The long march

We had originally planned to do it on our honeymoon, but then rescheduled the trip for the following year. At the last minute, we cancelled again in favour of a softer option. Ten years on, when the children were at last old enough to be billeted with friends, the Pennine Way beckoned again.

The 270 mile route from Derbyshire to the Scottish border is rough, remote, and sometimes dangerous. My mother recommended plenty of woollen jumpers, but we shunned this outdated advice in favour of multiple, breathable, brightly coloured layers that weighed almost nothing and repelled both wind and water. At one of London's incongruous …