9-Day / 8-Night Moderate 🥾

From your point of arrival, use the public transport information we provide to make the journey to Bowness-on-Solway.

The Hadrian’s Wall Path starts (or ends) in Bowness-on-Solway, a small, peaceful village on the Irish Sea. From here, the trail follows bridleways and tracks along the coast and through farmland. After crossing the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, you come to the village of Burgh-by-Sands, where the English King Edward I, ‘the Hammer of the Scots’, died in 1307. Continue past a number of pretty villages and then follow the lovely River Eden on quiet paths to the 2,000-year-old, historic city of Carlisle. There is much to see in Carlisle, such as the famous castle or the Tully Museum, with its Roman artefacts.

Today starts with a pleasant walk along the quiet River Eden and then continues through parks and meadows to the charming village of Crosby-on-Eden. From there, the trail leads through small villages, fields, and pastures, and along secluded old bridleways with the first visible signs of Roman earthworks. The day finishes at the 12th-century Priory of Lanercost, once the capital of England for six months.

A varied hike with a lot of classic Hadrian’s Wall scenery. You come across increasing evidence of Roman archaeology, including the best-preserved Wall sections, several Roman Milecastles, and Roman Forts, as well as the remains of a Roman bridge. From Greenhead and its medieval castle, the route soon gains elevation and follows along the high crags. Optional visits include Birdoswald, the Roman Army Museum, and, near Once Brewed, the Fort of Vindolanda with its museum and active excavations.

More classic Hadrian’s Wall scenery, with some great Wall sections, Roman Milecastles and the spectacular Roman Fort at Housesteads. After the last of the crags, the trail leads through more level, open moorland and pastures to a Roman temple at the Fort of Brocolitia. After a visit to the northernmost edge of the Roman Empire, at Limestone Corner, the hike finishes at the excavated fort at Chesters.

At the start of the day, you pass the remains of a Roman bridge across the River Tyne. At the Heavenfield battle site, Oswald, king of Northumbria, won a famous victory in 634. Following the gentle curves of the defensive Roman earthworks south of the Wall, the trail brings you to the Port Gate, where the main Roman road into the North of Britain used to pass through Hadrian’s Wall. On your way into Corbridge, you pass Halton Castle and a little later Aydon Castle, one of the finest and most unaltered examples of a 13th-century English manor house. The day finishes in the pretty town of Corbridge, where you can see the remains of a Roman garrison town.

Pass through the un-excavated Roman fort of Onnum on your way to Wallhouses and the Robin Hood Inn. Through a rolling countryside of meadows and pastures, the trail follows the old Military Road (now the B6318) and the earthen defences on either side of Hadrian’s Wall. The Whittle Dene Reservoirs and Nature Reserve may give an opportunity for some bird-watching before you arrive at the aptly named Heddon-on-the-Wall, where you find one of the last preserved sections of the Wall. The route now turns south towards the River Tyne and then follows a former wagonway, close to the birthplace of George Stephenson, the Father of all Railways.

Today you follow the historical River Tyne, first through a pleasant riverside park and then through the rejuvenated vibrant city of Newcastle, with its seven famous bridges. From the city centre, the trail takes you along the banks of the river past the old heartland of the British Empire’s shipbuilding industry. The end (or start) of Hadrian’s Wall Path is found at Segedunum Roman Fort & Museum in Wallsend, the best-excavated Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall and its recreated Roman Bath.

There are regular bus & train services from Newcastle. Full details provided upon booking.