Day 52: Pennine Way - Hawes to Tan Hill

Day 8 on the Pennine Way, and what a beautiful day it was. This is probably my favourite day of the walk so far, finishing by camping in Britain’s highest pub. 

• Date: 11 May 2024
• Start: Hawes
• End: Tan Hill
• Miles: 16.7
• Total miles: 690.6
• Accommodation: Tan Hill Inn

I set off today via the Spar to stock up for the next couple of days. It’s a poor offering compared to my beloved Co Op. I got what I needed, plus extra drinks, as today was going to be hot!

I set off on a 6 mile slog up to the top of Great Shunner Fell, with absolutely beautiful views all around. At the top I met Chris, he was doing a long distance walk of his own in the area. We chatted for a bit and he headed off, while I tucked into lunch part 1. This is the highest point I’ve reached on the Pennine Way, for now. 

The descent was 4 miles long into the village of Thwaite, and it was actually rather pleasant. There were plenty of cyclists around as I walked through the village. 

I then had another small ascent over a hill to the village of Keld, where I enjoyed part 2 of my lunch next to a small waterfall. 

I was then climbing for the rest of the day as I headed over moors to my end destination. It’s been very hot today, where I feel like I’ve been constantly sweating. It’s a good job I carried a lot of water. 

As I approached my destination, the Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in Britain, it looked incredibly busy, and it was. I popped my tent up in the area behind the pub, had a shower and went for a pint. 

I retreated back to the tent to cook some dinner, can you guess what it was, while the pub was busy with people also eating dinner. I was entertained by sheep jumping off the rocks nearby. 

I did stay up to see if I could see the northern lights but it was cloudy so I called it a day.