Читать книгу The Pennine Way - the Path, the People, the Journey онлайн

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To take my mind off the weather, I mused as I walked: why, I wondered, does the Pennine Way begin (or end) at Edale? Why not start it at nearby Castleton, larger and more accessible and overlooked by the shapely dome of Mam Tor? Or at a point further south in the limestone uplands of the Peak District, where arguably the Pennines as a continuous body of high ground (it’s not really a proper chain of hills) really finish, eventually tapering off into the Trent valley? Over the years, Ashbourne, Leek and even Dovedale have been suggested as alternative start/finish points.

However, unlike Castleton or Ashbourne, where the streets tend to be thronged by tourists, Edale’s clientele is dominated by more adventurous and hard-nosed outdoor types. Ever since Edale station was opened over a century ago, trains from Manchester and Sheffield have routinely disgorged crowds of ramblers every Saturday and Sunday; and long before the Pennine Way was opened, this otherwise small and unassuming village was where you headed if you were serious about walking in the Peak District.