Express runs direct services from London Victoria Coach Station to Newcastle and Carlisle, tel 0871 7818181, www.nationalexpress.com. Some long-distance Arriva buses operate to Newcastle, which is one of the hubs in their network, tel 0870 1201088, www.arrivabus.co.uk. Some long-distance Stagecoach buses operate to Carlisle, one of the hubs in their network, www.stagecoachbus.com. JH Coaches offers an interesting, regular cross-country service between Blackpool and Newcastle, www.jhminibreaks.co.uk.
Getting around the North Pennines
The last time a reasonably comprehensive brochure was produced listing most of the useful bus services around the North Pennines was in 2007. There do not seem to be any plans to reintroduce such a publication, which leaves readers the awkward task of tracking down individual timetable leaflets. This is not easy to do, but essential if you are hoping to use public transport to, from, or around places where it is sparse or irregular. Throughout this guidebook, the names of local operators are given so that contact can be made with them. The vast majority of routes in this guidebook were researched using local bus services. See also Appendix B.
By train
Railways do not penetrate the North Pennines. The Weardale Railway operates only between Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope, but has plans to extend its services in future, www.weardale-railway.org.uk. The South Tyne Railway is a very limited narrow-gauge line running only between Alston and Kirkhaugh, but again there are plans to extend the line, www.strps.org.uk.
By bus
While some bus operators make their timetables easy to obtain, others don’t, and there are several operators running a variety of regular and irregular services around the North Pennines. Bear in mind that very few services run from dale to dale, so there is no real ‘network’ allowing easy travel from one place to another. You can always walk!
Stagecoach buses, www.stagecoachbus.com, operates regular services between Carlisle and Newcastle, from Carlisle to Brampton and Alston, and from Kendal to Kirkby Stephen. Most of the East Fellside is sparsely served by Fellrunner buses, tel 01768 88232, www.fellrunnerbus.co.uk. However, the villages near Appleby are served by Robinson’s buses. Grand Prix buses, tel 017683 41328, www.grandprixservices.co.uk, operate between Penrith, Appleby, Brough and Kirkby Stephen. Central Coaches serves Bowes from Barnard Castle, while Hodgson’s buses serves Greta Bridge from Barnard Castle and Richmond. Arriva buses, tel 0870 1201088, www.arrivabus.co.uk, runs most of the buses in Teesdale. Weardale Travel, tel 01388 528235, www.weardale-travel.co.uk, operates throughout Weardale, as well as linking Weardale with Consett and Blanchland. Go North East buses, tel 0190 4205050, www.simplygo.com, serves Consett from Newcastle, as well as operating Tynedale buses serving Allendale from Hexham. Wright Brothers buses, tel 01434 381200, runs local services around Alston, as well as a very important summer service linking Alston with Newcastle, Hexham, Penrith and Keswick. Telfords Coaches, tel 013873 75677, link Nenthead and Alston with Carlisle.
Traveline
Timetable information can be checked for any form of public transport in and around the North Pennines by contacting Traveline, tel 0871 2002233, www.traveline.info. It is also possible to enter start and finish points into Google Maps and be given transport links.
Inside Parkhead Station, which is one of the highest cafés in England, above Stanhope (Walks 34 and 35)
Tourist information and visitor centres
In an area as sparsely populated as the North Pennines, where facilities and services are thinly spread, it can be difficult to obtain information about public transport and accommodation in advance. There are smaller tourist information centres ready and able to assist, but the larger ones are only located in the towns surrounding the area. Inside the North Pennines, there are fewer centres, and they may not be open throughout the year.
Visitor centres usually have specialist themes, assisting with the interpretation of the lead-mining industry, transport and other heritage features, or they may simply be general museums illustrating bygone times. Some of them stock basic tourist information, which can be handy if you are some distance from a tourist information centre. See Appendix B for contact details.
Maps
The map extracts in this guidebook are taken from the Ordnance Survey Landranger series at a scale of 1:50,000. Four sheets cover the North Pennines AONB – 86, 87, 91 and 92. One of the routes strays slightly onto sheet 88. While access land is mentioned on many routes in this guidebook, it is not shown on the map extracts. The full scope and extent of access land in the North Pennines is shown clearly on Ordnance Survey Explorer maps at a scale of 1:25,000. Six sheets cover the North Pennines AONB – OL5, OL19, OL31, OL43, 307 and 315. All these maps can be obtained directly from Ordnance Survey, www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk, or from good booksellers, many outdoor stores and some tourist information offices.
Emergencies
Walkers exploring an area as bleak and remote as the North Pennines need to be self-sufficient. When exploring away from towns and villages, take enough food and drink for your needs, along with a little extra, just in case. If venturing across pathless moorlands, especially in poor visibility, ensure that your map-reading skills are good. Pack a small first aid kit to deal with any cuts and grazes that might be sustained along the way. Hopefully, you will not require anything more, but in the event of a serious injury or exhaustion, it may be necessary to call the emergency services.
The mountain rescue, police, ambulance or fire brigade are all alerted by dialling 999 (or the European 112). Be ready to supply full details of the nature of the emergency, so that an appropriate response can be made. Keep in contact with the emergency services in case they require further information or clarification.
The Pennine Way national trail has introduced many walkers to the wildest parts of the North Pennines (Walk 25)
Using this guide
This guidebook contains details of 50 walking routes, spread over all parts of the North Pennines. Most are circular, so that anyone using a car can return to it at the end of the walk, but a few are linear and require the use of public transport for completion. Together, these routes stretch nearly 800km (500 miles) across immensely rich and varied countryside, taking in some of the finest and most interesting features of the region. The route summary table in Appendix A is provided to help you choose the right routes for you and your party.
Read the route descriptions carefully before setting out, and if carrying Ordnance Survey maps in addition to the extracts used in this book, be sure to take the ones listed for each walk. The essential
