Edale, Derbyshire, England

The Pennine Way is generally walked in a northbound direction but no one is going to stop you going the other way either. Both are well served by public transport at any rate; Edale by train and Kirk Yetholm by bus. Travelling south does mean that you get the long section from Kirk Yetholm to Byrness out of the way early and there is something to be said for that. Equally well, the proximity to civilisation supports a start from Edale and you do get to build up your hill experience as you go north.

In Edale, the Pennine Way starts at the Old Nag's Head pub but we take our view of Edale from the approach from its train station. On the hills behind the church, we see the original route of the way up by Grinds Brook. This used to take you straight across Kinder Scout, a horrendous prospect if you know Kinder. Take a look on any OS map and you'll soon see the route.