Wallsend to Newburn
The walk starts in Wallsend in Newcastle upon Tyne, on the site of Segedunum, a fort with an interesting museum. It follows the River Tyne into the city to the redeveloped central quayside, centered on the ‘Blinking Eye’ Millennium Bridge, which leads to the Baltic Arts Centre and distinct Sage Building. The route continues besides the river to Newburn, on the outskirts of Newcastle.

Newburn to Humshaugh
The route continues pleasantly through the Tyne Valley Country Park before climbing to the hilltop village of Heddon and onwards through rolling countryside. Turrets and milecastles become part of the landscape. The final 2 miles are marked by a descent through pleasant parkland to the North Tyne Valley and the picturesque villages of Wall, Chollerford and Humshaugh, (all of which we use for overnight stops).

Humshaugh to Twice Brewed
The route soon reaches Northumbria National Park and classic Roman Wall country with expansive views and undulating moorland. The route climbs steadily at first, past turrets and a Brocolitia Roman fort; it then becomes more steeply undulating on reaching the Whin Sill escarpment.
The views of open moorland, the South Tyne Valley, the Pennines and of the wall itself following ridges ahead are breathtaking. The route passes the well preserved Housesteads Fort and continues in a similar dramatic fashion to Twice Brewed and on to your accommodation.

Twice Brewed to Gilsland
Twice Brewed is a good place to schedule in a rest day so you have time to explore the Vindolanda or Housesteads Roman forts. The route continues to follow the escarpment, over rugged crags of Windshield, equally as impressive as the previous section. It passes the remains of Great Chester’s Fort and the Roman Army Museum and continues to the pretty villages of Greenhead and Gilsland.

Gilsland to Carlisle
Just after Gilsland the fort of Birdoswald is reached, after which the route 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 the 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.

Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway
The final section is a complete contrast to all that has gone before; initially along the banks of the Eden and then across the pancake flat salt marshes of the Solway Firth. The mountains of the Lake District are visible to the south and Scotland is just across the water to the north. This expansive estuary is internationally renowned for its thriving bird life and the area has a peaceful charm of its own.

Easy to Moderate

Of the National Trails trails we cover, this is the easiest. The route covers rolling countryside and moorlands, but not mountains. Many people with limited walking experience have completed this route.

Terrain: Varied. Urban footpaths for day 1, then generally fields and parkland until Houseteads. Moorland up to 350m for the central section, then more fields/parkland to Carlisle, followed by flat coastal plain to Bowness.

What’s it like underfoot? Pretty good. Well maintained paths throughout, although sections can get a bit muddy in wet weather .

How Much Up & Down? Not too much! Generally rolling countryside with some gentle ups and downs. In the central section there are numerous short steep climbs.

Signposting: Good.

Navigation: Pretty straightforward. Well defined paths, and good signposting.

Good accommodation and friendly hosts are an essential part of any holiday. We understand this and go out of our way to find the best. We put a great deal of effort into hand picking our accommodation and matching it to individual customer requirements. As well as visiting the accommodation ourselves, we ask all our customers to complete a short evaluation on each night’s accommodation, which then gives us an insight in to the day-to-day operation, and lets us spot any potential issues before they become a problem.

We use a variety of accommodation, including small country house hotels, guest houses in market towns, bed and breakfasts in farm houses, country cottages and Victorian town houses. In selecting the accommodation we look for helpful, friendly hosts with good quality, characterful accommodation close to the trail. For example, over the course of your trip you might stay in a village inn, a bed and breakfast in a converted barn, a Victorian guest house, on a working farm, and in a Georgian hotel.

We always try to arrange ensuite accommodation, i.e. rooms with their own bathrooms for each night of your stay. However, in some of the more remote locations accommodation is limited and occasionally we may have to book rooms with shared bathrooms for one or two nights of your holiday, (especially if the booking is made at short notice), but we will always let you know if this is likely to be the case.

General travel information on the Hadrian’s Wall area will be in your holiday pack including train and bus timetables where available.

Detailed instructions on getting to your first night’s accommodation by car, or on foot from the nearest train or bus station, will also be included in the holiday pack on individual accommodation maps.

To view train times please visit www.qjump.co.uk where you can also purchase tickets in advance. For information on bus timetables please visit www.traveline.info

If you require car parking whilst walking this route, you can park in Tynemouth on your night of arrival. The following morning you drive to Wallsend which is the start of the route and we will arrange secure parking at this location. You can return to your car by public transport or taxi - please contact us for detailed information.

Getting There: Holidays starting at Wallsend have the first night in Tynemouth.
By Air: Newcastle International Airport has its own Metro station (you will need some change for the ticket machine) the journey time from the airport to Newcastle Central Station is around 20 minutes, change at Monument for Tynemouth.
By Public Transport: take the east coast main line to Newcastle. From Newcastle Central Station take the metro to Tynemouth (you will need some change for the ticket machine), then follow the instructions on the accommodation map in your holiday pack.
By Road: From the South, head North through the Tyne Tunnel (A19) follow the A19 up to the A1058 coast road, head towards Tynemouth. From Newcastle, head towards the coast on the Coast Road (A1058).
To get to the start of the route at Wallsend to begin your walk:
Take the metro from Tynemouth to Wallsend (approx 7 min). Exit the station and follow Station Road to Buddle Street where you will find Segedunum Museum.

Returning from Bowness on Solway:
Take the bus from Bowness on Solway to Carlisle (approx 45 min) there is a bus at 07:30 and 10:20. There is a train station at Carlisle for onwards travel. Please note there is no bus on Sunday, you will need to take a taxi (approx £25).There is a list of taxi companies in your holiday pack.