Adrian's Walk: Roughin It in the Peaks

Product Information

Today’s your first day on the walk, and what a place to start! You should’ve arrived in Carlisle at some time during the day and now you need to get to Bowness-on-Solway to start the trail. To do this, head to the Carlisle central bus station and catch the 93 bus. Within an hour you should arrive at the start of the Hadrian’s Wall Path. Did Hadrian’s Wall inspire ‘The Wall’ in Game of Thrones? Yes! Author George R.R. Martin confirmed that The Wall in Westeros was partly inspired by Hadrian Wall and it appears throughout The Song of Ice and Fire book and TV series. The last part of today (and the last part of the entire walk!) is through a load of weird, bleak salt marshes. They start green and relatively pretty, but as you near the coast, they transform, becoming all grey, ugly and oddly apocalyptic. Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: Vallum Hadriani), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or Vallum Aelium in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. [1] Running from Wallsend on the River Tyne in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west of what is now northern England, it was a stone wall with large ditches in front of it and behind it that crossed the whole width of the island. Soldiers were garrisoned along the line of the wall in large forts, smaller milecastles, and intervening turrets. [2] In addition to the wall's defensive military role, its gates may have been customs posts. [3] A view of Hadrian's Wall showing its length and height. The upright stones on top of it are modern, to deter people from walking on it.

Passing through Gilsland on yet another rainy morning I came across the House of Meg cafe and was lured in by the smell of cooking bacon. I stopped off for 15 minutes to get an enormous breakfast bap which helped fuel me for the day’s walking! The 2011 action drama film The Eagle tells the story of a young Roman officer setting out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia to recover the lost Roman eagle standard of the Ninth Legion. [ citation needed] The 2010 film Centurion tells a similar story. Assuming you’re traveling from Newcastle-upon-tyne, it’s easy. And even if you’re not, you need to get to Newcastle to access the start of the route anyway. Millennium Bridge on The River Tyne, Newcastle-upon-Tyne More importantly, a good guidebook can give you social and historical context, which is especially useful on a hike like this.

Your Itinerary

Hadrian's Wall". History. 19 January 2018. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023 . Retrieved 17 August 2020. All you need to do is look out for the acorn. On walls, posts, signs, fences, and all sorts of structures you will see an acorn indicating the direction of the path. There are also plenty of clear signs pointing towards Hadrian’s Wall / Hadrian’s Wall Path / Hadrian’s Way. This acorn symbol will be the main way to navigate yourself. Follow it and you’ll find your way! To the south, between the wall and the River Tees, Roman-style settlements appear in the early second century, very shortly after the wall was built. This is earlier than Roman villas in Yorkshire further south. Mortaria stamped with the name ANAVS were produced at Faverdale, some 80 kilometres south of the wall, and most of those found have come from the fort of Coria. ANAVS himself was probably an immigrant to the area. [34] In 150, a discharge certificate was issued to one Velvotigernus, son of Maglotigernus, after 26 year's service in the classis Germanica. It was found near (not in) the Roman fort of Longovicium. Presumably Velvotigernus was from the upper echelons of British society (his father's name means 'Great master'); he chose to settle near Lanchester some 27km south of the wall. [35] This suggests the rapid development of elements of Roman culture both by the local upper classes, and by immigrants either attracted by commercial possibilities or officially encouraged to settle. [36] North of the wall [ edit ] At the end of your walk, make sure you go to The Kings Arms. All west-heading Hadrian’s Wall wanderers end their route at this pub, so you can sit around and compare blisters with all the other just-finished hikers and hobblers. What is the Best Time to Do the Hadrian’s Wall Walk

Today, only 10% of the wall remains. But as you walk along Hadrian’s Wall Path, you’ll also walk through tiny Roman villages, plenty of fields, and past many Roman ruins and forts. Breeze discusses three theories about the soldiers on Hadrian's Wall. One, these soldiers who manned the milecastles and turrets on the wall came from the forts near it; two, regiments from auxiliaries were specifically chosen for this role; or three, "a special force" was formed to man these stations. [29]Broad sections of the wall are around nine and a half feet (2.9 metres) wide with the narrow sections two feet (61 centimetres) thinner, around seven and a half feet (2.3 metres) wide. [24] On my second to last day I covered a long stretch of the trail and was pleased to have the Robin Hood Inn to stop in at for lunch. I sat in the garden and rested up preparing for the final stretch of the day. How long is Hadrian’s Wall? It’s 84-miles in modern measurement, but it’s 80 Roman miles. The word “mile” derives from the Latin word mille which means thousand. So, their miles were “1,000 paces.” At every Roman mile on Hadrian’s Wall, they built a milecastle with two turrets on either side indicating the quarter-mile marks. Housesteads Roman Fort Chesters Roman Fort, my favourite If you don’t visit the forts, you won’t see one of 59 known phallic symbols on Hadrian’s Wall! 4. Should You Walk West or East? There are Pros and Cons to Both

Hadrian’s Wall Path (Trail Guides): Even more comprehensive than the book above, this one covers the past east to west, perfect if you’re following the itinerary I’ve outlined in this guide. This is a short day, and you’ll have to make up for this distance in future days so make sure you enjoy it! Spend some time in the Lanercost Priory and get some food or a hot drink either in the Walton Reading Room Cafe or the Lanercost Tea Room. Crossing fields around Walton. Following from this, David Breeze laid out the two basic functions for soldiers on or around Hadrian's Wall. [29] Breeze says that soldiers who were stationed in the forts around the wall had the primary duty of defence; at the same time, the troops in the milecastles and turrets had the responsibility of frontier control. [29] Evidence, as Breeze says, for soldiers stationed in forts is far more pronounced than the ones in the milecastles and turrets. [29] It took six years to build most of Hadrian's Wall with the work coming from three Roman legions – the Legio II Augusta, Legio VI Victrix, and Legio XX Valeria Victrix, totalling 15,000 soldiers, plus some members of the Roman fleet. [2] The building of the wall was not out of the area of expertise for the soldiers; some would have trained to be surveyors, engineers, masons, and carpenters. [2] "Broad Wall" and "Narrow Wall" [ edit ] The footings of the wall, showing the point at which the Broad Wall and the Narrow Wall footings meet The walk out of Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the seaside town of South Shields takes in mostly urban sprawl. The fort at Segedunum, 3.5mi east of Newcastle centre, represents the final (or first, depending on which way you’re going) fort along the official Hadrian's Wall National Path. Completists will want to venture farther east to reach the coast. Beyond Segedunum, you’ll take the only non-foot-based transport of the journey, the seven-minute Shields Ferry across the Tyne. Then it’s a short stroll up the high street to the sandy arc of Sandhaven Beach and the cool waters of the North Sea to soothe your feet upon finishing.

Route Profile

Drinking in pubs along the Hadrian’s Wall Walk was my second favourite thing about the whole trip. There really is nothing like a pint after a few hours of sweaty walking, is there? This is one Hadrian’s Wall Path tip I really wished I’d known before walking for two reasons. First, you cannot trust Google Map’s estimations of how long you have left to walk that day, in time or in miles. It doesn’t recognize the trail so it will provide zero help. Top tip: go to the House of Meg cafe in Gisland for one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Or maybe I was just really hungry, I don’t know. Day 5: Walton to Carlisle: 11 Miles (17.5km) Hadrian's Wall discovered underneath one of Newcastle's busiest streets". Northumbrian Water Group. 10 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023 . Retrieved 28 August 2021. It’s difficult to walk 14-miles every day as it is, don’t make it harder by being in pain while you do it!