Hadrian’s Wall Walk Day 3: Banks to Steel Rigg

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Finally a day under 20km in length. Or so we think. The official guide book/map and the distance tracker on our devices remain embattled in a war of the miles about the length of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk, Day 3. This day is filled with historic sections of the wall, plenty of ups and downs (literally and figuratively), and excitement at almost being halfway through the hike. This is going to be a lot different from Day One, the flattest part of the hike with no Roman artifacts.

A good night’s rest at Camping at Banks campsite in the cozy Shepherd’s hut means we’re as refreshed as we can be. Eagerness to get started on the day is fueled further by the fact that we will be staying at a hostel tonight in a private room (with a shower, yay!). We also added in a rest day to our hike so after Day 3 of walking we’ll have a day off.

Day 3: Banks to Steel Rigg

The guidebook lies, I’m sure of it. There’s no way this day was 19km/12-miles. In an effort to make today shorter than originally planned if walking from Walton, we added on a few kilometers on Day 2 from Carlisle. I’m glad we did. Still, today is a magical day with some of the most dramatic views of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk so far. You’ll love it!

The Roman Wall is followed for most of the day and there are plenty of scenic vistas. Make sure to plan for a long day – not only because of the effort of some of the uphill parts, but because you’ll want to stop a lot more for photos and sightseeing.

Note that most people ending at Steel Rigg stay at one of the accommodations on the main road which is about a half mile from the trail and runs parallel for the final few miles of the day.

Accommodation options at Steel Rigg

The most convenient places to stay after this section of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk are along the B6318 road at Once Brewed. There’s The Twice Brewed Inn – even if you don’t stay here this is the best (and one of the only) places for dinner. Make reservations allowing plenty of time to be done your hike. Did I mention that this is also a brewery and has fabulous beers, some inspired with Roman names?

There are also a couple of guest houses close by. But the cheaper – and still really comfortable – option is YHA The Sill youth hostel. Having stayed here a number of times I love the location (mere meters from the Twice Brewed Inn), the staff are amazing and there are plenty of private rooms.

My friend and I booked a private room for two at the hostel. With comfy bunk beds and a private bathroom, this is a great place to recharge on the trail. There aren’t many hotel-like additions to the room but reception has a hairdryer if you need one. I’ve paid anywhere from £35-65 per room per night depending on seasonality and day of the week. Still cheaper than anywhere else around.

Hadrian’s Wall Walk – Rise and Shine

I wake up early and watch the early morning sun throw a thousand hues over the countryside surrounding the campsite. I’m well rested. Warm. And a third of the way through the Hadrian’s Wall Walk. We start to pack up, and have a little snack and caffeine, all the while seeing the tent campers opposite looking like they’ve had the most windswept experience in their tent that night. I’m once again glad we opted for the Shepherd’s Hut.

From this point on the walk we have opted for a luggage service through Hadrian’s Bags – to carry our tent, sleeping bags, stove and other bigger items that aren’t needed during the day. The drop off point for our bags is at a farmhouse opposite, Quarryside B&B. We leave the bag there, hoping we will see it again at our hostel, and set off up the hill to continue the trail.

Banks to Birdoswald

The clouds look ominous at best, but there is brightness peeking through. I’m hopeful for the day ahead. As we follow the road out of Banks we first see some incredible hilly views and almost instantly come across a large section of the Roman Wall. Or more specifically a tower that once would have stood along the wall.

While the height of the wall has been broken down by years of pilfering stones for nearby buildings, the width remains and shows just how massive this would have been. Less than ten minutes later we pass more ruins, this time a signal tower.

Not half an hour into our day and it’s obvious this is going to be a very interesting trail. And unlike the previous two days, this time when we say we’re walking the wall, it’s an accurate statement.

The gates we passed through a lot in the last two days are now replaced more frequently with stiles. They allow us to climb over the wall safely. A little extra balance is needed with a backpack, but in time we get used to them. Fast forward a day and we’ll be sick of the extra effort they take to precariously step up and over.

We come across the jackpot of all snack sheds at Matthews Honesty Box. Rows of Pot Noodles, hot drinks, crisps, oatmeal and a fridge full of cold drinks. We couldn’t get the stove lit for our oatmeal this morning so we grab some snacks and take a break.

A fields of cows, a field of sheep and a field with Roman Wall turrets. It’s all go, go, go this morning. The wind is picking up. We’re about 3 miles/5km into our day. And we come across our first proper Roman fort of the trip, Birdoswald.

Birdoswald to Gilsland

Birdoswald Roman Fort is an English Heritage site and museum. I’ve visited plenty of times as a kid, and while it would be great to check it out again, we’re a bit early in the day to be thinking about long stops. Instead, we run to the bathroom (who knows when we’ll see another one of those), and I buy a slice of cake from the café for the road because I’m walking 20+km today so I deserve cake!

We stamp our Hadrian’s Wall passport with the rubber stamp outside, and off we trek. This is apparently the longest stretch of continuous wall on the entire trail. Skirting around the wall we are now on the other side of it and start walking through a field of longer than usual grass – because there are no sheep! No sheep also means no poop – I take the wins where I can find them.

Less than a kilometer past Birdoswald and there’s another really prominent Milecastle, Harrow’s Scar. Our first opportunity to walk on the wall has arisen. Not something you should do unless you can avoid it. The wall has stood for a long time, but climbing all over it won’t help. The path here appears to go right over the top of it. Since we’re on it, we take advantage of a good photo opportunity.

Crossing the bridge at Willowford I glance into the Irthing river below. It’s shallow, and clear, and I’m almost tempted to go for a paddle. This was the start of one of my favorite stretches of wall on Day 3. A turret precedes a narrow path between the snaking wall and a fence on the other side. As the wall gains elevation, so do we by way of some stone stairs that when you turn and look behind you, there’s the most amazing view of the wall cutting through buttercup encrusted grass.

The path continues in a similar fashion for the next mile until a sign for Gilsland let’s us know it’s time for a break.

Gilsland to Walltown

The trail takes us right into the heart of Gilsland, a lovely little village. The village church would usually get more of my attention, but the British Flag at the café next door is a beckoning sign of lunch. There are sheltered picnic tables in the garden of House of Meg, which is where we choose to enjoy our delicious lunch – not a crumb goes to waste.

The wind is picking up, we follow the road through the village and pass the sign that welcomes us to Northumberland. We’ve officially left Cumbria. The path takes off across and up a grassy hill, as we leave Gilsland. Up and down lush green sheep-less fields we go until the trail spits us out at a road. Hugging the verge we dash across the road, meander past a few houses and next have to cross a railway line.

At the top of the hill we see a ruined castle – it’s impossible to miss. Thirlwall Castle is a momentary detour that deserves your time. It’s not even that far off the trail, only a few yards, so we put our bags down and go to explore. Built in the 14th Century it’s an eerie place, especially with the dark clouds hanging over us. I’m expecting a vampire bat at any moment, as it definitely reminds me a little of Dracula’s Whitby.

Right after Thirlwall Castle begins the hill I wanted to die on. It’s steep. Not the steepest we’ll see today, but we don’t know that yet (spoilers!). For some reason this hill sucks all the energy I have left, and my friend Val is really not doing well either. Maybe we got used to the lack of elevation on this trail. Maybe it’s because we’re at the halfway point in the day (also not true, but also we don’t know this yet).

The hill flattens out, then descends on the other side – pointless much?! We take a breather just before the road. People ask us if we’re OK. We say yes. It’s a lie. Turns out if we’d walked just a few hundred more meters we would have had picnic benches to sit on, a bathroom and a shop. We’ve arrived at Walltown Country Park.

Walltown to Cawfields

On the way down the hill that almost broke us, we spotted a ridgeline on the horizon we hoped we would not be climbing. After reaching Walltown and spotting the information board my heart sank. Up we go, I guess. I could see the clearly defined Roman Wall snaking along the edge of the ridge, all the way up as far as the eye could see. Since this is the last bathroom break and place to fill up your water for a while, make sure you do both.

I have Cawfields in my mind because it’s a place I know well. From here I know how quick it is to Once Brewed where we stay the night. Or at least by car it’s quick. How much further could it be via the Wall?

The first bit of elevation is the worst. Not for any reason other than it’s right there in front of us and we’re already tired. The end of the day feels like a long way off. The wind picks up as we climb. Wonderful. It’s almost 3pm, and we still have 6-miles/10km to go on today’s section of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk.

We walk for close to two hours. This is the hardest slog of the trip so far. The ridge we climbed up was the first of many. Up and up and up is how the afternoon goes. We slow down the further we go, each ridge more defeating than the last. Mostly because you think you’ve reached the top and then see another. And another. And another.

The views are breathtaking. The hike is also breathtaking. Literally. The relentless wind makes it more of a challenge. I can only imagine how it must be for people traveling the other direction. At least we have the wind mostly at our backs, with the occasional sideways gust that then whips around us like a spinning Tasmanian Devil.

The photos we take are epic. And the threatening clouds hold steady. Occasionally we take a path just to the side of the main path. It’s less up and down, and more level. We soon realize these paths keep intersecting. Work smarter, not harder. A break before the final big peak of this section with a piece of fudge to give us a sugar rush. We then descend to Cawfields, just as the rain starts.

Cawfields to Steel Rigg

As if we’d been practicing against a timer for weeks, we drop our bags to the ground and don our rain gear with lightning speed. Our momentary disdain at the rain, now surpassed by how awesome we are at gearing up. The rain stops almost instantly. Guess this was just a drill. Reaching Cawfields car park there is a bathroom and a bench to rest. We watch a family of swallows nesting in the beams. But the show must go on.

The final stretch. We walk around Cawfields Quarry and are back at the Wall. This is one of my favorite sections of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. Primarily because it’s an easily accessible free section of the wall to visit. It looks different now. Now that I have to walk beyond the ridge that I can usually run up.

Glancing back after reaching the Milecastle is one of my favorite views in this part of the country. It always looks beautiful here and I always manage to see the sun peeking through. An hour and fifteen minutes is how long it takes us to reach Steel Rigg. It feels longer. There comes a point when we can see the whitewashed Twice Brewed Inn where we will dine tonight. Taunting us in the distance, as it never gets any closer.

Climb up. Climb down. Repeat. For over an hour. The wind is now a battle we are not winning. It makes what should be one of the most beautiful parts, less enjoyable in our weakened state. It doesn’t help that we’re at the end of a long day and our step counter already has us a good few kilometers past the supposed length of the day. In sheer exasperation Val throws her trekking poles to the ground. It lightens the mood.

In trying to take a short cut, we get lost and as our path doesn’t link up with the real one. We have to backtrack which wastes time. In the last couple of kilometers you’ll see some steps and a sign. There looks to be an upper, middle and lower path. Don’t take anything but the upper path despite the looming elevation. It won’t work out well for you.

Broken, beaten and tired as all heck, we finally arrive at Steel Rigg. There’s a half mile jaunt down an asphalt road to get to the hostel where we will spend the night. This might be the quickest we’ve hustled in hours. I am ready for my beer at the pub!

Hadrian’s Wall Walk at Steel Rigg

The good news about staying at Once Brewed is that it’s all downhill from the Wall. Obviously this makes us think about the uphill to rejoin the Hadrian’s Wall Walk. But that’s a problem for tomorrow. Actually two days for us. Given we had planned some long days on this walk, we booked two nights at the YHA The Sill hostel.

The idea was to have a rest day, nurse injuries 6 through 14 and maybe even explore one of the forts like Housesteads without a backpack. The idea of not returning to the walk for 36 hours fills me with glee as I almost skip towards the pub, I mean hostel, in the distance.

Greeted by a friendly face at the hostel, I am already excited about a shower. It’s been two long days since my last one. Our bag has made it to the hostel (thank you Mark from Hadrian’s Bags for never letting us down on this hike. We haul it to our room along with our destroyed bodies. A shower and a change of clothes does me wonders.

The hostel room we booked is a private room with our own shower. The beds are bunk beds and I happily take the top bunk – for one thing my feet might be in better shape than Val so anything I can do to help her not use them more.

A well deserved dinner

If you stay at the hostel you will need to pre-book your breakfast the night before. If you wish to eat dinner here be aware there is a limited supply. We have made reservations at the Twice Brewed Inn next door. Turns out this was one of the best decisions we’ve made as they are full. A sign on the door sums up that you’re SOL if you didn’t book a table. We happily take a seat at ours.

The Twice Brewed Inn is a fantastic little pub-like restaurant. Their menu is extensive and it’s delicious, hearty, homecooked food. But it’s also a brewery. Next door is the taproom where you can try and buy craft beer. We take our pick from the plentiful taps in the bar. The Erecura, a Belgian White Double IPA is fantastically creamy and goes down a treat. Many of the beers have Roman-themed names, and there are many to choose from. Sycamore Gap Pale Ale is also well worth trying.

For dinner I’m going comfort food all the way. Veggie bangers and mash with balsamic onion gravy and seasonal vegetables. I have no idea what my friend has as I completely inhale my plate of food. Night two, a little more of a relaxed affair, we both have the roast dinner. Val has the roast beef, I have the vegetable loaf which is actually really delicious. But it’s the Yorkshire Puddings that make it spectacular. Order extra, they’re only 50 pence each and they are HUGE!

As we order another beer, looking out at the ridgeline we just walked through the window, the setting sun makes it seem much more peaceful than we felt up there. Our 12-mile/19km day ended up closer to 15-miles/24km. But we have a belly full of good food and drink, and the promise of a warm, cozy bed for the night. Good luck go with us.

If you’ve enjoyed this post about the Hadrian’s Wall Walk, leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you hiked the Roman Wall route? What was your most challenging part?