After one days rest I headed up to Wallsend to start hiking Hadrian's Wall.
Despite being navigationally challenged I was very impressed with myself! I caught the bus from Robin Hoods Bay to Scarborough train station, then to York changing to travel to Newcastle. I was going to get a taxi from Central Railway station but the lovely ticketing lady convinced me it is way cheaper and easy to catch the train. I managed to buy the correct ticket and change trains to land at Wallsend in drizzly rain.
From there I dragged my luggage about mile to my accomodation.
The funny thing about hiking (for me anyway) is that although some days are tough and you long for a break, when I have a rest day I feel very restless and have this feeling that I should be moving!
Day 1 Wallsend to Newcastle 9.5km (plus 7km exploring the city)
After checking out the Roman ruins at Segedunum, I walked to Newcastle. It was quite boring walking on flat paved paths and as I knew it was a short day I was pretty slow and casual and still arrived early in Newcastle, luckily the hotel allowed me to check in early (even got an upgrade :) ). True to form I rested for a bit then headed out to explore and happened across one of the original roman walls.
In hindsight, I would check into my hotel at Newcastle, catch the train to Wallsend, walk to Newcastle for first overnight there.
Day 2: Newcastle to Heddon on the Wall - 21km
Again quite flat walking, great surface for bikes and prams etc and very popular with locals for exactly that. I did duck up to George Stephenson's birth house.
Day 3: Heddon on the Wall to Chollerford - 24km (26.6km)
Today was a quite tough (nearly 27km) and I just made it to Chester's Fort for my passport stamp. I caught my prearranged lift to my accomodation (one of the nicest I'd stayed in) had a lovely soak in the bath and complimentary snacks.
Day 4: Chollerford to Homestead 16km (17.1km)
An easier day, hillier but I'm seeing a lot more of the wall and forts. I love history so I find this fascinating. I actually overshot my stop and ended up at Vercovicium Fort, which I explored and got my stamp. I didn't feel like walking back to my accomodation so I caught the bus back to it. One of the quirkier places run by an elderly man.
Hiking/Life Lesson: Make decisions when you're calm & be confident to follow through.
Day 5: Homestead to Greenhead - 19.5km
I enjoyed this section, very hilly and nice accomodation at the end. Saw the famous Sycamore tree, which has unfortunately since been cut down.
Day 6: Greenhead to Irthington - 9.5km (21.8km)
I don't know how but I ended up walking 21km! It wasn't really physically tough but definitely mentally challenging today.
Day 7: Irthington to Carlisle - 13km (16.2km)
Quite flat walking through pastures. Possibly the trickiest thing with Hadrian's wall is dealing with cheeky cows, lol. I'm accustomed to cattle but these ones think nothing of chasing you through their fields. Oh and not the cute hairy Highland coos, they are gorgeous, I've never seen cuter calves, the main offenders are dairy cows!
Day 8: Carlisle to Bowness on Solway - 24km (26.6km) Again flat walking, which gets pretty boring in patches, especially on the salt marshes just before Bowness on Solway. It was lovely to finish with a group of Australians and have a celebratory beer.
To note: when I did this hike in 2022 there was talk of the bus service cancelling between Bowness and Carlisle, which is a real shame for the locals and tourists alike.
Hiking/Life Lesson: Don't forget to look back to see how far you've come.
Fast Facts:
Officially 135km but I recorded 160km
Elevation gain: 3020 mtrs
Steps: 261,665 steps.
You might be interested in checking out my Training tips and Packing List.
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