Pennines

The Pennines /ˈpɛnaɪnz/ are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.

Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more or less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of Lancashire which includes the administrative district of Greater Manchester, through the Yorkshire Dales past the Cumbrian Fells to the Cheviot Hills on the Anglo-Scottish border. North of the Aire Gap, the Pennines give out a western spur into North Lancashire, the Bowland Fells, and south of the gap is a similar spur into East Lancashire, comprising the Rossendale Fells and West Pennine Moors.

Although the above is a common definition, the Cheviot Hills are not, strictly speaking, part of the Pennines, being separated by the Tyne Gap and the Whin Sill, along which run the A69 and Hadrian's Wall, but because the Pennine Way crosses them they are often treated as such. Conversely, although the southern end of the Pennines is commonly said to be somewhere in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, often Edale (the start of the Pennine Way), they extend south into Staffordshire and the southern parts of Cheshire and Derbyshire. The true southern end of the Pennines is in the Stoke-on-Trent area, about 40 miles (64 km) south of Edale.

The Pennines are an important water catchment area with numerous reservoirs in the head streams of the major river valleys. The region is widely considered to be one of the most scenic areas of the United Kingdom. The North Pennines and Nidderdale have been declared Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), as have Bowland and Pendle Hill. Portions of the Pennines are incorporated into the Peak District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Northumberland National Park. Britain's first long-distance footpath, the Pennine Way, runs along most of the Pennine chain and is 429 kilometres (268 mi) long.