Hadrian's Wall

Built on the orders of Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD to mark the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, the wall stretches 84 miles from Wallsend on the River Tyne to Bowness-on-Solway on the Irish Sea. Today the Hadrian's Wall Path is a UNESCO World Heritage National Trail and one of Britain's most historically rich long-distance walks.

The route passes through a varied and rewarding landscape. The outskirts of Newcastle soon give way to the open countryside of Northumberland before the trail climbs onto the dramatic Whin Sill escarpment, where some of the best-preserved stretches of Hadrian’s Wall still trace the ridgeline above sweeping moorland views. The central section, between Chollerford and Birdoswald, is a particular highlight, with the remarkably well-preserved forts of Housesteads, Chesters and Vindolanda offering a vivid insight into life on Rome’s northern frontier nearly two thousand years ago.

The walking itself is relatively gentle, with the highest point just 345 metres above sea level, making this an accessible and thoroughly rewarding coast to coast crossing.