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

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The transformation has been startling, and walking the Pennine Way through the Peak District is now a much more pleasant experience. However, Martyn Sharp is at pains to point out why the work was carried out in the first place. ‘People have to understand that we didn’t put the slabs down to make the Pennine Way easier to walk but to protect the rare habitats,’ he said. ‘We took some criticism over the slabs to start with, but the older paving stones have blended in and the vegetation has grown back around them really well.’ In fact, it’s done so well that Martyn now has to strim vegetation encroaching the path at one point.

Black Hill seems like a place reborn. It’s still a big, stern lump, but these days it’s more green than black. ‘I have a special affinity for Black Hill,’ admitted Martyn. ‘It’s not as busy as Kinder Scout but to me it’s every bit as special. There are mountain hares and short-eared owls up here now, it’s a place that’s alive once again.’ And he says the views can be just as commanding as elsewhere on the trail. ‘If you stand on the northern side of Black Hill, a little beyond the trig point, you can see Pendle Hill and even Pen-y-ghent on a clear day. It’s an exhilarating place.’