Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian’s Wall:
The 70 AD Trek

Friday 19 May 2023 

Destination Hexham

I planned this trip meticulously, including walking routes, bus timetables, museums and other sights. This was my first long distance walk since my treatment for cancer. I could not afford surprises which may add unwanted steps or difficult ascents. Such vagaries could be ruinous to my ability to complete the walk and would certainly affect my general well-being and confidence.

And so, soon after 10am on Friday, I met Robin and Vera at King’s Cross station to board the train to Newcastle. I recalled the classic steam-hauled Flying Scotsman from the 1930s but this 21st century version would be very different. Our train was a sleek, turquoise-painted metal tube with a meaningless brand name. What has the word ‘Lumo’ got to do with a railway anyway?

The closely-packed seats filled up rapidly like a no-frills airliner. Some of the passengers were in holiday mode, especially a group of young men, one of whom wore a short pink satin frock, fishnet stockings, high heels and bright red lipstick. His bizarre appearance elicited no curiosity either from his companions or other passengers. 

Three hours later, the train pulled into Newcastle. We had covered the 395 km (245 miles) without delay or discomfort. We marvelled at the efficient completion of our journey and agreed that Scotland and the North were now feasible weekend destinations. At Newcastle we crossed over to another platform to await our connection to Hexham.

We knew that this next stage of our journey would be somewhat slower. It would take 40 minutes for our two-carriage diesel powered train to cover 25 miles, operated by Northern Rail which has been much criticised for its delays and cancellations. Only a few days previously, the company had its contract ended and it was now under government control. We did not expect a sudden improvement in the service.

However, the train arrived on time. Before we could board, it disgorged yet another group of young men, also including an exotically dressed person, this time a leprechaun in bright green. We wondered if this might be a traditional rite of passage for young men in the region. The train rattled away from the platform, its motors roaring as we left Newcastle.

At Hexham, we descended onto the platform of a railway station that was 188 years old. Solidly built from local sandstone, it would have reassured its nineteenth century frock-coated and crinolined travellers who might be perturbed by the noisy, smoky engine that would convey them to Newcastle. My dormant interest in steam railways was aroused by a wrought iron footbridge, a semaphore signal and, in the distance, a signal box perched on a bridge crossing the line. Whilst the line is desperately in need of modernisation, I feared that these relics of the past would be swept away by electrification.

Saturday 20 May 2023 

Port Gate to Chesters

We set off on the following morning after a full English breakfast at the hotel. Our walk was planned to take advantage of the appropriately named AD122 route, the date that the Romans began to build the Wall. However, on this fine morning we took the 74 bus at 10:07, passing green fields in sunny weather and along a road built in the 1750s following the route of the Wall to the roundabout on the A69 at the Errington Arms.

The stones had evidently been used as the foundation of the road which had been built following the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 and the defeat of the rebels at Culloden in 1746. There are historical parallels between the Wall, built to control the Picts and Scots by the Romans, and the military road built some 1600 years later for almost the same purpose.

We joined the path at a stile just past the Errington Arms at a place marked on the map as Port Gate. I was expecting moorland terrain but instead there were green pastures dotted with wildflowers. It was a relaxing start to a planned 10 km hike. We enjoyed blue skies, a grass carpet beneath our feet, coconut scented gorse bushes and songbirds.

The path ran about 100 metres from the road that had brought us. We could see and hear the traffic but we were far enough away for it not to be intrusive. The sheer pleasure of walking through the pastures made the road a minor distraction. There were few signs of the Wall but we could discern the Vallum with its ditches and earthworks along the path. We came across a short section of wall with a plaque describing how it was built and how it was preserved. We became instant experts on Roman military engineering.

About halfway along our route, we traversed a green field dotted with daisies and buttercups. Unexpectedly, at the top of a rise in the middle of a field, there was a medieval church, the church of St Oswald, a Northumberland Christian from the 7th century. Here we stopped for a picnic lunch to enjoy the peace of this historic place, appropriately called Heavenfield.

We continued along the path towards Chollerford. Private land forced a diversion along a road, passing the ruins of Brunton Turret, and we crossed the North Tyne River over a fine stone bridge on the B6318. From the bridge we could observe where the Romans built a stone bridge, now disappeared, on the way to Chesters Fort. We did not enter Chollerford but instead enjoyed a refreshing mug of Northumberland tea at a roadside café just over the bridge.

The road turned west and within 300 metres we arrived at Chesters Fort. This was to be the end of our day’s walk. We took the opportunity to visit the museum and inspect the ruins. We returned to Hexham on the AD122 bus which passed the museum at 16:41[1]. Although we had walked only 11 km, we were grateful for an early finish to permit a shower and a rest at the hotel. Not wanting an elaborate dinner, we opted for excellent fish and chips from a shop in the Market Square which we ate in the nearby Victorian park behind the Abbey.

[1] Buses on route AD122 return to Hexham in the afternoon every two hours.

Sunday 21 May 2023 

Chesters to Housesteads

The next morning, we set off once again, after a full English breakfast. Waitrose, within sight of our hotel and the station, provided our picnic lunch. We were at the bus stop in time for the bus at 10:33 which would take us back to Chesters. We had a new companion, Robert, an old friend of Robin and Vera who lives in Newcastle.

Our day’s walk to Housesteads would be longer at 14km, the undulating fields of the previous day gradually replaced by windswept crags. After a necessary cup of tea at Chesters Fort teashop and a short walk up the road with fine views to the south, we joined the path across fields. Ominous grey clouds had replaced the blue skies of the day before.

We climbed steadily on a path parallel to the B6318, following the course of the Wall, at about 250 metres above sea level. We took a short rest at the car park next to the remains of Brocolitia Fort where we noted a temple dedicated to Mithras, a god popular with Roman legionnaires. We continued to Milecastle 34 where the B6318 turned towards the south-west. We continued to follow the course of the Roman military way  towards Sewingshields Crags.

Here, the Romans had built the wall along a cliff edge, providing a formidable barrier to marauders from the North. We had reached our highest point so far, at 325 metres. The Wall, and our path, meandered downhill towards Housesteads, the Roman Fort of Vercovicium. The museum and tea shop were closed but the AD122 bus soon arrived to take us back to Hexham.

Monday 22 May 2023 

Housesteads to Vindolanda

Fortified by yet another full English breakfast, we set off again after buying our lunch at Waitrose. The bus AD122 duly arrived at 10:33 and we returned to Housesteads. We did not have time to visit the museum or the site but continued up the short rise to the path which took us westwards along the top of the wall through woodland.

We emerged onto the open crags. A few spots of rain suggested the need for suitable clothing but the glowering clouds only threatened. We were at over 300 metres with glorious views all around. Scotland and the Cheviots could be discerned to the north. The flowery meadows of our previous day were replaced by craggy moorland flora. We noted orchids on the exposed heights and water avens in damper areas.

*We were fortunate to see this iconic tree. The sycamore, standing in a dramatic dip on Hadrian's Wall, was cut down four months later in a deliberate act of vandalism. Northumbria Police said: 'The loss of Sycamore Gap has been felt deeply across the community as well as further afield'. 

We took our lunch on the edge of a crag. This was a popular area, with plenty of school students in groups, visiting Sycamore Gap, with its photogenic singular tree. We enjoyed impressive views from the top of the crags, the soothing contrast of the still surface of ponds, and some interesting ruins of gateways and turrets.

We followed the Wall, meandering across the hills until the turret at Peel where we took the road downwards towards The Sill. This walk was barely 10 km but we planned to spend some time visiting Vindolanda. This last section, from the Wall to Vindolanda, was along tarmac roads where we had to occasionally negotiate with tour buses.

At Vindolanda we headed straight for the teashop and necessary refreshment. The site is impressive, with an informative museum, and is well worth the price. Unfortunately for us, it closed a little too early and we could see only a fraction of the site. We took the 16:18 bus back to Hexham. We held a celebratory dinner that evening at a Greek restaurant where we enjoyed swordfish and other traditional Mediterranean dishes.

Tuesday 23 May 2023 

Hexham to London

Our full English breakfasts, ideal for a day’s walking, had been magnificent. But, as a prelude to a sedentary train journey, we opted for scrambled eggs. We were not expected to take the train until after 13:00 so we took a walk round Hexham, leaving our baggage in the care of the hotel. We had a last look at Hexham Abbey and the Market Place which was being used as a film location for a television series called Vera, coincidentally the name of one of our group.

We continued our walk by leaving the town and following the River Tyne upstream, a pleasant interlude on a sunny morning. We returned to the Station Hotel and collected our luggage. Our timetabled train was cancelled and so we took an earlier one, arriving in Newcastle with plenty of time for our connection to Kings Cross.

The journey back to Kings Cross took only three and a quarter hours. We arrived in good time for dinner at home, parting ways at Kings Cross as Robin and Vera returned to their home in North London and I went south. The walk was declared a great success.

Plotting our walk (in red)

Three sections: Port Gate to Chesters, Chesters to Housesteads, Housesteads to Vindolanda. Following the Romans from fort to fort. Buses are marked in orange (74) and yellow (AD122).

Maps and guides

We plotted our route using Ordnance Survey map OL43 (Hadrian’s Wall). I buy the paper version because I like the large size. However, I also download the digital version (free when buying the map) and use that with the OS App on my phone when out walking. We used the guidebook by Anthony Burton called Hadrian’s Wall Path published by Aurum Press as part of the National Trail series. This also used the OS map, conveniently in sections. The guide follows the path from east to west, matching our direction.

For more information, email me at: derek.at.metier@gmail.com

Derek Perry