early morning cycle along the canal towpath near Barnoldswick on the central section of the PCW

Ted Liddle - one of the people involved in the beginning of the route - heading up into Wark Forest on the northern section of the route

about the Pennine Cycleway

Running from Derby in the Midlands the Pennine Cycleway visits the Peak District, climbs the Pennines in South and West Yorkshire, passes under Pendle Hill in Lancashire, and travels through the Yorkshire Dales before reaching Appleby in the Eden Valley. From here there is a traverse of the Northern Pennines at Hartside before continuing on to Haltwhistle and the end of the route at Berwick-upon-Tweed on the magnificent Northumbrian coast. The route is split into three sections (each section has individual route maps) giving you the option of tailoring a cycling holiday to your needs so you have the choice of doing the whole route in one go or maybe just attempting the northern section leaving the southern and central sections for another time.

- Southern section - Derby to Holmfirth - 81 miles
- Central section - Holmfirth to Appleby - 124 miles
- Northern section - Appleby to Berwick -150 miles

The route is 355 miles long and is due to fully open in July 2003 with a spectacular trailblazing ride covering the full route from Derby to Berwick-upon-Tweed. The northern section of the PCW was opened earlier in summer 2002 with a riding out ceremony at Haltwhistle and is proving a popular trip in its own right.

The Pennine Cycleway (National Cycle Network no. 68) takes in some of the most spectacular yet remote countryside in the country and is a challenging but stunning ride along the length of the 'Spine of England', it is also England's longest leisure cycle-route with 80% on quiet lanes and minor roads and 20% on traffic free trails.

"Can there be a better route than the C2C across the Pennines ? The answer is yes and that route is the Pennine Cycle Way. I think that this has more splendour, more variety, more memorable features, more open spaces and more magic, especially as it threads its way high above industrial England either side of the Pennines, than any other part of the National Cycle Network"
John Grimshaw - director and founder of Sustrans

Developed by Sustrans in partnership with over 30 local authorities and other bodies including the Countryside Agency, with a lot of the work on getting the route up and running being done by John Grimshaw, Martin Bright, David Gray and Ted Liddle - Ted has also written the official guidebook for the route due out in Spring 2003. At 355 miles long the route can be cycled in either direction but the general consensus, so far, is that Derby offers the best start partly due to the prevailing winds (hopefully!) being somewhere behind you (or at least in your side!) and also because finishing at Berwick and close to the North Sea offers a certain finality to your ride. The PCW can be ridden as a full length cycling holiday or split into individual sections over a shorter period of time and picking them off one by one.

"Its a marvelous route from beginning to end, with so many highlights you'd need a phone directory to list them all"
Julie Welch - Guardian travel writer

Along the whole of the route there are many tourist attractions, towns and villages each with their own unique character as well literally hundreds of breathtaking vistas along the route to force you to take a breather now and again! This website has a basic list of places to visit along the route with accommodation listings, local services, attractions, shops and cafes etc. in the 'accommodation' section accessible via the main contents page of this site to help you pre-plan your trip.