Pennines

Not to be confused with Apennine Mountains, Pennine Alps, or Pieniny.

Pennines
Northern England and adjoining areas, showing the general extent of the Pennines
Highest point
PeakCross Fell
Elevation893 m (2,930 ft)
Coordinates54°42′10″N 2°29′14″W / 54.70278°N 2.48722°W / 54.70278; -2.48722
Geography
Map
LocationNorthumberland, Cumbria, County Durham, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire
CountriesEngland, United Kingdom

The Pennines (/ˈpɛnaɪnz/), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills,[1] are a range of uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "backbone of England" because of its length and position, the range runs from Derbyshire and Staffordshire in the north of the Midlands to Northumberland in North East England. From the Tyne Gap in the north, the range extends south through the North Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, South Pennines, and Peak District to end near the valley of the River Trent.[2][3] The Border Moors and Cheviot Hills, which lie beyond the Tyne Gap, are included in some definitions of the range.

The range is divided into two by the Aire Gap, a wide pass formed by the valleys of the rivers Aire and Ribble. There are several spurs off the main Pennine range east into Greater Manchester and Lancashire, comprising the Rossendale Fells, West Pennine Moors, and Bowland Fells.[4][5] The Howgill Fells and Orton Fells in Cumbria are also sometimes considered to be Pennine spurs.[6][7] The Pennines are an important water catchment area, with numerous reservoirs in the head streams of the river valleys.

Most of the range is protected by national parks and national landscapes (formerly Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Running north to south, and including the Cheviots, the range is within Northumberland National Park, the North Pennines National Landscape, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Nidderdale National Landscape, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, and the Peak District National Park.[8][9] The only significant unprotected gap is the area between Skipton and Marsden.

Britain's oldest long-distance footpath, the 268-mile (429 km) Pennine Way, runs along most of the Pennines.[10]

  1. ^ "What are the landforms of England?". Project Britain. Archived from the original on 1 August 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. ^ Poucher, W. A. (1946). The Backbone of England. A photographic and descriptive guide to the Pennine range from Derbyshire to Durham. Guildford and Esher: Billing and Sons Limited.
  3. ^ Edwards, W.; Trotter, F. M. (1975). The Pennines and Adjacent Areas. Handbooks on the Geology of Great Britain (3rd ed.). London: HMSO (published 1954). p. 1. ISBN 0-11-880720-X.
  4. ^ Dudley Stamp, L. (1946). "Britain's Structure and Scenery". Nature. The Fontana New Naturalist Series. 158 (4023) (1960 ed.). London and Glasgow: Collins: 809. Bibcode:1946Natur.158..809T. doi:10.1038/158809a0. S2CID 4074834.
  5. ^ Great Britain. Alan G. Ogilvie. 2 January 2014. pp. 270–271. ISBN 9781107626539. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  6. ^ Marsh, Terry (2013). Great Mountain Days in the Pennines. Cicerone. ISBN 978-1852846503. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  7. ^ Ratcliffe, Derek (2011). A Nature Conservation Review. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521203296. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty". Natural England. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  9. ^ "National Parks". Natural England. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  10. ^ "Trail stats, Pennine Way". National Trails Homepage. The Countryside Agency. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2007.