Walkers on the Pennine Way in the Yorkshire Dales

Outdoor enthusiasts are being urged to walk the Pennine Way in a day to mark the 50th birthday of the UK’s first national trail.

But walkers won’t be expected to achieve the superhuman feat of covering the full 431km (268-mile) route in 24 hours.

National Trails, the website detailing the 15 official long-distance trails in England and Wales, is encouraging members of the public to tackle one of 50 circular routes that together will cover the full distance of the Pennine Way, which runs from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders.

Anne Clark of National Trails said: “The Pennine Way holds a special place in people’s hearts. It’s a real challenge and not everyone has time or energy to tackle it in one go. The Walk the Way in a Day events gives everyone the opportunity to be part of a really special walking event, and to have a wonderful walk too.”

National Trails is asking walkers to sign up for the 25 April event by visiting the dedicated website and downloading details of one of the route.

Anyone tackling one of the routes is then asked to let National Trails know which one they are walking via email or on social media: @nationaltrails on Twitter or on Facebook.

The 50th anniversary of the official opening of the Pennine Way is on 24 April. The Pennine Way was the first national trail, formally opened in 1965. It arose from the campaigning of the journalist Tom Stephenson, who first proposed the idea in 1935.