Wainwright's Pennine Journey 2019 - Thoughts in Conclusion
Heading out of Ingleton to Ingleborough on Day 20
As is customary, we thought we would put together a few thoughts we have that may help in the planning & execution of walking Wainwright's Pennine Journey. Most of these points are pretty generic to long distance walking and are therefore much the same as in previous blogs we have written. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and the advice given is not exhaustive. The best form of research is other people’s blogs, guide books and using plain old common sense. Some of the advice and thoughts below may be repeated from the Planning & Preparation page at the start of this blog - apologies for that!
The walk itself
We were surprised by how many people we came across on the walk who had never heard of The Pennine Journey. When people asked us what we were doing and we answered "The Pennine Journey" some of them corrected us with "Don't you mean The Pennine Way?" What followed after this snippet of conversation was a 5 minute explanation to say that whilst on occasion they sometimes followed the same route, they were in fact two completely different walks.
The Pennine Journey website (link below) is a must read and should be perused as there is lots of extremely useful information contained within it.
Having completed The Pennine Journey and we can now safely say that it certainly holds its own amongst the more well-known (and clearly more popular at this juncture) long distance trails. The route passes through some spectacular scenery and certainly punches above its weight when it comes to both interest and landscape. Give it a go and see for yourself.
Planning and Accommodation
It is never too early to plan a long distance walk. We started the planning process for this approximately 12 months before Day 0, as always to get a foot in the door with B&B bookings. Apart from Blanchland, accommodation was not that difficult to organise.
We dealt in email or booking confirmation only - this meant we had proof of our booking and not just a telephone conversation should anything go wrong. Also make sure you call each B&B for confirmation about a month or so before start date. Some of them are not as good at administration as they think they are! With regard to eating out in the evening, it is probably best to make sure you can be fed and if in doubt make a booking.
For those of you travelling with a dog, don't be put off. Most B&Bs are coming around to the fact that it pays to be dog friendly and more and more are making the transition. Sure it was a bit more difficult to find dog friendly accommodation but not too onerous. Most B&Bs make a charge of between £5 - £10 for a dog to stay and will insist that you bring your own bedding - some however don't charge anything.
With a couple of exceptions the standard of B&B on the entire route was very good.
Baggage Transfer
We decided to use a Baggage Transfer company for this walk and this time shopped around. In the end Trail Magic provided us with a seamless and economically competitive service and we cannot recommend them highly enough.
It pays to let your B&B know that you are having your baggage transferred although to be fair they are well used to dealing with each of the different companies.
Kit & Medical
Knowing exactly what to take is always a conundrum no matter how experienced you are. The basic rule of thumb is to adopt a "What if" and "So what" policy when undecided on a particular item. Weight is an extremely important aspect of this walk and we were prepared to take the risk with leaving certain items out. Therefore "What if we leave this item behind? "So what is the effect of not having it" and then measure the risk accordingly.
To keep snacks and spare water cold, we used a small cooler bag with 2 slim ice packs in. Each night we asked the B&B owner to put the ice packs in their freezer ready for the next day.
Medically, we used a fair bit of Vaseline on our feet and micro porous tape that resulted in no blisters. In a nutshell, each morning tape up any areas where you have had blisters appear in the past and then rub a light coating of Vaseline over the rest of each foot and in between your toes. It really does pay to rub your feet at night with some foot lotion and also buddy up getting your feet ready in the morning. No matter how much training you have done before the walk, your feet will hurt at some stage. When resting up or whilst having lunch, get the boots off and air your feet and change your socks if necessary.
After about 20 minutes walking have a stretch of the hamstrings, calves, groin and quads. Repeat this before and after any lengthy stop and on completion of the days walking. This stretching routine will pay dividends.
It goes without saying that a basic first aid kit is a must. Take the opportunity to review and top up your first aid supplies, particularly in towns and villages that have a Pharmacy.
Rucksacks
Apart from your Boots this is the second most important piece of kit you have. Make sure it is comfortable and fits your needs. As stated earlier, we used a couple of Osprey Daysacks (with rain hoods) and these were just the job. One thing we would say is fill it up and test it out before you start - make sure it feels comfortable and get out and walk with the weight in it. Additionally, make sure you have dry-bags in your kit for those rainy days.
Water
There is a link below to Refill - a website giving information with regard to water refill points etc. Another thing you could do is just apply common sense - if you get the chance then top up. Cafes and shops you visit - they will more than likely help you out.
Washing
Gone are the days when you can turn your underpants inside out and wear them again the next day!! Utilise local Launderettes where possible and also ask the B&B owner - we did this several times and for a small fee they will put a load on for you.
Mapping
We carried the relevant OS Maps, two Compasses, a GPS and the Pennine Journey book complete with hand drawn mapping. Suffice to say we did not get lost. Before we left home we checked The Pennine Journey website (link below) for any route amendments.
Charity
We managed to raise £4247.68 in total for Spaniel Aid. We would like to thank everybody who donated to this wonderful and worthwhile cause.
Useful Links
The Pennine Journey Website - a must read for anybody thinking about undertaking this fabulous walk (and this blog of course!)
www.penninejourney.org.uk/index.html
Trail Magic Baggage - our Baggage Transfer Company. They provided us with an excellent and extremely competitive service.
www.trailmagicbaggage.com
Accuweather - a very good weather update service.
www.accuweather.com/en/gb/united-kingdom-weather
Refill - a national, practical tap water campaign to aid you in topping up your supply on route. Well worth "tapping in to" (nyuk, nyuk).
refill.org.uk
The walk itself
We were surprised by how many people we came across on the walk who had never heard of The Pennine Journey. When people asked us what we were doing and we answered "The Pennine Journey" some of them corrected us with "Don't you mean The Pennine Way?" What followed after this snippet of conversation was a 5 minute explanation to say that whilst on occasion they sometimes followed the same route, they were in fact two completely different walks.
The Pennine Journey website (link below) is a must read and should be perused as there is lots of extremely useful information contained within it.
Having completed The Pennine Journey and we can now safely say that it certainly holds its own amongst the more well-known (and clearly more popular at this juncture) long distance trails. The route passes through some spectacular scenery and certainly punches above its weight when it comes to both interest and landscape. Give it a go and see for yourself.
Planning and Accommodation
It is never too early to plan a long distance walk. We started the planning process for this approximately 12 months before Day 0, as always to get a foot in the door with B&B bookings. Apart from Blanchland, accommodation was not that difficult to organise.
We dealt in email or booking confirmation only - this meant we had proof of our booking and not just a telephone conversation should anything go wrong. Also make sure you call each B&B for confirmation about a month or so before start date. Some of them are not as good at administration as they think they are! With regard to eating out in the evening, it is probably best to make sure you can be fed and if in doubt make a booking.
For those of you travelling with a dog, don't be put off. Most B&Bs are coming around to the fact that it pays to be dog friendly and more and more are making the transition. Sure it was a bit more difficult to find dog friendly accommodation but not too onerous. Most B&Bs make a charge of between £5 - £10 for a dog to stay and will insist that you bring your own bedding - some however don't charge anything.
With a couple of exceptions the standard of B&B on the entire route was very good.
Baggage Transfer
We decided to use a Baggage Transfer company for this walk and this time shopped around. In the end Trail Magic provided us with a seamless and economically competitive service and we cannot recommend them highly enough.
It pays to let your B&B know that you are having your baggage transferred although to be fair they are well used to dealing with each of the different companies.
Kit & Medical
Knowing exactly what to take is always a conundrum no matter how experienced you are. The basic rule of thumb is to adopt a "What if" and "So what" policy when undecided on a particular item. Weight is an extremely important aspect of this walk and we were prepared to take the risk with leaving certain items out. Therefore "What if we leave this item behind? "So what is the effect of not having it" and then measure the risk accordingly.
To keep snacks and spare water cold, we used a small cooler bag with 2 slim ice packs in. Each night we asked the B&B owner to put the ice packs in their freezer ready for the next day.
Medically, we used a fair bit of Vaseline on our feet and micro porous tape that resulted in no blisters. In a nutshell, each morning tape up any areas where you have had blisters appear in the past and then rub a light coating of Vaseline over the rest of each foot and in between your toes. It really does pay to rub your feet at night with some foot lotion and also buddy up getting your feet ready in the morning. No matter how much training you have done before the walk, your feet will hurt at some stage. When resting up or whilst having lunch, get the boots off and air your feet and change your socks if necessary.
After about 20 minutes walking have a stretch of the hamstrings, calves, groin and quads. Repeat this before and after any lengthy stop and on completion of the days walking. This stretching routine will pay dividends.
It goes without saying that a basic first aid kit is a must. Take the opportunity to review and top up your first aid supplies, particularly in towns and villages that have a Pharmacy.
Rucksacks
Apart from your Boots this is the second most important piece of kit you have. Make sure it is comfortable and fits your needs. As stated earlier, we used a couple of Osprey Daysacks (with rain hoods) and these were just the job. One thing we would say is fill it up and test it out before you start - make sure it feels comfortable and get out and walk with the weight in it. Additionally, make sure you have dry-bags in your kit for those rainy days.
Water
There is a link below to Refill - a website giving information with regard to water refill points etc. Another thing you could do is just apply common sense - if you get the chance then top up. Cafes and shops you visit - they will more than likely help you out.
Washing
Gone are the days when you can turn your underpants inside out and wear them again the next day!! Utilise local Launderettes where possible and also ask the B&B owner - we did this several times and for a small fee they will put a load on for you.
Mapping
We carried the relevant OS Maps, two Compasses, a GPS and the Pennine Journey book complete with hand drawn mapping. Suffice to say we did not get lost. Before we left home we checked The Pennine Journey website (link below) for any route amendments.
Charity
We managed to raise £4247.68 in total for Spaniel Aid. We would like to thank everybody who donated to this wonderful and worthwhile cause.
Useful Links
The Pennine Journey Website - a must read for anybody thinking about undertaking this fabulous walk (and this blog of course!)
www.penninejourney.org.uk/index.html
Trail Magic Baggage - our Baggage Transfer Company. They provided us with an excellent and extremely competitive service.
www.trailmagicbaggage.com
Accuweather - a very good weather update service.
www.accuweather.com/en/gb/united-kingdom-weather
Refill - a national, practical tap water campaign to aid you in topping up your supply on route. Well worth "tapping in to" (nyuk, nyuk).
refill.org.uk
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