South Pennine Walks - A Walker's Guidebook

The 30 circular walks in this guidebook cover the South Pennines, an area taken to refer to the expanse of hill country that straddles the Lancashire/Yorkshire border between the Yorkshire Dales and Peak National Parks. These walks range from four to eight and a half miles and explore an area of remarkably varied and contrasting landscapes. For both experienced and novice walkers.

For the purposes of this guidebook, the term ‘South Pennines’ is taken to refer to the expanse of country which straddles the Lancashire/Yorkshire border ‘twixt the Yorkshire Dales and Peak National Parks. Though standing virtually ‘on the doorstep’ for millions of people, it tends to be overshadowed, from a recreational point of view, by the aforementioned National Parks, which attract hordes of visitors whilst the wild moors, dark, dramatic crags and beautiful wooded valleys of the South Pennines remain relatively neglected.

The Pennine ridge was formed by a great upheaval, or anticline, of rocks which had been laid down some 280 million years ago, when the area was a vast river delta. The Pennine anticline is thought to have risen to a height of well over 10,000 feet, but during the ensuing aeons the softer rocks, such as shale and limestone, have been slowly eroded from its top to leave a surface of the harder, more weather-resistant millstone grit. Into this the glaciers and meltwaters of the Ice Ages have gouged the deep valleys, or cloughs, which are such a distinctive feature of the region.

Though nature has lavishly provided some splendid scenery, it is the human hand which has been largely instrumental in creating today’s unique South Pennine landscape. Man’s need of farmland and timber led to the destruction of the dense woodland which clothed much of the area in medieval times, and constant grazing by livestock has prevented regeneration. In the later Middle Ages small-scale woollen industries began to develop, and in remote crag-fringed cloughs you will find the crumbling ruins of once-thriving mills whose waterwheels were driven by rushing steams until the advent of steam-power took the industry down into the main valleys.

The entire South Pennine region is crisscrossed by vast and intricate network of footpaths. Some are old byways once used by miners and millworkers, others are ancient roads, and many are trading routes trodden in the 17th and 18th centuries by plodding teams of packhorses heavily laden with such commodities as salt, lime, coal and cloth. The coming of canals and railways spelt the end of the packhorse era, but the old paths, with their numerous sections of ancient stone causeways, remain in use as delightful walkers’ routes.

Millstone grit is an impervious rock, and thus the moors tend to be boggy but they do make excellent water-catchment areas, and many reservoirs have been built to take advantage of this. In a region devoid of natural lakes these reservoirs attract wildlife and often add beauty and interest to what might otherwise be featureless terrain. Countless disused quarries reveal where stone has been obtained for building the massive reservoir dams, mullion-windowed farmhouses and the now smoke-blackened old mills and weavers cottages.

There is no doubt that the true flavour of the South Pennines lies in its unique amalgamation of town and country, mills and hills. Wild, desolate moors, rugged cliffs and outcrops, richly-wooded cloughs, flowery meadows, ‘time-warped’ villages and fascinating industrial relics all intermingle to fashion a landscape of quite spectacular contrasts. Incredibly varied walking experiences are here on free offer – get out and sample some now.