Day 1 begins at a village called Edale that lies between Manchester and Sheffield. The 2007 Travistrek.co.uk team will set off from “The Nags Head” which is the official starting point.

They will embark on their challenge traversing across what the guide books describe as “not the kindest introduction to a long distance walk” but with all their fitness, training and planning nothing will halt the team in their steps. The team will trek over Kinder and Feathered Moss crossing the A57 Snake Road on to Bleaklow. On several stretches here they will be walking on “flagstones” which have been laid along the track keeping the team out of the mud and preventing erosion.

At the end of this particular section of the trek, Travis and the gang will be glad they will have bagged one of the Way’s toughest legs.

This will be a shorter day but still nevertheless a fairly hard days walk crossing very exposed moors. Several years ago walkers had to navigate the boggy route but the travistrek.co.uk team are fortunate to be able to walk on a slabbed path.

Words like desolate and torturous describe the terrain as Travis and the team will cross over the county border between Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Pressing on this section of The Way gets easier as they cross the Wessenden Valley before reaching their destination.

“Rough moorland walking” are the words describing this section from an experienced Pennine Way veteran.

This stage of the walk still encounters boggy stretches but these are insignificant compared with those already endured. Paths are much better surfaced. We will cross the busy M62 by way of a specially built bridge for Pennine Way walkers. It will be a strange feeling to hear the sounds of heavy traffic after having been up on the moors.

The travistrek.co.uk team will then pass through Bronte country, where the area is more populated with hill farms, dales and villages before they drop down to Calderdale and Hebden Bridge.

The notable feature of this stretch is going up, going down, then up again!

On this stretch of the Way Travis and the team will encounter road, rail, canal and river as they traverse the valley floor but soon they will leave this all behind as they climb up to open heather moorland and on to Withins which gave Charlotte Bronte the idea for Wuthering Heights.

The Way becomes much more hospitable as they drop down towards Cowling.

Day 5 will start off with a climb over Pinhaw Beacon revealing extensive views of the limestone hills around Malham along the north horizon.

This part of the trek should be very pleasant through the fertile Aire valley, sometimes the Way follows a river or a canal. This will be an easier day over rough grassland, paved paths and sandy tracks. The team will cross the Liverpool / Leeds canal which was the longest working canal to be built to transport raw materials from Liverpool docks for industries inland. Travis and the gang may have the opportunity at this stage to visit Gordale Scar, a huge rock formation.

This stage is full of quality hiking, paths are well tramped as this area is the most stunningly beautiful part of the Way.

As the Travistrek.co.uk team leave Malham they will catch a glimpse of Malham Cove which is an arc of sheer 260 foot high limestone cliff, also taking in the Malham Tarn Nature Reserve.

Day 7 will begin with the team walking in tandem with the Ribble Way and the Dales Way, before they stride out across the open moorland of Ribbleshead.

Should the weather be kind on this stretch, the team will enjoy the landscape of fast wide horizons but if the weather is poor it can be a bleak lonely passage.

They will progress on passing Sell Gill Holes and Jackdaw Hole which is a famous mecca for potholers. This follows on to a gentle amble into Wensleydale, the home of the cheese made famous by another man and dog – Wallace and Gromit.

Hawes to Keld “scores high on every walker’s list”. The walk over Great Shunner is exhilarating and the walk round Kisdon is beautiful.

As the team depart Hawes on Day 8 they will take time out to visit England’s highest waterfall at Hardraw Force before tackling the 5 mile walk up Great Shunner Fell (2350 ft) over to Swaledale.

This area has a sense of remoteness, the scale of land is immense and the feeling of exposure is often emphasized by a boisterous wind. Bypassing Keld they team will be heading up to stay at Tan Hill Inn, England’s highest pub at 1732 feet where many will recall the famous double glazing advert.

Between Tan Hill and Baldersdale there is a first taste of wilder North Pennine country as the Yorkshire Dales National Park is left behind.

These comparatively little walked and sprawling wet moors, may seem lonely and remote as Travis and the team trudge up the mucky track through Sleightholme Moor. An underpass will take them under the busy A66 road and soon the team will be at the half way point of their Challenge!

One of the Trek’s longer days in mileage but special from a scenic point as this comprises of a marvelous walk along the River Tees passing many waterfalls – Low Force, High Force and Cauldron Snout to name the most spectacular.

Next, it is on to a moorland trudge over to the wonders of High Cup and down to the village of Dufton.

“In poor weather the North Pennines can test the heart of any walker, and avoiding poor weather requires luck rather than judgment”. “we are talking about a strenuous climb and a long walk”

These are observations by previous walkers describing what lies ahead, this is renowned as the hardest day of the walk.

This stage begins with a fairly sustained ascent to Knock Fell followed by ups and downs to over the two Dun Fells. Then comes Cross Fell where navigation in the mist has been noted as tricky, although once down on the northern side a broad track delivers you to the valley of the River South Tyne. The team are then left with 4 miles along the riverside to Alston.

Day 12 is described as not being a particularly “scintillating section” in the Pennine Way guide books. On this particular day it will be a long slog for the team as they follow the Maiden Way which was an old Roman road. Navigation with map and compass maybe necessary as they will cross Lamberly Common and Round Hill where the path is not so well defined.

This day will see the travistrek.co.uk team tackle the Hadrian’s Wall section of the Way.

Every day sets it own challenge and this day is a testing day for the knees – lots of steep ups and downs as Travis and the gang follow the wall up above the high crags of the Whin Sill where they will be exposed to the elements.

From the highest point at Winshields Crag (1230ft) the Cheviots, the Solway Firth and the North Sea can be seen.- Nearly back in Scotland!

Another climb onto Hadrians Wall lies in store for a few more miles before the team head off into forest tracks of Kielder Forest.

These tracks lead through densely planted forestry plantations which exclude all views, but the track will lead up to Ealingham Rigg, before dropping down to Bellingham.

Day 15 consists of a pleasant days walk over rolling moorland ending with 6 miles on a hard track through the Redesdale Forest.

The advice given to the team is to enjoy this leisurely stretch on the penultimate day, with the final 28 mile challenge awaiting on the horizon.

After 7 miles walking up Byrness Hill the team will finally cross the border into Scotland.

Waking today will be very familiar to the Travis Trekkers because they will be back to the rolling hills they passed nearby last year on the Southern Upland Way.

The team will be fully geared up for the long day ahead, as they push towards the completion of another successful travistrek. The gathering that night will congregate in the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm. Please try and come and join us. Look out on the Trek News Centre for final details.