Hadrian’s Wall Walk Day 2: Carlisle to Banks

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A good night sleep, clean clothes and a hearty breakfast. It’s about the best way you can hope to start day two of a six day hike along the famed Hadrian’s Wall Path. Make sure to read Hadrian’s Wall Walk Day 1: Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle if you haven’t already. “Today will be a good day” is my mantra of the morning, and (spoilers) we will see the first glimpse of the actual Roman Wall today.

After spending the night in the historic border city of Carlisle (my hometown, no big deal) I’m ready and raring to go. Well sort of. The sunburn from yesterday’s unusually sunny day has been tended to as best as can be. But the thought of our first night camping makes leaving a cozy bed even more difficult. The “Good luck go with you” sign at the start of the trail feels more real than ever.

Day 2: Carlisle to Banks

Many people stop in nearby Walton. But we decided to push on for an extra 3 miles52km knowing that the following day would be a long one. We picked up the trail about a kilometer or so past the official ending point for Carlisle since we had added it on the day before. Today would still be another 15-mile/24km day.

A day from Carlisle to Banks will be filled with lovely river views, many farm animal friends while wandering through fields, and adorably quaint villages as well as a number of places to grab a snack or two. No need to overpack for today, but there are some lovely quiet fields for a great picnic rest stop.

With the trail being in Carlisle and that’s likely where you spent the night, getting to the trail should be rather easy. Bring plenty of water if it’s a warmer day as the first part of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk today is pretty exposed.

Accommodation options in Banks

Unless you stay in the village of Walton a few miles earlier on the Hadrian’s Wall Walk, accommodation options in Banks are largely camping or bunkhouses. There are a couple of guesthouses off the trail a bit, but I would highly recommend where I stayed – Camping at Banks.

Oli and Emma were such fantastic hosts. The campsite is at the back of their property which is right on the trail going through Banks. There are tent spots for £5 per person per night, or a cozy Shepherds hut for £50-60/nt depending on occupancy.

We had a tent spot booked but the Shepherds hut was free and when it looked like rain and was windy after a long day on the trail we decided to upgrade. 100% worth it. There’s a cozy stove and proper bed (sleeping bag needed). The compost toilets in camp are super clean too.

We’re not 19 anymore

Being dropped off at the start of the trail this morning, I instantly feel every ache and pain from the day before. Like when you smell a smell that takes you back to childhood, but not as good. Somehow today is harder. Not because we already walked all day yesterday, but because tonight we’re on our own. No home cooked meal, no cozy bed, no Mum doing laundry if we fall in the mud.

My friend Val is in worse shape than me. Full of cold, a shoulder injury that requires some heavy duty taping, and a blister that I believe we’re going to have to name if it gets any bigger. As I watch her make her way down the trail with every ounce of strength she has, while I silently curse the already hot early morning sun, I wonder if we’ll make it the day.

The day will be long. It will be hot. But there are upsides too, and I’m determined to find them. Or I’ll just use self deprecating humor to raise our spirits, mocking our borderline-40-something bodies by starting a running list of our injuries. Yep, that’s more like it.

Carlisle to Crosby-on-Eden

Leaving Carlisle behind, we cross the Memorial Bridge over the river Eden, and land in Rickerby Park. The long walk down a nice trail with the park to the left leads us past an octagonal tower. Despite growing up in Carlisle, living here for almost 30 years of my life, I swear I have never seen this thing before. Turns out it’s ornamental, built in the early 1800s for no other reason than that towers were fashionable at the time. You learn something new every day!

The Hadrian’s Wall Walk trail leads us to a main road. We follow it, as does an increasing amount of traffic. We pause a few minutes on a bench almost where this road crosses the busy M6 motorway below. Not the most scenic spot, but a welcome break.

Arriving in the quiet village of Linstock, we’re 2.5-miles/4km into our day. We spot our first refreshment stand of the day at The Barn. We don’t stop, still full from breakfast and an obscene amount of caffeine from this morning. Leaving Linstock behind we enter a beautiful field of wildflowers and the trail continues around the river Eden.

There are people walking their dogs. The long grass is dotted with pretty flowers of various shades of purple, and bright red poppies struggling to stand in the breeze. A fisherman stands in the middle of the river in waders, up to his belly in water. And it’s here we start to see fellow hikers from the previous day. At the end of the river walk we pass through a narrow path and enter the village of Crosby-on-Eden.

Crosby-on-Eden to Bleatarn

Crosby-on-Eden is actually made up of the two villages – Low Crosby and High Crosby. But semantics aside, I enjoy a nice walk through the charming streets. We’d seen a sign for a café, but after scouring the village we find it’s located at the golf club. Not at a point in the day for extra effort, we raid our bag for snacks while sitting outside St. John’s Church.

After tending to injuries 1 through 5, we set off again, only a quarter of the way through our day. Immediately turning right on the trail off the main road we pass a welcoming refreshment stand at Crosby Farm with comfortable seating. Darn! All the other hikers seem to have found it though. The farm also has a number of glamping pods so if you’re breaking your trip up more, this looks like a great spot. We push on.

The next couple of miles is long lanes used by the many tractors going from field to field. Puddles of water sit in deep grooves made by the farm vehicle tires even though it hasn’t rained in over a week. The narrow lanes open up to the hilly green field at Bleatarn.

Although you can’t see much evidence of the Romans here, it was once an important place. For one, this was a quarry where many of the stones for the wall were sourced. For the historical part of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk, this is the first glimpse of the Roman terrain. The bright open field at Bleatarn is really nice to walk through. I look at the houses lining the field and can only imagine living in such a culturally significant area where if you dig enough you’ll probably find Roman artifacts beneath the soil.

Bleatarn to Newtown

Bleatarn is the start of many long, wide open fields of the day. We walk through fields of every color grass, ranging from bright and almost nuclear green to a pale yellow. A subtle worn path at one side makes it easy to follow the Hadrian’s Wall Walk even without the distinctive acorn signs. The tall wheat-like grass to the right looks almost a dusky pink color, and creates a pattern that I can only liken to a Mexican wave of vegetation, rolling in the summer breeze.

We aimed to stop in Newtown for a lunch break as we start to reach early afternoon. Wandering through the fields we pass a couple of Mennonite ladies sheltering under a huge oak tree from the sun. I feel like we’ve stumbled into a Van Gogh painting. The ladies have also found the perfect spot to enjoy lunch and we are jealous. We push on a little further, but upon reaching the village of Oldwall we realize we are still almost a half hour away. We sit to the side of the trail a little ways past Oldwall, as its shaded in the tree lined path. Lunchtime! Store bought sandwiches and granola bars never tasted so good.

As we’re eating the two ladies come strolling up the path in their floor length brightly colored dresses and bonnets. They are also hiking the Hadrian’s Wall Walk and stop to share their progress and itinerary. We will pass each other at various points over the next couple of days – more lovely hikers we’re continuing to get to know on the trail. Our shady lunch spot has become a bit of a wind tunnel so we pack up and set off again.

At Newtown we pass through the quiet village, the main road lined with pretty houses with even prettier gardens. The village green has some benches and picnic tables, so if you make it here by lunchtime it’s a great place to stop. Still no public bathroom though. We pass a snack shed that claims to be the last one for 8-miles. It isn’t. But it’s handy to stop at if you’re peckish.

Newtown to Walton

Leaving Newtown we traverse fields of farm animals, one after the other. Herds of cows of brown, black, tan and white. We eye up a couple of bulls cautiously and hustle along just in case. They don’t pay us attention which is good. We arrive in a field that marks the start of one of the best views I think I’ve seen all day. A rustic path made with stones of various shapes leads down a hill. A lone farmhouse sits in the distance and some animals we can’t quite make out yet.

Following the Hadrian’s Wall Walk equivalent to the Yellow Brick Road from Oz, we are happy to have found a field with three beautiful horses. They graze silently as we pass, swishing their tails in an effort to keep the flies at bay on this hot June day. I can’t resist waiting to see if they will come closer and take a few photos of this pastoral scene.

About halfway between Newtown and Walton we cross a river, the first fresh water we have seen since our mid-morning riverside walk. More fields, more cows, more sun. This has been a largely uneventful day but an absolute dream to walk – despite the long distance and simmering injuries.

Coming into Walton we pass Sandysike Bunkhouse, the place we originally planned to stay before deciding to push on for Banks today. It feels like we’re getting close. We heard that Walton has a brewery but the final kilometer into the village our hopes are dashed by two hikers traveling the opposite direction. Apparently it isn’t open until 6pm. There is however a tearoom – which at this point sounds magical.

Walton to Banks

We arrive at the charming village of Walton and leave the trail to find the Walton Reading Room Café. It’s everything we can hope for at 3pm on mile 12 of our second day hiking the Wall. Tucking into freshly made cakes and cold, refreshing beverages, we also finally find a toilet.

The pretty church opposite gets a few minutes of my attention before we push for the final 3-miles of the day. We see a hiking couple from Utah in the café who we met the previous day at the pub. They soon pass us, headphones in, walking together but separate. It seems the husband may not have told the wife of the length of today and we leave them to it.

Walking roadside for the next mile or so is a hair-raising experience. It’s narrow, and the cars lean into the bends a little too tightly for my liking. The trail takes off to the right past more horses and through a meadow. Relief. A long field and we arrive at an intersecting path pointing to the historic Lanercost Priory. If you have time, make sure to visit. We didn’t, so we forged on. At this point we began our ascent into Banks.

Walking uphill through the field wordlessly, we have hit our metaphorical wall for the day. But with a mile or so to go, determination takes control. The Haytongate Hut is our next quick rest stop. A well stocked snack shed and souvenir shed opposite – with Hadrian’s Wall Walk t-shirts and other apparel. We are almost at camp and continue. We arrive into Banks and have our first glimpse of the Roman Wall.

The Hadrian’s Wall Walk in Banks

Hare Hill is a part of the wall you will see as you emerge from the surrounding fields into Banks. Most of the rest of the wall in this area was broken down to build nearby Lanercost Priory – another reason to check it out if you get the chance,

The end of day 2 and we finally see some of Hadrian’s Wall. This is a good sign of what we will see in the coming days. We borderline limp towards our home for the evening, Camping at Banks.

Greeted by our host Oli, we are told it’s a short distance to the back of their property to get to the campsite. We can set up wherever we want, and are offered to upgrade to the Shepherd’s Hut for an additional cost. Intrigued, we take the key to check it out.

The rustic but clean Shepherd’s Hut sits on wheels in the far corner of the campsite. It looks like a palace compared to the thought of sleeping on the ground. Especially as the wind has picked up and we’re concerned about blowing away in the night. Opening the door we spot a cozy looking bunk bed with a double mattress on the bottom and single on the top. We’re sold. For £50 instead of £10 it’s a done deal.

We move into our new home just in time to see more campers arrive. As we watch them battle the wind and cooling temperatures to set up their tent we know we made the right decision. We crack open a beer, cook a hearty camp meal and get ready for another day of walking tomorrow. Good luck go with us.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Does this make you want to do the Hadrian’s Wall Walk? Would you have opted for the hut or the tent?