Hadrian's Wall Path walking itinerary

Distance:
84 miles (135 km)
Airports:
Newcastle/Durham Tees Valley

Plan your route: VisitBritain Journey Planner

The Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail is an unbroken 84-mile trail stretching the length of this World Heritage Site from Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. The trail takes you past some of the best Roman forts and museums England has to offer. It passes through some of Britain's most beautiful countryside, and through the vibrant cities of Newcastle and Carlisle.

Day 1: Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths & Museum (Wallsend) - Museum of Antiquities (Newcastle upon Tyne) - Heddon-on-the-Wall

Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths & Museum (Wallsend) - Museum of Antiquities (Newcastle upon Tyne): 4 miles (6 km)
Museum of Antiquities (Newcastle upon Tyne) - Heddon-on-the-Wall: 9 miles (15 km)
Totals for Day: 13 miles (21 km)

Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths & Museum (Wallsend)

Credit: Reinhold Behringer

The Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail starts at the Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths & Museum in Wallsend, North East England. For almost 300 years, Segedunum was home to almost 600 soldiers, and today, you can tour the fort's buildings, walk around the ruins, and see the original remains of Hadrian's Wall, dating back to AD122.

Must see & do:

Laing Art Gallery | Bede's World | BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art | Gateshead Millennium Bridge

Great North Museum (Newcastle upon Tyne)

Just a few miles west of Wallsend is the Great North Museum in the vibrant city of Newcastle. Visit the museum's renowned collection of artefacts, models and archives from Hadrian's Wall and the Roman frontier. Other displays in North East England's principal museum of archaeology include displays of life in the region from prehistoric times to the 17th century.

Must see & do:

Life Science Centre | Theatre Royal | Castle Keep | Hatton Gallery

Heddon-on-the-Wall

Credit: Sarah Australia 2573

End your first day on the trail in the village of Heddon-on-the-Wall on the outskirts of Newcastle. The village is built on a hill, and has a fine stretch of 280 yards of Hadrian's Wall - the best remaining section of the wall outside of the open countryside. To the west of Heddon-on-the-Wall's Hadrian's Wall you'll find circular chambers and a medieval kiln.

Must see & do:

Derwent Walk Country Park | Prudhoe Castle | Ryton Willows

Day 2: Heddon-on-the-Wall - Chesters Roman Fort & Museum (Humshaugh)

Heddon-on-the-Wall - Chesters Roman Fort & Museum (Humshaugh): 15 miles (24 km)
Totals for Day: 15 miles (24 km)

Chester's Roman Fort & Museum (Humshaugh)

Continue west along the trail today to Chesters Roman Fort & Museum in Humshaugh. It's the best preserved Roman cavalry fort in Britain, and was occupied for nearly 3 centuries. Because of this, there's lots to see at the fort - including the military bath house, complete with changing rooms, latrines and bathing rooms. Chester's Bridge Abutment is also beautifully well-preserved.

Must see & do:

Chesters Walled Garden | Black Carts Turret | Hexham Abbey | Cawfield's Roman Wall & Milecastle

Day 3: Humshaugh - Temple of Mithras (Carrawburgh) - Housesteads Roman Fort (Hexham) - Roman Army Museum (Hexham)

Humshaugh - Temple of Mithras (Carrawburgh): 3 miles (5 km)
Temple of Mithras (Carrawburgh) - Housesteads Roman Fort (Hexham): 5 miles (7 km)
Housesteads Roman Fort (Hexham) - Roman Army Museum (Hexham): 7 miles (11 km)
Totals for Day: 15 miles (23 km)

Temple of Mithras (Carrawburgh)

Credit: Scott MacLeod Liddle

3 miles west of Humshaugh is the Temple of Mithras, built in the 3rd century to worship the Roman sun god Mithras. The excavated materials from the temple can be found at the Great North Museum in Newcastle, but you can see the temple at it's 4th-century phase at the Carrawburgh site.

Must see & do:

Tyne Green Country Park | Hexham Old Gaol | Chipchase Castle | Corbridge Roman Site

Housesteads Roman Fort (Hexham)

Next, visit the best preserved Roman fort in Britain - Housesteads Roman Fort in Hexham. The most famous fort on Hadrian's Wall, Housesteads lies on the great volcanic escarpment of Whin Sill. Built in around AD124, the 5-acre fort held 800 Roman soldiers, and contains the only visible remains of a Roman hospital in Britain.

Must see & do:

Hexham Abbey | Hexham Old Gaol | Hexham Moothall & Gallery | Tyne Green Country Park

Roman Army Museum, Hexham

Get a rare insight into the daily life of a Roman soldier at the Roman Army Museum in Hexham. This spacious museum has everything from life-sized Roman soldier models, Roman objects, and a film theatre. See how Hadrian's Wall, its forts and mile castles may have looked in Roman times in the 18-minute Eagle Eye film.

Must see & do:

Housesteads Roman Fort | Walltown Craggs Wall & Turret | National Park Centre Once Brewed | Poltross Burn Milecastle

Day 4: Roman Army Museum (Hexham) - Birdoswald Roman Fort (Brampton) - Walton (Brampton)

Roman Army Museum (Hexham) - Birdoswald Roman Fort (Brampton): 5 miles (7 km)
Birdoswald Roman Fort (Brampton) - Walton (Brampton): 8 miles (13 km)
Totals for Day: 12 miles (20 km)

Birdoswald Roman Fort (Brampton)

Today, walk west along the trail to Birdoswald Roman Fort, in Brampton. Set on a high spur overlooking the River Irthing, Birdoswald is set in one of the most impressive locations on Hadrian's Wall. This fort was a base for around 1,000 soldiers, and the remains are excellently preserved. Go to the visitor centre to find out the fascinating history of this fort.

Must see & do:

Courtyard Gallery | Winderwath Gardens | Acorn Bank Garden | New Mills Trout Farm

Walton (Brampton)

Credit: Alan Sawyer

Just 8 miles west of Birdoswald Roman Fort is the small farming village of Walton. This attractive and welcoming village is the perfect place to rest after a long walk. Admire one of the prettiest village greens in the country and look at the stunning views of the Cumbria countryside, or take a stroll by the River Irthing.

Must see & do:

Solway Aviation Museum | Lanercost Priory | New Mills Trout Farm | Winderwath Gardens

Day 5: Walton (Brampton) - Carlisle

Walton (Brampton) - Carlisle: 12 miles (20 km)
Totals for Day: 12 miles (20 km)

Carlisle

In a dramatic change, the trail takes you to the vibrant city of Carlisle. Rich in history, Carlisle was a city of strategic importance in 1092, when William the Conqueror's son founded Carlisle Castle, which now stands as a testament to the years of bloody feuding over the English-Scottish border.

Must see & do:

Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery | Carlisle Cathedral

Day 6: Carlisle - Burgh by Sands (Carlisle) - Bowness-on-Solway

Carlisle - Burgh by Sands: 7 miles (11 km)
Burgh by Sands - Bowness-on-Solway: 11 miles (18 km)
Totals for Day: 18 miles (29 km)

Burgh by Sands

After a 7-mile walk from Carlise, take a break in the village of Burgh by Sands. The village is known as the place where Edward I died in 1307 while on a campaign fighting the Scottish. Visit St Michael's Church, where his body was laid out. The church is built within a Roman fort along Hadrian's Wall.

Must see & do:

Devils Porridge/Sorrows of Quintinshill | Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery

Bowness-on-Solway

The final stretch of the trail brings you to the costal village of Bowness-on-Solway, the end of the Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail. The village lies within the Solway coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The second-largest Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall was built in Bowness-on-Solway, and in the Kings Arms pub, you can see the details of the fort while you take a well deserved rest.

Must see & do:

Historic Resources Centre | Devils Porridge/Sorrows of Quintinshill