The route

In 2013 I walked a section of Hadrian's wall with a lovely team of ladies from Weymouth to raise money for the British Heart foundation. It was a great trip but left me wanting to explore the area more, as it is a location I know little about but was struck with it's natural beauty.

So the idea to walk coast to coast came to light.  A good friend Bev loaned me a book on 'the wall'; a brutal Ultra event taking place over 24 hours. I considered it (briefly) but thought a more leisurely pace would allow the visitor time to enjoy the surroundings.

The itinerary transpired from reading the Cicerone guide (Walking Hadrian's wall ISBN 978-1-85284-557-5):

Day 1 - Newcastle Quayside via Segedunum Roman fort to Heddon (18 miles)

Day 2 - Heddon to Chollerford (15.5 miles)

Day 3 - Chollerford - Gilsland (16 miles)

Day 4 - Gilsland to Carlisle (18 miles)

Day 5 - Carlisle to Bowness on Solway (14 miles)

Accommodation for this trip is mainly in B&B's;  this saves having to carry camping equipment but I quite fancy the idea of wild camping this route. This summer has been brilliant for wild camp adventures in the South and I'd love to bivvy here with the current forecast. As I am not travelling on my own I did not opt for this option and will probably be glad for a shower and bed by the end of the day!  We found that rooms need to be booked well in advance as accommodation in the more rural spots are pretty difficult to find without walking a long way off route. It also isn't that cheap. By far the best accommodation secured are the pods at the estuary at Solway :)

Hadrian's wall National trail is 84 miles long with an ascent of 1600m over the route; we will be walking east to west averaging about 17 miles a day, over five days.  The guide book recommends to take 9 days; it could be a punishing schedule, only trying it will tell. We are walking self-supported with packs (mines 100 litres capacity, but will not be full).
Traditionally the wall is walked east to west, as this was the direction the Roman's built the milestones markers. Modern walkers consider weather conditions more favourable walking west to east.

The wall which is a World Heritage site, was built from two million tonnes of stone that were hand-cut around AD 122 by the Roman legions XX Valeria, Vi Victrix and II Augusta. It took them ten years to complete.

The forts on Hadrian’s Wall had a long life of nearly 300 years. Many modifications took place, to the barrack blocks, the headquarters buildings and the commanders’ houses in particular. After the Roman's left Britain, Hadrian’s Wall became a quarry for stone to build castles and churches, farms and houses along its line, until the conservation movement in the 18th and 19th centuries put a stop to that (English Heritage).

Walking Hadrian's wall from Newcastle to the Solway coast will be an interesting transition from the urban hustle of the city, to the peace and tranquility of the shores of Bowness on Solway, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wallsend in Newcastle

'Solway Sunset'. Copyright James Smith Photography