Pennines

The Pennines (/ˈpɛnaɪnz/), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "backbone of England" because of its length and position, the range runs from Derbyshire and Staffordshire in the North Midlands to Northumberland in North East England, near the Anglo-Scottish border. The range starts near the valley of the River Trent to the south and extends northwards across the Peak District, South Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, and North Pennines, ending at the Tyne Gap. Beyond the gap are the Border Moors and Cheviot Hills, which are included in some definitions of the range.

The Pennines are deeply indented by valleys, and the range is divided into two by the Aire Gap, a wide pass formed by the valleys of the rivers Aire and Ribble. There are several spurs off the main Pennine range east of the gap, into Lancashire, comprising the Rossendale Fells, West Pennine Moors and the Bowland Fells. The Howgill Fells and Orton Fells in Cumbria are also sometimes considered to be Pennine spurs. The Pennines are an important water catchment area, with numerous reservoirs in the head streams of the river valleys.

Most of the range is protected by national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Running north to south, and including the Cheviots, the range is within Northumberland National Park, the North Pennines AONB, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Nidderdale AONB, the Forest of Bowland AONB, and the Peak District National Park. The only significant unprotected gap is the area between Skipton and Marsden.

Britain's oldest long-distance footpath, the 268-mile (429 km) Pennine Way, runs along most of the Pennines.