Someone bought me the guide this year and it suggests that the ultimate plan is for the PB to get to Byrness like the Pennine Way LDP but that lack of funding and the current financial climate make this unlikely. That was in 2012 and I just wondered whether anyone knew of grand plans now the recession’s over, etc.

I think it said in the latest mag that extension further north is on hold.

There’s meant to be an extension of the Towneley towards Bolton which has gone a bit quiet too.

It does go further, there is a bit of a ‘gap’ in England and then you can ride anywhere north of just before Yetholm 🙂

Starts with the St Cuthbert Way.

The current route goes way past the Mary Townley Loop, and extends to Kirkby Stephen, in a pretty complete state. I have ridden it, so speak from some experience. Recently Mark Goldie did the whole thing from Kirkby Stephen to Middleton, so it is still all in place sine I last rode it.

As above, I have not come across and real activity to take it further north. Still, it’s a great resource and more than enough for a long weekend of nice riding, with enough pubs within striking distance of the route too.

Kirkby Stephen loop surprisingly good. Agreed though a full length route would be great for bike packing transcambrianway-style

There’s supposed to be an off-road route from hexham north to the coast but hexham is a good 80 miles from the current end of the PB and the coast isn’t really ‘pennine’. Who (as in which group, like sustrans, etc) has organised the southern bits?

was done largely under the under the countryside commission, then agency, now part of Natural England

I was involved in discussions back in the IMBA days, as the Yorkshire elements were discussed, and even back then the plan for the Northern section was ‘some way in the future’ despite having been planned to start work in 2000 – throw in the delays so far, and the fact that there are still some gaps in the existing route for horses that have become mired in politics, and I think its still a very long way off.

As I understand it, a lot of the originally suggested northern section got tied up with MOD’s increased use of Warcop ranges and the planned restructuring/removal of common rights on some of that complex, so there was a lot of bargaining chips being thrown round, plus the problems of the huge expanse of pennine NNR meant that much of the route was going to be through the path of least resistance at the bottom of the valley, which again made it all very ‘bitty’ (eg., they would secure a route along two decent stretches of old railway, then mired in endless politics and objections on how to link them, where to cross roads etc.)

IIRC, much of the route from Kirkby Stephen through to Haltwhistle was going to be old mineral rail lines, rather than the pack horse routes over the tops, I always thought that this would be of the great ‘misses’ of the project – the most challenging and most scenic bits of the whole trip were going to be missed, how could you go all that way up the pennines and miss high cup nick for heavens sake ?

From Haltwhistle, the inevitable route was edging Kielder Forest as per the current PW – Stonehaugh, Bellingham, Byrness – personally I think theres better and more picturesque routes through Kielder on a bike, even if they couldn’t get permission to go through Spadeadam.

Even back then we talked in hush tones about the possibility of an ‘unofficial’ MTB version of the northern route that took in the better stuff…

I used to ride the northern section from yetholm to kielder bivying out on the top of windy gyle. I remember being woken up one morning to find a tank parked next to us and some squaddies brewing up. Had some top rides over there over the years and then back home to Hawick normally over 3 days.

Thanks for that insight ninfan – amazing anything got done by the sounds of it. Think I’ll spend the rest of the evening poring over the map……

I’ve had a few experiences of the army on the ranges too. Early one snowy Saturday I was surprised to see a load of bushes get up and walk off as I approached – like something out of Monty python. And when I got recovered having driven my car into a bog a mile from the end of the road out of Alwinton. Fun times 🙂