Just over halfway through April 2023 I set out on a Monday morning from Manchester’s Picadilly Station to walk to Leeds.
It is a journey of just over 60 miles. To aid my passage I was taking with me a handy new Osprey Kestrel 68 litre rucksack and guided by Ordnance Survey Explorer.
Broken into four stages with a layover in Glossop to climb Bleaklow between stages One and Two the rojute was designed to take four days.
I had built calling into a few points of interest like Yorkshire Sculpture Park into the route. As well as making extensive use of the excellent Trans Pennine Trail network, especially on days Two and Four, the main trek over the Pennines and the final push into the centre of Leeds respectively.
For these reason it is not the quickest of routes. Not compared to last year’s Sheffield – Manchester in three days walk which was pretty direct. However, I feel that the route I developed is good in terms of providing just about the right of walking each day, taking in some interesting sights and being fairly accessible.
Manchester to Leeds is a tricky one largely because of the Pennines and how the settlements situated in the hinterland between the two great cities are spreadout. This limits accomodation options especially on the central sections and unless you want to camp in the national park you have to be quite selective at which point you cross the Peak District. Unless you go north of the Peak then really only Longdendale (which I chose) or Marsden Moor are viable options. The disadvantge of Marsden Moor is that you then have a long trek through urban West Yorkshire, which Leeds is located in the north eastern corner of, so on balance I think that my route weighs all of these competing considerations correctly.
Do check it out below: