Hadrian's Wall Trail In Britain?

[Phoenix7]

I believe I saw on TV that there is a footpath along Hadrian's Wall in Britain which runs from the West and East coasts of Northern England. Hadrian's Wall was like a mini great wall of China that the Romans built to keep the Scots (back then called Picts) out of Roman England. Has anyone heard of this trail or done it? I like history so I think it could be a cool trek.

[Feral Bill]

I have a book on hiking in Britain thats discusses hiking along the wall. It looks really tempting. Britain has a lot of pub to pub hikes. Try a travel bookstore. I am not at home so I can't help with a title.

[JAK]

I haven't seen that wall but I've seen other roman walls in Britain, and other such works, like old castles and stone circles and stuff. Some of the locals don't like it when you make a big deal out of such things, which are nothing more to them then the piles of rubble they have grown up with, but I think they are way cool. The old roman road past Castle Rising and Wells-Next-The-Sea in Norfolk was very special because none of the locals even seemed to notice it. Around here even stuff 100 years old or younger is wicked cool, like old stone walls in the middle of the woods where a farm used to be, or the remains of a corduroy road on the Fundy Footpath, or a copper mine, or an old steam boiler and wooden docks from the logging operations. I doubt the new road being builty through there now will age as gracefully. There is something very special about stuff built by men with more natural building materials to a more human scale. If you make too big of a deal of it though it does spoil some of its natural beauty.

One of my favourite sites in Canada is Fortress Louisbourg in Cape Breton. One of the things I like about it is that only about 2/3 is restored, and all the folks are dressed in historical clothing, and they serve you historical food and such, but the other 1/3 is left to time, with some loose stones poking up through the tall grass covered bastion, and the cruel North Atlantic as a backdrop. There you really sense the ghosts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAuDENs_4Us

[Heater]

Yeah. A lot of it has been deteriorated or torn up. I checked it out a while back. Part of my history there.

Google "Hadrian s Wall Hike." They have a lot of shuttled hike packages there. Lots of good info, too.

Hadrian's Wall Hike

[JAK]

Some good you-tube documentaries on Hadrian's Wall.

This one shows how it looks today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB2L-yEPX5E

This one shows the way it was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNWd5GGzRnk

[JAK]

This one shows the hiking trail:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqdaL09jnts

[Fiddleback]

I did just a few miles on Hadrian's Wall...certainly not the whole length or even an extended hike. We were also doing museums and archeological sites and, of course, pubs. That day was more of a long walk than a hike. I don't remember where we were but it did include the 'Robin Hood tree' made popular in the movie, "Robin Hood: Prince of Theives" and a Roman fort. I do know it wasn't far from Harrogate, our approximate starting point for the drive to the Wall.

It's a pleasant, easy hike. It certainly isn't wilderness hiking (it's one of the most popular tourist sites in northern England) and many, if not most, 'thru' hikers, spend their nights at pubs/bed and breakfasts.

FB

[Phoenix7]

To all who posted above: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[Toolshed]

Aaay finally the lads got a gud subject to talk aboot. My fatherr grrrew up in carlisile (OK enough with rrrrrrolling me Rrrrrrr's). we have a 1,000 year documented history of being a Reivers clan. I am proud to be of a Reiver Clan.

In fact many of the local farms got the boulders from the walls over the last 10 centuries for their cottages, byres (barns) and stone walls.
8I have walked about 70-80 km of the wall over the past 2 decades and there are plenty of small villages along the way to allow you to slackpack. It is fairly easy walking with many ups and downs on gentle glacially carved landscaping. (Think of the Finger Lakes district in NY)

2 years ago we ran into a small group of roman re-enacters (from California) who were dressed in period costumes with ancient weapons, making their way across.

Since we have many family members dotting across the lands between England and Scotland, we usually follow the country roads along the walls when we travel. The views are phenomenal.

If you are a Air Force Jet junky, you simply will be amazed at the RAF activity in those rolling hills. In fact, it is daily that they have training runs from the various RAF airfields. Too many times to mention, I will have a low level "Nap of the Earth" flying jet come through over the speed of sound and be a 1/4 mile past before I hear it and jump out of my skin.
I love to watch the triangular typhoons or the A-10 Warthogs, coming in low on practice runs, or the GR4's or F3's come screaming through - you can hear them sometimes 10 miles away in the distant hills and you keep watch in the sky for them to come thundering by.

The fells in the Lake District (Where Sheep outnumber people) are one place where you can actually look down on jets as they tear up the sky below you over various lakes (Old man of Hellvellyn @ thirlmere or Blencathra at comes to mind) but you needn't climb 3000 feet. you can drve to Dunmill Rise or Ravens Craig just outside of Keswick and look down on Thirlmere and just wait for them to come screaming by. These are well known watching spots (right near Castlerigg - a local Stonehenge-like Stone Ruins)

I'd really like to get a bike over there and bike the wall, but then, I am still trying to complete all the fells in the Lake District and there is simply never enough time.

Check out the Hadrian's wall site for a lot of nifty info. - If you would like any very specific info, please email me.

[Phoenix7]

I have a book of color photographs of Roman reenactors. It is said that Roman legionaries did their deadliest work with pick and spade as opposed to the sword. I like to watch the jets. I enjoy serenity most of the time but enjoy a low-level buzz once in awhile. The A-10s aren't too noisy but any plane designed to go transonic or supersonic will emanate a sound that will go right through you. I might make it over there someday. Most of my ancestors came from Britain being Scottish, Welsh, English and Irish. I've just got this fascination for the Romans though...

[traildust]

If airline tickets to England would drop in price we would be gone in a moment hiking the Coast to Coast which intersects the wall.

[PJ 2005]

Buy a guidebook if you're interested. I used Trailblazer for the West Highland Way and was very pleased.

http://www.trailblazer-guides.com/books/

[superman]

My bucket list includes hiking in northern England. I'd like to re-hike the AT next year and then England.

[cavscout]

Looking at some youtube videos it appears there are places to camp but may be in fields with few trees. What are the hammocking possibilities along the walking and cycling routes? Cycling likely opens up a few more options I suppose.

[Doctari]

I'm Scott/English/German/Native American/etc. But my heart is Scottish, so Hardrian's wall has been on my "bucket list" for years & years.

So if you get to hike it, I'll be way jeleous.

[Geo.]

Hi Phoenix7,
I did a section of Hadrians Wall during a thru hike (south to north) of the UK. Have attached a pic taken at the time. I think following the entire wall takes around five days. It's an interesting section if you're into Roman/Brit history. Over the centuries the wall has been 'plundered' to build other walls and houses. I even passed by a castle south of the wall that had been built mainly from its stones in about 1500 or something I think. Not a difficult hike, though undulating in sections and the weather can be a bit bleak at times! (the Romans must have dreamt longingly of the med when they were there!)


Cheers, Geo.

[Phoenix7]

For a 2,000 year-old wall it doesn't look bad. Is that a mile castle at the top of the hill?

[Geo.]

Hi Phoenix7,
Yep, you're right, I think that was the remains of one of the 'milecastles' along the wall.
You're also right about the wall not looking too bad for its age - the only deterioration really has been due to it being demolished over the centuries to use the stones. I was impressed by the fact that each stone looked to have been 'cut' and squared off. Must have been quite some effort in shaping and hauling the stones along its length and then having to provision the garrisons.

If airline tickets to England would drop in price we would be gone in a moment hiking the Coast to Coast which intersects the wall.

Hi Traildust, you may be a bit mistaken re' the Coast to Coast trail as it doesn't intersect Hadrian's Wall. Both trails run parallel with each other west to east across the UK, but Hadrian's Wall (80+ miles long) is around 40 miles north of the Coast to Coast. (which is about 200 miles long)
I went back to the UK about 12 months or so ago and 'crossed' my south to north hike with a west to east hike of the Coast 2 Coast trail.
The C2C passes through some nice scenery (Lake District) and historical spots too. As someone else in the thread commented on, some Brits are a bit blase about these ancient sites and kind of take them for granted a bit. Was like that myself when I lived there, (I'm an Anglo/Scot who emigrated to NZ) but as I've got older, realise just how interesting these spots are, and it was a buzz retracing areas my ancestors had wandered about in!

[Toolshed]

Thought I would add a couple of Pics -
The first is a Quarry along the wall - One of the many where they quarried cut and transported the rock.

[Toolshed]

Milepost Castle ruins