Which mountain range is often called the backbone of England?

The Pennines are often called the backbone of England.

This long chain of uplands runs broadly north–south through northern England, from the Peak District and the Midlands toward the Tyne Gap and Northumberland. Its central position and great length make the “backbone” comparison an especially familiar nickname, rather than an official geographic title.

The Pennines are important not only as a landscape but also as a watershed. Rivers flowing from their slopes head either west toward the Irish Sea or east toward the North Sea, including the Eden, Ribble, Tyne, Wear, Tees, Aire, and several tributaries of the Ouse. Much of the range is protected in areas such as the Yorkshire Dales, North Pennines, and Peak District.

The range’s highest point is Cross Fell in eastern Cumbria, at about 893 metres. The Pennine Way, Britain’s oldest national trail, follows the uplands for roughly 429 kilometres. The Cheviot Hills are sometimes included in broad descriptions of the Pennine landscape, but they lie beyond the Tyne Gap and are normally treated as a separate upland group. The Mendip Hills and Cotswolds are southern English uplands, not the country’s “backbone.”