Celebrating 60 years of the Pennine Way 1965-2025

24th April 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the official opening of England’s first National Trail. The original idea came from Tom Stephenson, a British journalist and keen walker, who wrote an article in 1935 asking for a long distance walk in England – a ‘long green trail’. It took another 30 years, but Tom – by then secretary of the Ramblers’ Association - was there on Malham Moor at the opening ceremony on 24 April 1965. The trail was the result of a real change in how people came to value and use the countryside in the early decades of the twentieth century. This page gives information about the events that are happening along the trail throughout the year to celebrate the anniversary.