IN 1993 I set out with some relatives to walk part of the Pennine Way from Settle to Hawes.

Our fluctuating route took us across the boggy sea-green undulations below Fountain’s Fell and up the slopes of some of the highest parts along the route.

I have vivid memories of that three-day family hike 22 years ago: the rocky steps up Malham Cove, finding it impossible to sleep in youth hostels, chucking a toilet roll to my brother-in-law whose fear of heights got the better of him at the summit of Pen-y-Ghent, and me falling flat on my face while trying to leap a muddy puddle on a rain-teeming Friday morning.

The distant lights of Hawes, seen through persistent rain, was one of the cheerier aspects of tramping that wheel-rutted track. Waiting for a train back to Settle on the platform of Garsdale Scar the following sunny morning, was another.

We only unravelled a bit of the walk. The entire Pennine Way, from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm at the top of Northumberland National Park, is 268 miles in length.

If you fancy following a longer bit a Mid Pennine Way walk is mapped out in colourful and graphic detail in Chris and Tony Grogan’s latest walking booklet, Heart of the Pennine Way. Their Saltaire publishing company Skyware Press has produced half-a-dozen equally impressive publications over the past few years, most of which have been reviewed in the T&A.

Chris said: “When we were planning a fortnight’s walking holiday, we looked at the Pennine Way but knew we couldn’t walk it all. So we came up with a new way to tackle an old friend – the mid Pennine Way.

“It worked for us. We thoroughly enjoyed our adventure and recommend it whole-heartedly.”

They divided the 165 miles of the route into ten sections. The longest stretch is just over 20 miles from Middleton-in-Teesdale to Dufton. The shortest is at the end – 12.9 miles from Greenhead to Housesteads and Bardon Mill.

Each of the ten sections has constituent parts, as the authors outline: “The first two sections can be conveniently broken into three, with stopping points at Ponden or Haworth and at Earby and Gargrave. Section Five can be broken at Thwaite, Muker or Keld, especially if the next goal is Bowes (though check first that accommodation is available there).

“Section six can be conveniently broken at Langdon Beck, especially given the tough day to follow, leaving plenty of time to enjoy the facilities at Middleton-in-Teesdale and the waterfalls along the way.”

The booklet also includes photographs, maps with inset descriptions of what to look out for along the way and diagrams.

The Pennine Way is not a stroll in the park.

“The key to success is careful preparation,” say the Grogans. Even these two experienced hikers had moments of trepidation setting off from Hebden Bridge to Haworth. But the weather was good and Bronte country proved uplifting. They entered the Yorkshire Dales via a riverside ramble to Malham.

“Next day was our first real test, the two mountains of Fountain’s Fell and Pen-y-Ghent, but all went well and soon we were heading north again along the limestone scars of Ribblesdale.”

A couple of days into their walk they went up to Tan Hill, Swaledale, and England’s highest pub. The Tan Hill Inn,1,732 feet above sea level.

They went on to trek the stony plateau of Cross Fell, at nearly 3,000 feet above sea level the highest peak on the Pennine Way, and walked down to Garrigill and Alston in Cumbria.

With journey’s end in sight they set off along the South Tyneside Valley, crossing marshy pastures of Hartleyburn and Blenkinsopp Commons.

“Our final day was a delight, hopping along Hadrian’s Wall atop the impressive Whin Sill ridge, before exploring the fascinating Roman forts at Housesteads and Vindolanda,” said Chris. “We caught the train at Bardon Mill for Carlisle then onto the Settle-Carlisle line home.”

Can there be a better way of rounding off a walk along the Pennine Way than a trip across the Ribblehead Viaduct?

Tony Grogan still had something to prove. From Derbyshire, he walked 42.5 miles from Edale into Calder Valley.

His route, which is set out in an illustrated seven-page appendix at the back of the booklet, covered miles of stone slab paving across former bogland.

He encourages would-be Pennine Way walkers to take the first step, saying, “It needn’t be an all-or-nothing gruelling expedition.”