AS celebrations are being held to mark the 50th anniversary of the Pennine Way, the UK's first long distance trail is facing a mid-life crisis, according to those charged with conserving it.

While the 268-mile national trail, which passes through three national parks and by historic monuments such as Hadrian's Wall, still attracts thousands of hikers, it has seen a decline in the number in walking from its start in Derbyshire to the finish in the Scottish Borders.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park's head ranger, Alan Hulme said: "The Pennine Way is an absolute treasure, but we have to look at how we can promote it as a lot of people are scared of its distance.

"What people wanted 50 years ago is not what people want now, three weeks' walking is a big ask in this modern era."

Hundreds of walkers attended the trail's opening ceremony in the national park on April 24, 1965, exactly 33 years after a mass trespass in the Peak District, following a lengthy campaign by journalist Tom Stephenson, who believed everyone should have the right to roam.

Pennine Way Association secretary Bill Gallon, of Whickham, near Newcastle, said when the trail opened there was a wave of appreciation from walkers across the North who no longer had to "run the gauntlet of gamekeepers".

The retired sales manager said the route's popularity from the 1970s created a thriving rural economy, but led to sections suffering major erosion, with the path becoming 30 yards wide at some points.

Conservation work has seen the trail restored, but social changes, such as foreign travel, and the opening of numerous other walking trails, has seen the number of end-to-end walkers drop, he said.

Chris Woodley-Stewart, director of North Pennines AONB, who walked the trail 33 years ago, said sections of the route, such as High Force, continued to attract visitors who would not otherwise visit remote areas of the North.

Mr Hulme said a new partnership managing the trail, led by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, would aim to promote the route in different ways, such as promoting single-day walks.

The anniversary is being marked by a mass Walk the Way in a Day event today (Saturday, April 25), in which people can choose from 50 circular walks covering the trail.

Details of the anniversary walks are available at nationaltrail.co.uk

The Dales Countryside Museum, in Hawes, is staging an art, photography and sculpture exhibition of work by a group of Dales artists called Pennine Ways, until Sunday (April 26).