rooms are en-suite have all the amenities you require for a great overnight stay including small additional extras. They also have a large drawing room with balcony, which has free wifi and a large flat screen TV.
Lyndsey and Scott would like to welcome you to the Border Hotel. They are a family run small hotel situated in Kirk Yetholm. They have five high quality newly refurbished en-suite bedrooms which have all the amenities you require for a great overnight stay. The Public Bar is open all day and offers a range of lagers including a selection of real ales. It is a true local bar with character and charm.
Mother and daughter team, Sandi and Zoe Keddie offer you a warm welcome to the Plough Hotel. It is in the middle of the village, makes it the natural centre of social life and offers such comforts as, real ales and top quality home cooking.
After breakfast your walking holiday will come to an end. See the Travel Info section for some useful details for your onward travel.
This trip has a carbon score of 13kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 13kg is equivalent to 3 full English breakfasts. Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information on how we've carbon counted our trips.
Other Information
Is it for me?If you only have a week and want to take a challenging long-distance walk following trails through the heart of the romantic and wild English countryside, then this tour is for you. This tour will also appeal to history buffs as you walk through Hadrian’s Wall country. Cosy English pubs and local brews can also be taken advantage of!
Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!
Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.
Solo Travellers, Families with Teens
The minimum age for this tour is: 16 Years
This holiday is graded moderate-strenuous. It is suitable for those walkers with previous long distance experience and an excellent level of physical fitness. The route is a mixture of paths through open moorlands and on fields and tracks. Trails may have rocky sections and some of the paths are indistinct and can become very muddy and boggy in wet weather, when progress can often be slow.
You will experience a variety of accommodations, from small B&B's and guesthouses to country inns and hotels. They all offer warm welcomes and traditional hospitality. We may also use the occasional nice youth hostel in Edale, Dufton, and Langdon Beck, however, the rooms we book for you will always be private.
On the Pennine Way, accommodation choices are limited along the trail, so if we cannot secure a reservation for you in towns and villages that are actually on the trail, we will book you into accommodations close by and then provide transfers. On the Pennine Way Complete, in busy times, this may mean up to 6 or 7 transfers on the longer itineraries and up to 2 or 3 on the shorter ones. Your destination specialist will talk you through options should this be the case.
Single Rooms & Solo Walkers
If you require single rooms we would be happy to accommodate you, although there is a single room supplement payable.
We welcome solo walkers on the Pennine Way, but please note that the price is substantially higher due to solo supplements in accommodations and primarily via baggage handlers carrying one bag. In terms of walking, you should of course, take extra care in the outdoors when walking solo and you must have the ability to read a map and compass.
The route is waymarked but in some places, the signs become less obvious, and the trail is not always easy to find. At least one of your party should be able to navigate with map and compass. We provide a Pennine Way guidebook and Harvey maps to assist you.
- Overnights in B&B’s, guesthouses & country inns
- Breakfasts
- Luggage transfers
- Detailed Information Pack, guidebook and maps
- 24/7 telephone support from our UK office
- Travel to Greenhead
- Travel from Kirk Yetholm
- Lunches & Dinners
- Snacks & drinks
- Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage
- Travel Insurance
- Personal Equipment
- Additional nights before, during or after the walk.
You can start your Pennine Way North walk anytime between April and September and on any date, depending on availability.
The best way to connect from major gateways to Greenhead is to take either a local bus or taxi from Haltwhistle (5 miles away), where there is a train station. To get to Haltwhistle from Newcastle Airport (the closest one) you can take a train from here via Newcastle centre (approx. 2H journey) You can also take trains from Manchester Airport or Glasgow Airport via Carlisle to haltwhistle. You can find bus information and schedules on the Traveline or Trainline website.
The best way to connect to major gateways from Kirk Yetholm is to take a local bus to Berwick-upon-Tweed which takes approx. 2H. You can find bus information and schedules on the Traveline website. Berwick-upon-Tweed is on the main East Coast rail line and is well connected to most major cities in the UK. Should you want to return to Manchester Airport, you can take a train from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Leeds and from Leeds to Manchester Airport.
Should you wish to return to London there is a direct train which takes approx. 4H. It is also possible to fly out of Newcastle Airport. A direct train from Berwick-upon-Tweed brings you to Newcastle centre and from here you can change to Newcastle Airport. The journey time is approx. 1.5H.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation.
At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person up to 17kg. It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.
Due to baggage transfer restrictions, we can only offer this walk from South to North (Edale to Kirk Yetholm).
Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a daypack.
It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate walkers with dogs as many of the accommodation providers we use do not accept pets.
You can use local bus services or local taxis to continue to your next overnight stop.
As far in advance as possible! We suggest you book as soon as your plans are finalised as it is an extremely popular walk and the accommodation gets booked up quickly. If booking at short notice we will always try and accommodate your plans.
On the Pennine Way accommodation choices are limited along the trail, so if we cannot secure a reservation for you in towns and villages that are actually on the trail, we will book you into accommodations close by and then provide transfers. On the Pennine Way Complete, in busy times, this may mean up to 6 or 7 transfers on the longer itineraries and up to 2 or 3 on the shorter ones. Your destination specialist will talk you through options should this be the case.
Yes, some navigation skills are necessary as the route is not way-marked. You follow route notes and a map that are provided.
You will need very good walking shoes/boots (ideally waterproof), comfortable walking clothes, waterproof jacket and trousers, a daypack and hats/gloves etc.
The Pennine Way is very enjoyable at any time between the end of March and end of September although our personal favourite time of year is the spring and Autumn.
This holiday is graded depending on which itinerary you choose. The longer itineraries are moderate to strenuous and the shorter ones are strenuous. These itineraries are most suitable for those walkers with previous long distance experience and an excellent level of physical fitness.