Midway through a Pennine Way thru-hike, a walker limping from Hawes toward Keld offers a useful reality check for anyone dreaming of Britain's oldest long-distance trail. Days 9 and 10 of this hike tell a familiar story: brilliant Dales scenery, unpredictable trail conditions, and a body that starts filing complaints.
The first move was a rest day in Hawes, a market town that makes a sensible zero-day stop. There the hiker picked up an ankle brace from the local pharmacy and — more painfully — retired a pair of boots with 450 miles on them. The original plan had been to toss the boots into the traditional pile at the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm, where the Pennine Way finishes. Instead, new waterproof boots came out of Hawes, and they immediately proved their worth on waterlogged flagstones later in the route.
Day 10 followed the guidebook's promise of a long, gentle climb through the village of Hardraw up to Great Shunner Fell. At the 2,316-foot summit sits a curious piece of trail furniture: a cross-shaped stone shelter with benches on each side. It makes a natural lunch spot, and that's where the hiker met Hugo, a retired walker who started his trek at Lake Geneva in Switzerland, walked through Nice, crossed to England on foot, and was now ticking off the Pennine Way — with no fixed end point. Some people simply like walking.
The descent toward Thwaite, a pretty village with a cafe serving cappuccino and cake, went smoothly in sunshine. But the last stretch to Keld earned its reputation. The path narrowed into a rocky, overgrown shelf clinging to the hillside, forcing progress through shoulder-high ferns and around loose stone. For a hiker with a worsening ankle — pain climbing from 2 out of 10 at breakfast to 9 by evening — it was the toughest section of the trip so far.
The payoff came at Rukin's Campsite in Keld, which takes no reservations but rarely turns anyone away if you arrive early. The riverside pitches downhill from the snack shop are, in this hiker's words, probably the prettiest place they've ever camped. The night ended on a sombre note, though: a decision looming over whether the ankle could survive the remaining miles.
For travellers, this stretch sums up the Pennine Way's split personality — easy, sociable miles over open fells followed by rugged, ankle-testing ground near Keld. Hawes and Thwaite both make good lunch or overnight stops, though book ahead: inns in these small villages fill up fast in season. Day walkers can sample the best of it without a thru-hike, doing the Shunner Fell climb from Hardraw or walking the Keld section with sturdy boots and a working pair of ankles.
