Welcome to Hooked on Walking and our walking holidays in England. This particular hiking vacation in England is a 6 night self guided walking tour along the Hadrian’s Wall National trail. We follow most of the trail with interesting Roman remains between Wallsend a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne and Carlisle in the west. This walking tour we have graded a level 2-3 walking tour, it is not particularly hard in terms of altitude gains but some sections are long in terms of distance. Most of these days can be covered in 5-6 hours walking and there is also a public bus which runs almost parallel to the route which can help shorten most days if distance becomes too great. The walk is very varied in terms of scenery from farmland to open moorland.

Available daily from May - September
Level 2-3 self guided walking tour

Day 1 Arrival to Wallsend ( Newcastle upon Tyne )

Day 2 Wallsend / Newcastle to Heddon-on-the-Wall 15 miles
This first stage begins by the only remaining piece of the Wall that originally run down from the fort to the Tyne, and which now stands just over the railings outside the fort grounds. A riverside route along the Tyne gives way to predominantly arable farmland above Tynedale. For much of the way the route follows a disused railway and a national cycle lane across Newcastle and its outskirts mainly through an urban landscape, although at the end of the day you will enjoy glorious countryside and wonderful green fields covered in colourful wild flowers beside the River Tyne. Highlights of the day are the Museum and Roman Fort of Segedunum, at the very start of the trail, and the abundance of information that you can read along the way about the medieval and industrial past of the city of Newcastle.

Day 3 Heddon-on-the-Wall to Chollerford 15 miles
Today’s route will take us through open countryside, never far from the side of the road, but mainly on farmland next to the roadside hedge or wall. For most of this stage you will be trekking in fields alive with livestock and other wilder creatures of the British countryside such as hares, rabbits and a superb variety of bird-life including crows, lapwings, finches, swallows and on the waters of Whittledene Reservoir, the great-crested grebe, tufted duck and dunlin. The trail almost follows a straight line near the road except for one or two small corners, the path often exiting onto or across the road as it makes its way into the next field or past a farmhouse. We will start to see more and more archeological findings and evidence of Roman occupation as the day progresses.

Day 4 Chollerford to Once Brewed 12 miles
Perhaps the most thrilling day of the entire walk, this stage is to be savoured. Encompassing the best preserved fort on the Wall, the finest views, the most complete sections of the Wall, the northernmost point of the trail and some great if slightly exhausting walking, this is a day for superlatives. So bring plenty of food and water with you, bucket loads of stamina and prepare to enjoy yourself.

Day 5 Once Brewed to Gilsland 9 miles
While this stage is not as spectacular as the previous one, it is perhaps the most interesting. Today we will climb to the highest point of the entire trail, we will cross from Northumberland into Cumbria and it will take place in a change of scenery, from the windswept moors and crags that provided yesterday’s backdrop to the more gentle, rolling, cultivated landscape of England’s far north-west. We also cross the watershed on this day, so that by the end of it any river we encounter from now on flows west towards the Irish Sea. Not to be missed are the remains of a roman bridge, who would have carried both the Wall and the Military Way near Gilsland, at the River Irthing. There are also numerous remains of turrets, forts and mile-castles along the trail to be seen. Quite a stage indeed!

Day 6  Gilsland to Carlisle 7 / 18 miles
Pleasant walking through colourful fields in which to enjoy marvellous scenery. Just after Gilsland the fort of Birdoswald is reached, the route then continues high above the steep sided Irthington Gorge, before beginning a gradual descent at the village of Banks. Rich agricultural landscape and parkland replaces the moorland as the route drops steadily through the villages of Walton and Irthington before reaching lovely River Eden for the final section into the historic border city of Carlisle. Carlisle’s history is very much evident with its cathedral, castle and old city walls. If you feel 18 miles is too long you can exit the trail just before Walton and take the Hadrian’s Wall bus to Carlisle. This could allow you more time to enjoy looking around the town.

Day 7 Departure from Carlisle.
Today after breakfast you can take a train north to Scotland , south towards Manchester or east back to Newcastle where you began.

Accommodation: 3/4 star hotels , guests houses, country inns and bed and breakfast. Occasionally we have to book a nearby village in peak times which would mean a shorter day and a longer days walk the next day.

Difficulty: We have graded this tour as a level 2-3 walking holiday.

Please note not like other operators we do not just provide a map and a guide book from a bookshop, we have walked this trail and provide detailed photographic instructions which are easy to follow.

2010 Prices

How to get there
By Plane to Newcastle Airport and then by bus / train/taxi to the city centre.

To view our other walking holidays in the UK

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Cycling Holidays in UK , Cycling holidays in Europe

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