The adventure begins in The Peak District, Britain's first national park. From the stunning Bamford Edge, Dan and Helen survey The Pennine Way, stretching all the way to Scotland, and discuss The Kinder Trespass, in which defiant protesters won the right to roam.In the village of Edale, the official gateway to The Pennines, Dan and Helen shear a sheep with third-generation farmer James Metcalfe. After a night under canvas, Dan goes rambling with Mosaic, a group encouraging people from ethnic minorities to access the peaks, then reunites with Helen to mine for Blue John, one of the rarest minerals on the planet.They cycle along the stunning, serpentine Snake Pass, the first road through The Pennines, and Dan reveals how his recent bike accident saw him escape death by 50 centimetres. They travel to the valley where The Dam Busters trained for their game-changing World War II raid, and they venture out onto the beautiful Ladybower Reservoir in a pair of specially adapted lorry tyres to learn float fishing.Finally, Dan and Helen become the first members of the public to canoe along Standedge, Britain's longest, deepest, and highest canal tunnel. Running from West Yorkshire to Greater Manchester, the 200-year-old tunnel is as spooky as it is historic, and Dan and Helen marvel at the audacity of hacking through a Pennine by hammer and chisel.The friends reflect on the first stage of their adventure and conclude that the people of The Pennines are even more memorable than the landscapes.
Dan Walker and Helen Skelton begin the next leg of their journey atop Stoodley Pike Monument, a Northern landmark with stunning views across the region, before making their way to Hebden Bridge where they meet a talented ten-year-old planning to keep the craft of clog-making alive by continuing his grandparents' business. The pair then make their way to Saltaire, the village built by the Victorian industrialist Titus Salt for his workers, before their final stop at the the Cow and Calf Rocks on Ilkley Moor.
Dan and Helen are on the penultimate leg of their Pennine adventure and this week takes them across God's Own Country: The Yorkshire Dales.Starting off in the stunning karst landscape of Beck, Dan and Helen face their biggest challenge yet with a huge 100m abseil into Alum Pot, one of the Dale's deepest caves. After their jaw-dropping descent, Dan and Helen cool off at the nearby stunning waterfalls of Cotter Force.Next they enter Cheese Country: Wensleydale, where Dan heads off to investigate (and munch on) one of Yorkshire's culinary heroes, The Yorkshire Curd tart. Meanwhile, Helen meets Britain's only female traditional ropemaker, who teaches her how to make a skipping rope as well as the importance of the craft. Later, the friends reunite for a picnic at Helen's childhood picnic spot: Pendragon castle.Our intrepid duo next seek to uncover the artistry that the Pennines have to offer, being a former stomping ground of JMW Turner and David Hockney. They meet artist Andrea Hunter, who teaches them how to turn wool into a piece of art.Afterwards, travelling across the epic Buttertubs Pass, which was a former packhorse route up until the 18th century, Helen shares her childhood love of horses with Dan, who at first is not quite as enthusiastic about our four-legged friends... Helen hopes to change his mind with a lesson at Brookleigh riding Centre.As dark clouds roll in, the pair drive across the moody landscapes of the Swaledale Valleys to their final stop of the day, The Tan Hill Inn – famously recognised as Britain's highest pub. There, they meet owner Andrew Hields to discuss the challenges of his elevated post. To round it off, they look towards the last leg of their Pennines journey and celebrate their adventure so far with the famous Tan Hill banquet, including "head-sized" Yorkshire puds!
On the last leg of their adventure, Dan Walker and Helen Skelton are in the north Pennines, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to Helen's Cumbria home. Helen introduces Dan to one of her favourite Cumbrian villages, Dufton, where she joins a local running club on a steep fell run up Dufton Pike. Dan heads to Slaggyford, where he takes a ride on the South Tynedale Railway - the highest narrow-gauge railway in the north of England, with spectacular views for all five miles of the journey.
