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Walking Land's End to John o'Groats with Mark Moxon

Edale to Crowden

The Old Nag's Head, Edale
The Old Nag's Head marks the start of the challenging Pennine Way

It can't actually be the case, but the Pennine Way seems to have a profound effect on the local time field. After this long on the road I'd normally think of 17.5 miles as a pleasant day's walk, but the first day of the Pennine Way is no jaunt. It's a hell of a slog.

Two's Company

The view back down Jacob's Ladder
The view back down Jacob's Ladder

A lot of the credit for my survival today must go to David, who joined me for today's walk. I met David in Edale Youth Hostel last night while waiting for my friend Angus and his girlfriend Kate to drive over from Sheffield; Angus had promised to take me out for pie and ale when I reached Edale, and true to his word he did exactly that, treating me to a huge meal and a few pints of Tetley's in the lovely Castle pub in Castleton. It was bliss, and when I returned to the hostel, David and I decided to team up for the first two days of the Pennine Way, after which I would be taking a rest day and he'd be moving on.

Kinder Reservoir from Kinder Scout
Kinder Reservoir from Kinder Scout
The eastern flank of Kinder Scout
The eastern flank of Kinder Scout

Kinder Scout

Peat bog after Kinder Downfall
Peat bog after Kinder Downfall

But I've got ahead of myself here, because the bogs don't kick in until after a considerable amount of effort, and if there's one thing the Pennine Way still requires, it's effort. The first few miles are delightful as you skirt along the Vale of Edale to the Old Nag's Head pub, which is where the Pennine Way officially starts. From there the going is easy for a while, and as we strode through fields and hopped over stiles, I could feel both our spirits picking up; later I asked David how he'd felt before getting a few miles of pleasant weather under his belt, and he said, 'Really apprehensive.' As the miles ticked away, I could see his confidence building; just like me, he was confronting his fears.

Lots of walkers on the Pennine Way near Mill Hill
Lots of walkers on the Pennine Way near Mill Hill

Devil's Dike

Peat bog after Mill Hill
Peat bog after Mill Hill

After somewhere between one and two hours of following the pavement – I forget the exact time, it was so boring – we reached the A57 at Snake Pass and that's when things started to get interesting. Walking over the top of peat bogs is one thing, but walking right through the middle of them is another experience altogether.

Devil's Dike
Devil's Dike

To Crowden

The peat hags of Bleaklow
The peat hags of Bleaklow

At least Bleaklow signals the end of the last ascent of the day, and from there to the Youth Hostel at Crowden it's downhill all the way. By this stage David was starting to flag, which is hardly surprising when you look at the length of the first day's walk; it might only be 17.5 miles from Edale Youth Hostel to Crowden but it's a bloody long 17.5 miles through nasty terrain, and as the first day of a very long walk, it's not kind. Full marks to my companion, though; he might have been getting tired and his blisters might have been hurting like hell, but he kept smiling as we stomped down the edge of Torside Clough.

Bleaklow
The cheery summit of Bleaklow

Anaesthetic

Torside Reservoir
Approaching Torside Reservoir

The Youth Hostel at Crowden, while being a great little hostel with a good line in evening meals, is a long way from the pub, and after a huge hike over Kinder Scout and Bleaklow, the last thing you want is a four-mile walk to the nearest pint. But as David and I tucked into our evening meal and relived the rigours of the day with Jan and Pejo, a Dutch couple who had also started the Way that day, the peace was shattered by a group of people who burst into the hostel, headed straight for David and hugged him like a returning war hero.