Walkers will celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the country's most famous long-distance trails in 2005.

The Pennine Way stretches 268 miles from the Derbyshire Peaks to the Scottish Borders.

The route cuts through some of the most scenic countryside in the region, including the lush pastures and craggy limestone hills of the Yorkshire Dales and the boggy moors of Teesdale.

Originally the idea of rambler and journalist Tom Stephenson in the mid 1930s, the route was not officially opened until April 1965 at a ceremony attended by 2,000 people at Malham Tarn, in the Yorkshire Dales.

Managed by the Countryside Agency, the Pennine Way was the first of what are now 13 national trails in England and Wales.

To celebrate the walk's 40th anniversary, the Countryside Agency is planning activities to encourage people to discover, and rediscover, the joys of walking the route.

Steve Westwood, the agency's national trails officer for the Pennine Way, said: "Around 150,000 people a year use the route for day trips and longer walks, with approximately 3,500 people a year completing it from start to finish.

"The Pennine Way is England's ultimate long distance trail and has a unique reputation as a 'once in a lifetime' walk."

Peter Stott is secretary of the Pennine Way Association, a group dedicated to making sure the walk remains a public right of way.

He said part of the magic of the walk is its path down the centre of the country, "surrounded by bustling normal life, yet wonderfully, even dangerously isolated."

"The Pennine Way makes a huge impression on anyone who walks it," he said.

"To most, it's a massive physical challenge.

"Fit and experienced walkers take about seventeen days to go end-to-end, but even they find it hard each morning to overcome their mental inertia and drag themselves from bed or sleeping bag, whatever the weather, and head along the trail.

"But it's worth it. The rewards are tremendous: glorious views, animals and wild flowers, the camaraderie of fellow travellers, victory over the hostile weather, hospitality at the end of the day, a sense of fulfilment at journey's end and memories that will sustain you for years to come."