First, I walked the Pennine Way, Depending on which source you consult, it's either 256 (or 270) miles long. My cousin and I walked it in 18 days. It stretches from the greater Manchester, England area to just across the Scottish border. It was the first National Trail in England. The start of the trail, in Edale, was the site of a "mass trespass" on Kinder Scout which laid the groundwork for the National Parks and for the Access to the Countryside Act which allows walkers right of way on private land (virtually all the land in the UK is privately owned).
The trail is sort of well-marked (except where it isn't and where markings are most needed) and travels more or less along the ridge of the Pennine range, the backbone of England, and over the Cheviot range (pronounced Cheev'ee ot). Most of the trail is through farmland and sheep are found all along the trail. Due to some accident of geological history, the entire route is prone to swampy ground (called moors). Luckily, large stones pave the way more than half the time but they always seem to run out when you need them most. The highest point on the trail is Cross Fell, (2930') so it's not high altitude and the largest altitude gain in a day is 1100 meters (3500 feet or so).
I can't relay all the wonderful adventures we had on the trail but suffice it to say that it was a great way to see a wide variety of people, plants, geology, landscapes, and towns. Everyone had told me beforehand that it rains all the time along the Pennine Way. We had only 1/2 day of rain (and it was light). Excellent sources for the Pennine way are Pennine Way by Edward de la Billiere, Keith Carter & Chris Scott (Trailblazer Publications, 2011), the National Trail Guides (two), and the Harvey Maps (3) for the Pennine Way. The publisher of the first book has a companion website with waypoints that can be downloaded to your GPS. I found these invaluable when tromping through trail-free swamps looking for the trail.
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