Calling all keen walkers, hikers and ramblers – there’s a brand new walking trail in the UK for you to take on. And it traverses some of England’s most spectacular areas of countryside.
The route is called the Roof of England Walk and it covers 301km of the North Pennines National Landscape through County Durham, Cumbria and Northumberland. Hiking the entire route would take around two weeks, but the NPNL says that ‘the individual legs of the long-distance trail also make great one-day or part-day linear walks’.
Another option is to walk the trail in walk in four mini breaks of three to four days each. The recommended splits are Middleton-in-Teesdale to Appleby-in-Westmorland, Appleby to Haltwhistle, Haltwhistle to Wolsingham and Wolsingham to Middleton-in-Teesdale.
Highlights of the trail include the waterfalls of Teesdale in County Durham, the dramatic river gorge at Allen Banks, the gothic ruins at Dukesfield Arches, the highest peak of the North Pennines at Cross Fell and the historic Blachland Abbey. Wildlife that you could spot along the way includes golden plovers, curlews and lapwings.
Chris Woodley-Stewart, director of the North Pennines National Landscape, said: ‘We have worked with our partners in the visitor economy and access teams in our Local Authorities to develop the Roof of England Walk. We are very pleased to have reached the milestone of making this route available and to be able to share a new way to explore the North Pennines National Landscape and UNESCO Global Geopark.
‘Since the very first Roof of England walking festivals in the 1990s, we have encouraged walkers to explore the high uplands of the North Pennines. The name captures the sense of elevation and space offered by a walk through this very special landscape.’
Find the full Roof of England route on the official website here.
Explore more of the most breathtaking hikes and walking trails in the UK here.
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