Day 48: Pennine Way - Hebden Bridge to Cowling

Day 4 on the Pennine Way, and it turns out I’m a bit famous around these parts. Today was the toughest day on the trail so far, as expected. 

• Date: 7 May 2024
• Start: Hebden Bridge
• End: Cowling
• Miles: 18.2
• Total miles: 625.5
• Accommodation: Winterhouse Barn

Back to last night when I returned to the hostel. The guy who I was meant to be sharing a dorm with couldn’t get in, so I let him in and we started chatting. He was also doing the Pennine Way, but this was his first day. It had taken me three days to get here, but only one for him. He was planning on finishing in six days, madness!

He’d gone by the time I woke up, so I took over the room to pack my back and I was off via the co op. There were a couple of miles to tread back down the canal path to where I left the Pennine Way yesterday and then it was onto the steepest hill I’ve climbed since I was in Cornwall. 

At the summit, it was then an immediate descent, across a river, and then straight back up again. 

On this second hill, there were a group of people chatting away and as I approached, one of them said, “This must be the guy going from Land’s End to John O’Groats”. I was taken aback and asked how he knew that. He’s doing the Pennine Way as well, but at a slightly slower pace, and has been chatting to people who I’ve chatted to previously over the last few days and they have told him about me. Apparently I’m obvious due to my very large backpack. 

I walked with Keith and his dog for the next few miles, chatting away. 

Then it was onto the third climb, where I had lunch on a bench next to an old ruin. 

Time for the fourth and final climb of the day, which I found really tough. I was getting very tired by this point, and the path over the moor wasn’t in very good condition. 

I finally descended into the hamlet of Cowling, and went to the campsite, which is basically someone’s back garden. As I was the only one staying, they offered for me to sleep in the summer house, which has a camp bed set out, as well as tea and coffee facilities and electricity. 

I had a shower then headed to the local shop to get some chocolate, then had my dinner of instant mash, meatballs and peas. I then tucked into my chocolate while doing some light reading, watching the sunset, then headed off to bed.