How many hard hikes are there near Rochdale?

Our directory currently lists 59 matching routes near Rochdale, each with distance, elevation gain and a mapped route line drawn from OpenStreetMap data.

What is the average length of these trails?

The average is 37.5 km with roughly 827 m (2,713 ft) of climbing. The longest on this list is 153 km.

Which is the best one to start with?

Pennine Way (Edale to Crowden) ranks highest here on our popularity score, which weighs route quality, scenery and how well documented it is.

Are these routes suitable for beginners?

Most routes on this list are rated moderate or harder. If you are just starting out, filter by easy difficulty or by distance under 5 km.

Hard Hiking Trails near Rochdale

We track 59 routes that match this search near Rochdale. They average 37.5 km and 827 m (2,713 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 153 km.

That is 36 percent of the 163 routes we map near Rochdale. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 37.5 km against 17.7 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 827 m (2,713 ft) on average versus 390 m (1,280 ft) across the wider area.

Hard routes mean sustained ascent, long descents and a real need to watch the clock and the forecast. These lean toward the demanding end, so plan for a full day and check the forecast before you commit.

Hard

Pennine Way (Edale to Crowden)

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 26.4 km
Elevation gain: 581 m
Typical duration: 6 hr 43 min

Mountain

Expert

The Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 101 km
Elevation gain: 2,357 m
Typical duration: 27 hr

Mountain
Forest
Long-distance path

Expert

Gritstone Trail (Disley - River Dane)

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 32.9 km
Elevation gain: 725 m
Typical duration: 8 hr 29 min

River
Mountain

Hard

Pennine Way (Calder Valley to Ickornshaw)

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 25.7 km
Elevation gain: 566 m
Typical duration: 6 hr 32 min

Hard

Pennine Way (Crowden to Standedge)

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 20.6 km
Elevation gain: 453 m
Typical duration: 5 hr 8 min

Hard

Pennine Way (Ickornshaw to Malham)

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 28.1 km
Elevation gain: 617 m
Typical duration: 7 hr 10 min

Expert

Airedale Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 76.5 km
Elevation gain: 1,683 m
Typical duration: 20 hr

Mountain
Long-distance path

Expert

Bronte Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 70.7 km
Elevation gain: 1,555 m
Typical duration: 18 hr

Mountain
Long-distance path

Expert

Burnley Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 65.2 km
Elevation gain: 1,433 m
Typical duration: 17 hr

Mountain
Long-distance path

Expert

Calderdale Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 81.6 km
Elevation gain: 1,795 m
Typical duration: 21 hr

Mountain
Long-distance path

Expert

Kirklees Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 122 km
Elevation gain: 2,688 m
Typical duration: 32 hr

Mountain
Long-distance path

Expert

Mary Towneley Loop

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 72.0 km
Elevation gain: 1,585 m
Typical duration: 19 hr

Mountain
Long-distance path

Expert

Pendle Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 72.0 km
Elevation gain: 1,584 m
Typical duration: 19 hr

Mountain
Long-distance path

Expert

Rochdale Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 77.8 km
Elevation gain: 1,711 m
Typical duration: 20 hr

Mountain
Long-distance path

Expert

Rossendale Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 67.0 km
Elevation gain: 1,474 m
Typical duration: 17 hr

Mountain
Long-distance path

Expert

Bollin Valley Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 37.0 km
Elevation gain: 814 m
Typical duration: 9 hr 35 min

Mountain

Expert

Irwell Sculpture Trail

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 55.2 km
Elevation gain: 1,214 m
Typical duration: 14 hr

Mountain

Hard

Peak District Boundary Walk Stage 19

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 15.8 km
Elevation gain: 347 m
Typical duration: 3 hr 49 min

Mountain

Hard

Peak District Boundary Walk Stage 2

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 15.7 km
Elevation gain: 345 m
Typical duration: 3 hr 49 min

Mountain

Hard

Peak District Boundary Walk Stage 20

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 15.7 km
Elevation gain: 345 m
Typical duration: 3 hr 48 min

Mountain

Hard

Peak District Boundary Walk Stage 4

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 16.0 km
Elevation gain: 352 m
Typical duration: 3 hr 54 min

Mountain

Hard

Peak District Boundary Walk Stage 5

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 17.6 km
Elevation gain: 388 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 20 min

Mountain

Hard

Peak District Boundary Walk Stage 7

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 17.2 km
Elevation gain: 379 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 13 min

Mountain

Hard

Peak District Boundary Walk Stage 8

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 16.6 km
Elevation gain: 365 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 3 min

Mountain

Expert

Salford Trail

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 39.5 km
Elevation gain: 869 m
Typical duration: 10 hr

Mountain

Expert

Trans-Pennine Trail (Stockport to Silkstone Common)

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 57.9 km
Elevation gain: 1,274 m
Typical duration: 15 hr

Mountain

Expert

Bradford Millennium Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 76.1 km
Elevation gain: 1,674 m
Typical duration: 20 hr

Mountain
Long-distance path

Hard

Dales Way Link

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 19.0 km
Elevation gain: 417 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 42 min

Hard

Dearne Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 26.7 km
Elevation gain: 588 m
Typical duration: 6 hr 48 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 10

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 18.6 km
Elevation gain: 410 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 36 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 11

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 20.2 km
Elevation gain: 444 m
Typical duration: 5 hr 1 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 12

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 21.3 km
Elevation gain: 468 m
Typical duration: 5 hr 19 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 13

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 18.4 km
Elevation gain: 405 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 32 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 14

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 22.3 km
Elevation gain: 491 m
Typical duration: 5 hr 37 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 15

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 16.4 km
Elevation gain: 362 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 1 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 16

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 16.2 km
Elevation gain: 357 m
Typical duration: 3 hr 57 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 17

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 16.6 km
Elevation gain: 366 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 4 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 18

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 17.0 km
Elevation gain: 373 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 9 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 8

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 19.2 km
Elevation gain: 423 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 46 min

Hard

GM Ringway Stage 9

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 20.5 km
Elevation gain: 451 m
Typical duration: 5 hr 7 min

Hard

Trans-Pennine Trail (Ashton-upon-Mersey to Stockport)

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 20.7 km
Elevation gain: 456 m
Typical duration: 5 hr 11 min

Hard

Trans-Pennine Trail (Warrington to Ashton-upon-Mersey)

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 19.6 km
Elevation gain: 431 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 52 min

Expert

Holme Valley Circular Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 36.9 km
Elevation gain: 813 m
Typical duration: 9 hr 34 min

Mountain

Expert

Welcome Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 36.3 km
Elevation gain: 798 m
Typical duration: 9 hr 24 min

Waymarked route

Expert

Oldham Way

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 68.3 km
Elevation gain: 1,503 m
Typical duration: 18 hr

Long-distance path

Hard

Brighouse Boundary Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 32.4 km
Elevation gain: 714 m
Typical duration: 8 hr 21 min

Hard

Calder Aire Link

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 31.6 km
Elevation gain: 696 m
Typical duration: 8 hr 8 min

Hard

Colne Valley Circular Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance: 18.2 km
Elevation gain: 400 m
Typical duration: 4 hr 29 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
Route	Distance	Ascent	Time	Difficulty	Best season
Pennine Way (Edale to Crowden)England	26.4 km	581 m	6 hr 43 min	Hard	April to October
The Ribble Valley Jubilee TrailEngland	101 km	2,357 m	27 hr	Expert	April to October
Gritstone Trail (Disley - River Dane)England	32.9 km	725 m	8 hr 29 min	Expert	April to October
Pennine Way (Calder Valley to Ickornshaw)England	25.7 km	566 m	6 hr 32 min	Hard	April to October
Pennine Way (Crowden to Standedge)England	20.6 km	453 m	5 hr 8 min	Hard	April to October
Pennine Way (Ickornshaw to Malham)England	28.1 km	617 m	7 hr 10 min	Hard	April to October
Airedale WayEngland	76.5 km	1,683 m	20 hr	Expert	April to October
Bronte WayEngland	70.7 km	1,555 m	18 hr	Expert	April to October
Burnley WayEngland	65.2 km	1,433 m	17 hr	Expert	April to October
Calderdale WayEngland	81.6 km	1,795 m	21 hr	Expert	April to October

If you only have time for one, start with Pennine Way (Edale to Crowden), The Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail, Pennine Way (Ickornshaw to Malham). Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Other shortlists covering the same area or the same kind of terrain.

Trails

The shortlist, side by side

Frequently asked questions

How many hard hikes are there near Rochdale?

What is the average length of these trails?

Which is the best one to start with?

Are these routes suitable for beginners?

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