Hadrian’s Wall Walk Day 5: Chollerford to Wylam

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Wylam isn’t on the Hadrian’s Wall Walk trail. I’m aware of that. But our luggage company weren’t able to drop off our bag at the campsite we’d originally planned to stay at. The site wasn’t secure enough. So we ended up booking a last minute spot at Wylam a few days before. This required a bit of a detour at the end of Day 5, but everything worked out.

There is no real Roman Wall today. There are lots of fields, there’s a lot of walking along roads. It’s scenic, but not the quietest. The fields are not as filled with animals as previous fields have been. Today at least has more places to stop for food that Day 4.

Day 5: Chollerford to Wylam

Many people would prefer to end the day at Heddon-on-the-Wall which is on the official Hadrian’s Wall Walk path. That, or just before it. Despite the detour I actually liked staying in Wylam. It was the largest town/village we would walk through since leaving Carlisle.

Day 5 if walking between Chollerford and Heddon-on-the-Wall is 24km/15-miles. The detour to Wylam cuts off the last 3km of the walk, but adds about the same distance towards Wylam so it all evens out. The next day there is a short distance to rejoin the trail as the trail ends up by the River Tyne anyway.

The walk on Day 5 between Chollerford and Wylam is fairly flat. There are a couple of inclines throughout the day but nothing major, and nothing like the ups and downs of Day 3 and 4. The Robin Hood Inn makes a perfect late lunch spot, and after this you likely won’t see many people as a lot of people stay there the night if they have a longer itinerary.

The one café and the one pub along the way are the main places to stop. Outside of these there aren’t any snack sheds like on the earlier days of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk. There also aren’t any other toilets so plan accordingly. The fields of flowers are beautiful but the day is also filled with long, straight stretches that can feel never-ending.

Accommodation options in Wylam

There are a couple of inns and B&Bs in Wylam such as Laburnum Guest House. There’s Pitch on the Wall campsite just before Wylam. It’s a handy location and where we originally planned to stay before the luggage drop off issue. If you are carrying all your gear this would likely work for you though.

Our chosen campsite in Wylam was Stephenson’s Arms Camping. It was a really large and clean campsite. There was a toilet and it was nice and quiet there. There were a lot of people with caravans, and not really tents, but it worked for what we needed. Pre-booking is required and so is prepayment – they prefer you to e-transfer the money since there isn’t always anyone there.

Hadrian’s Wall Walk from Chollerford

Staying at The George Hotel instead of the campsite seems like the best decision as we wake up and make our way down to a well-stocked breakfast buffet. There’s no way around it though, today will end at a campsite in a tent. We savor our accommodation as long as we can.

After a good breakfast we are on our way. Today will be a long day. We also know that it will involve a lot of road walking so we’re not anticipating as nice views as the previous days. Setting off from Chollerford, we cross the bridge over the river. There isn’t a sign for the Hadrian’s Wall Walk and we wonder if we’ve missed a turn along a nice riverside path. Nope. Continuing up the main road we see the sign which points us to the right, along another road. The views are pretty as we look down on Chollerford below.

On the map we see that we’re on a bit of a detour. We’re not actually sure why as it seemed like we could have continued on the main road instead of turning off. But the path is the path and we go with it. The path turns a few times and after walking for what seems like a while we’re back at the road we set out on this morning – just a little further up.

The detour added about a kilometer and it turns out that this is to see Brunton Turret, one of the final parts of the wall you will encounter. If you don’t mind missing this I would personally recommend keeping on the main road and avoiding the kilometer detour.

Leaving Chollerford, whether the detour route or the main road, includes some uphill. Not as bad as our map makes out, thankfully. The good news is the rest of the day will be flat. The detour includes one of the only wooded areas we would travel through on Day 5. It is nice and covered, although the day is not yet warm enough to appreciate that.

Chollerford to Port Gate

We walk through a field area on one side of the road out of Chollerford, and pass Planetrees Roman Wall. It’s a small, barely there piece of Hadrian’s Wall. We cross to the other side of the road, and again find ourselves walking through a green area parallel to the road.

We are gaining elevation the further we move from Chollerford. It’s been subtle until this point but now we’re faced with a bit more of an incline. We’re in an aptly named area called Heaven Fields. I want to believe it’s because we’re heading to higher ground but as we climb over a laddered part of the wall I notice St. Oswald’s Church so maybe that’s the reason behind the name.

An older couple ahead of us take the short detour to the church, but we push on. Stopping along the main road to grab a snack from our backpacks, they pass us making a comment about us not stopping to look at the church. We discover they are ending their day at Wall Houses. We have over 8km longer to walk in our day. I think that explains our decision to not add more detours.

The next few kilometers is largely uneventful. Walking through fields, along the road, and another detour due to storm damage in a wooded area. We decide to take a break and sit down in the woods, only to immediately be swarmed by biting flies. We get up and hustle on. A long field with pretty colorful flowers, void of farm animals, and then another field of sheep and we have arrived at Port Gate.

Port Gate to Wall Houses

At Port Gate we find The Errington Coffee House. It’s a road side cafe that looks more like a pub. Inside is beautifully rustic, and a large selection of delectable homemade cakes and other treats greets us. I pick up something for later and order a couple of toasted crumpets.

We sit outside, and although next to a busy road, it is nice. My friend Val is borderline hugging her coffee, savoring every sip of caffeine, and I happy dance my way through my plate of crumpets. We’re about 8km through our day and I’m hungrier than I realized. Fed, watered and rested we take our life in our hands crossing the busy road (I’m fine, Mum) and find the next Hadrian’s Wall Walk acorn marker.

The sky has been getting darker as we sat at the café and I’m nervous about the fact that our trail goes into the open for as far as I can see. Memories of yesterday’s rain beaten afternoon walk flash through my head. The rain does not come though. I breath a sigh of relief but keep my eye on the clouds. We pass a distance from the remains of Halton Castle.

The trail takes us higher. We pass a group of about 20 teenagers, clearly on a school trip, with one exasperated teacher trying to keep them in line. Literally. Passing close to the highway, the kids motion for passing trucks to sound their horn. They do. It sounds like encouragement, the kind of encouragement we could do with on day 5 of a long hike. But sadly it isn’t aimed at us. We push on.

We end up walking roadside for quite a while. It’s not that fun, hearing the constant whoosh of traffic getting closer. I’m happier when we cross the road at Halton Shields and the path continues, a little more sheltered, on the other side of a hedge. As we cross the road again I notice a sign that points to Carlisle where we ended Day 1 of our hike, and where I’m from. 43 miles is what it says. It hits me how far we’ve actually walked.

Wall Houses to Robin Hood Inn

We’re at Wall Houses, where we will be stopping soon for a late lunch. I think we’re closer than we are but realize that we’re actually going to East Wallhouses. There’s about a kilometer between them. The good news is that this is one of the nicer parts of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk today.

The field we walk through has a couple of giant bales of hay and long wispy grass of bright green and yellow. It sways in the breeze and looks so idyllic. Even more so with the bright blue cloudy sky behind. But fluffy clouds. The nice ones that don’t seem like they will include rain in our future.

Crossing a small bridge we emerge onto the road and to the left we see the Robin Hood Inn. Lunchtime it is. The country pub is everything we want and more at this point in our day. We get a hero’s welcome from the staff as they boost our ego with warm smiles and kind words about how well we’re doing. I don’t want to leave here. Take that truck drivers!

We’re in a pub so naturally it’s only right to order a beer. An ice cold beer in the middle of a hike is everything you can imagine it would be. We sit at a large, heavy wooden table with mismatched chairs and trinkets and pub memorabilia all around.

I order a cheese and caramelized onion stottie (a local bread bun) with a side of soup. And it comes with fries. Hunger is gone, and in its place is a feeling of not wanting to walk anymore and just spend the afternoon day drinking at the Robin Hood Inn.

But go on we must. Our gracious hosts offer to fill our water bottles with ice cold water, and I’m sad to be leaving. They wish us luck on our journey and we set off on the trail again, stamping our Hadrian’s Wall passport at the stamping station outside.

East Wallhouses to Wylam

The trail takes us through a nature reserve, and even though we don’t see any wildlife except a few ducks, it’s a serene spot next to an otherwise busy road. There’s a reservoir and a hide for wildlife spotting and I wish I had more time to relax here. The only downside are the paths covered in large stones – on Day 5 they are not kind to the already sore feet.

We stroll through the village of Harlow Hill but before long are back in a field. This latest field is dotted with bright red poppies, a pop of color against the grass covered rolling green hills. I feel like I’m in another impressionist painting. Van Gogh would have loved it here. Without knowing it, this is one of the last times I’m in such a scene as the next day is largely around built up areas.

We cross the road one final time for the day, and take in the sweeping majestic views in the other direction for a while. A farmer works in the field on a giant piece of machinery, busy cutting hay. Another pastoral scene that I appreciate, knowing it will be main roads again soon. It’s beginning to get humid, and sunny. Exhaustion is starting to take over, but it can’t be too much further.

Just after this we pop back out at the road. The official Hadrian’s Wall Walk continues east towards Heddon-on-the-Wall. We, however, have other plans today. We turn right and take an increasingly narrowing, but rather busy, road for what feels like forever. All of a sudden without acorns to guide us we are reliant on our map to help us on our way.

Some traffic dodging at a large roundabout, clearly not built for walkers, and we cross the A69 – the main road from Carlisle to Newcastle. If I were driving there, as I have done hundreds of times, this is the way I would have come. It feels strange to be walking over it and looking down. A little further and we have arrived at the beginning of the end of our day – the road into Wylam.

Ending our day in Wylam

We’re not far from Heddon-on-the-Wall, but it feels like we’re so removed from the official Hadrian’s Wall Walk trail now. It’s a long road downhill into Wylam. The sidewalk into the town is narrow and the cars speeding down it are plentiful. This is a busier place that I think we’ve seen for days.

We pass houses with blooming gardens, and a church which to me is a sign we’ve reached the main town. We are tired. It’s been a long day, and we rest on a bench. A friendly local with a dog stops to chat and ask us where we’ve come from. She points us in the direction we need for our campsite as we orient ourselves on our map.

Just around the corner we come to the first convenience store we’ve seen in almost 50 miles. I rush in to grab an ice cold drink from the fridge and I’m instantly overwhelmed by everything I see. Snacks of all kinds, much more interesting than the granola bars and trail mix I’ve been eating for most of the walk.

We realize that with limited dining options in the town it might be a good idea to make a reservation for later. We settle on the Black Bull Inn. A friendly man with a thick Geordie accent takes our name. We’ve got two hours before dinner – plenty of time to set up camp for the night.

It’s a short 5-minute walk to Stephenson’s Arms Camping. We find the campsite easily enough. It’s large, although there are no other tents, only caravans. But we’re here.

Stephenson’s Arms Camping, Wylam

Checking out our surroundings the campsite has plenty of places we can pitch the tent. We don’t want to be near the caravans and trailers as they all have generators which could be noisy. And remembering the wind at our campsite at Banks on Day 2 of our hike, we decide by the large fence might be best.

A lady on the opposite side tells us it’s OK to camp there but her side of the fence is a nursery and the children will be back at 9am the next day. We will be leaving then, so not a problem for us.

We drop off our bags and go in search of our luggage which should have been delivered a little earlier. There’s a house down the dirt road we came in on, and it’s where we believe the owners live. But it’s a bit of a building site. We go to knock on the door and spot our bag, hiding just inside. We knock anyway, and when the owner arrives they explain we can leave our bag there in the morning too. Paying our fees for the night we trundle our bag over to camp.

The tent goes up first. It’s halfway up when we realize there are tiny spiders everywhere. Not sure if they’re from the tree above us, we contemplate moving but instead vow to keep the tent closed, and rush to put our backpacks in tightly tied garbage bags to protect them too. I hate spiders, but I’m too tired to worry too much.

Ending Day 5 of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk in Wylam

The tent is up, I’m in clean clothes, and I have a beer in my hand while sitting in my camping chair. Life is good. Except for the spiders, they’re not good. I ignore them as best I can.

After a nice walk back into town, a hearty dinner and more than a couple of beers, we return to camp to hopefully get a good night sleep. The campsite is quiet. There are only a few other people here.

I feel exposed in a field after spending the past few nights in more secure accommodation. But I’ve camped in Canada where there are bears. I’m sure I can handle northern England.

Our last night before ending the Hadrian’s Wall Walk. I struggle to drift off to sleep, unsure if its because I wish I was in a better bed, that I’m excited for our final day, or that I’m thinking about the spiders. Eventually lethargy takes over and I’m out for the count. Good luck go with us!

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. If you’ve done the Hadrian’s Wall Walk, how did you feel on your last night?