Pennine Way Day 9 - Tan Hill to Middleton-in-Teesdale

Sunday 14th November 2021

Pennine Way Day 9 - Tan Hill to Middleton-in-Teesdale

Today marks the halfway point of the Pennine Way. Which is great, although it's also the the sort of day that felt like you were trudging over endless, often squelchy moorland in a bleak and isolated arena. You can relish the heather, the views and the mood changes of the unceasing stretches of peat and purple heather, but the majority of the first half is just a fairly mundane slog though bland moorland if I'm being honest.

However, there are several picturesque pieces of countryside along the way, especially during the second half of the day when the surroundings improve significantly and you feel like you are back in traditional Dales territory. We enjoyed the afternoons walk past the four significantly sized reservoirs and the more undulating terrain of Harter Fell on the approaches to Middleton-in-Teesdale.

We decided against the optional treat of detouring towards Bowes, via the Bowes Loop as we had limited light in the day and decided it was sensible to get this leg knocked off in good visibility later on. It was also interesting to note that there was 1000ft of descent more than ascent - effectively meaning that this was an easier 17 mile compared to the previous day on the Pennine Way.

Well that's it for this years Long Distance Walk - extended slightly due to my well discussed heel injury, but we eventually made it to the intended finish line in November rather than July - but finish we did. We will do the second (Northern) half of the Pennine Way in a year or two's time, time for a visit to the coast next I think !

The information contained in the material on this Website is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice.
Distance: 17.5 miles
Duration: 6:30 hours
Ascent: 2149 ft
Difficulty: Moderate/Hard
Accompanied By: Davy
Weather: Dry & Mild

3D outline of route

Parking