Walking Hadrian’s Wall – 12 Things You Need To Know

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Six months of planning, training and excitement about walking Hadrian’s Wall. Yet on day one I soon realized there were things I had not thought about. All that planning and there was still a part of me that was unprepared.

Embarking upon a 134km/84-mile walk is not something to be taken lightly. Not that this is a particularly difficult hike. Some describe it as a really long pub crawl. But given that you will be walking for anywhere between 5 and 8 days on average, there are some things you should really know before you go.

Where is Hadrian’s Wall?

Spanning the northern England countryside you’ll find the impressive 1900 year-old Roman wall. Bridging two counties – Cumbria and Northumberland – the National Trail is 84 miles in length (134km).

While the trail essentially goes from coast to coast, the remains of the wall are more prevalent in the middle section of the hike. In fact, it’s virtually non-existent on the first and last two days (based on a 6-day hike).

Hadrian’s Wall was started in the year AD 122, most likely with the intention of being a defensive wall to keep out the barbaric tribes to the north.

Along the wall you can still see the remains of the major forts such as Birdoswald, Housesteads and Chesters, as well as milecastles and turrets which were also manned by Roman soldiers.

Towards one end of the trail is the historic city of Carlisle, to the other is the vibrant city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Both are worth a visit.

Is it difficult walking Hadrian’s Wall?

For the most part, no. The days can be long – even if you spread it out over more days, there are long stretches with few accommodation options. The average time taken walking Hadrian’s Wall is around 6 days – that’s what I did.

My average days were about 24km/15-miles in length. Depending on the terrain of the day, the unpredictable weather, and the number of stops you make you, each day will take you approximately 6-8 hours.

There are of course some hilly sections, some ups and downs that make you curse the Romans who built this thing in such a wobbly line. If only they built bridges along the ridge lines too – that’s how you might be feeling by about day three of four.

But the truth is that as long as you don’t mind a bit of inclement weather, and a whole lot of sheep this is a really nice trail to walk. I met a lot of retired couples walking Hadrian’s Wall together, as well as younger groups of people. If you’re pretty fit and healthy you shouldn’t have any issues.

12 things you should know before walking Hadrian’s Wall

You’ll find lots of recommendations for wall walking itineraries, places to stay, where to eat and all those other practical things. And while everyone knows the walk is long, there are things that don’t seem to come up in many of the guides you’ll read.

That’s why I wanted to share some of my observations from walking Hadrian’s Wall – because, honestly, I wish I’d known these things before I hiked it. It definitely wouldn’t have changed my desire to walk it, but no-one likes surprises on a long hike, right?!

Pack light

This might seem like a given when doing a long hike, but it really does make a difference. The days are long, and while this is billed as a “walk” rather than a hike, less weight to carry can help with your speed and be less impactful on your back with so many days hiking in a row.

On most days there are opportunities for food and water so don’t go overboard with heavy snacks. Remember to bring some light layers in case the weather changes.

If you’re staying in hotels or B&Bs you won’t need a tent, sleeping bag or other camping equipment. If you’re staying in bunkhouses check to see if a sleeping bag is still needed.

Pack some change

Credit and debit cards are used almost everywhere now. Except on the trails in the middle of nowhere. Don’t forget to pack some loose change or small bills for the snack boxes you’ll find along the way.

On many of the days you’ll come across anything from a plastic bin offering some crisps and chocolate bars, to a fully stocked shed with kettle for hot drinks and oatmeal.

They all have honesty boxes, so bringing a bit of money can save you having to carry extra weight in snacks all day. Most snacks are about £1-2 per item. There are usually some cold drinks for sale too – a welcome treat around mile 12 of a long day.

Use a baggage service

I already talked about packing light for during the day – this is an even better way to save on some back pain and make things a little easier. This is already a long hike that you’re an absolute rock star for doing – why make it more difficult?

There are a couple of baggage services that will pick up your bags in the morning at your accommodation and drop them off at your end point for the day. We used Hadrian’s Bags and they were amazingly helpful, easy to use and responsive even when our plans changed mid-trip.

Using a baggage service meant we could leave all our food for later in the trip along with our tent, sleeping bags and extra clothes to be delivered separately. That left us with the bare minimum in our day pack and made for much easier walking.

Most people don’t camp

84-miles from coast to coast along some of England’s greenest fields and trails. It made perfect sense that camping would be the number one accommodation choice. However, after dragging a tent and two sleeping bags all the way to England from Canada we realized we were in the minority.

Sure, there are campsites along the way, and even bunkhouses, but most people seem to stay in Bed & Breakfasts or hotels. In fact, in the end we only camped for one night – and mostly because we wanted to justify having brought all our gear 4000-miles.

Camp if you prefer it, but don’t be a hero as a good night’s sleep makes all the difference by the time you’re a couple of days into this long 84-mile hike.

Watch where you walk

The sheer amount of sheep and cow poop you will walk through is ridiculous. Yes, it’s the countryside, and yes, fields often have animals in them – but this is something else.

I grew up in this area of northern England so I’m used to farms and animals. That said, nothing prepared me for walking cross country and spending more time looking down than at the beautiful scenery.

At some point you’ll have to just accept the fact that you’re shoes will be covered in poop, and try to avoid what you can. You’ll be over the moon when you get to the odd field with no animals which you can safely navigate from start to end without fear.

The wind can be relentless

It can be the nicest, sunniest day, but there will still be very windy sections of this trail. The odd shower of rain, or blaze of hot sun is nothing compared to the relentless wind at the highest points of the trail.

Day 3 between Banks and Steel Rigg and Day 4 between Steel Rigg and Chollerford will be the worst for wind. There is very little protection from trees and the highest elevations are here. The wind adds an extra challenge.

Top Tip: When planning your journey, East to West is the most traditional, but I recommend walking Hadrian’s Wall from West to East. Starting at Bowness-on-Solway and ending at Wallsend means the wind will be at your back more. We passed a lot of people traveling the other direction who were facing the wind most of the walk.

The weather changes very quickly

Walking Hadrian’s Wall will feel like seeing all four seasons in one trip. On one of our days the rain came on so suddenly that we scrambled to get all our rain gear on, only for the sun to come out again 5 minutes later.

The best thing to do when walking Hadrian’s Wall is to be prepared for anything. Pack a light rain jacket and rain pants, a windbreaker and even some shorts for the hotter days. You might need sunblock and a towel to dry off the rain in the same day.

Work smarter not harder

Just because the Hadrian’s Wall Walk is a defined route, doesn’t mean you can’t take a couple of creative liberties with the trail. There are sections where you will see the trail bobbing up and down over a number of little hills – or just a few meters to the side the trial is a lot more consistent and flatter.

Don’t veer too far off the trail, but by the time you’re on kilometer twenty of a 25km day you’ll be grateful for any reprieve you can get. “Work smarter, not harder” became our motto of the trip. This even applied to walking through a gate rather than climbing over the stiles over walls if there was an option.

The lack of toilets

When you see a bathroom, make sure you go. Otherwise you’ll be doing a lot of “wild weeing” as one lady called it on our hike. Most days we were able to find a pub, cafe or restaurant for a lunch break – and with it a toilet break. But there were long stretches with no bathrooms.

Even some of the snack sheds, although often part of campsites, only had bathrooms for their campers. The worst day was Day 4 between Steel Rigg and Chollerford. There were no bathrooms after Housesteads Roman Fort until we arrived at Chesters Roman Fort just outside of Chollerford. A total of 12km (over 7-miles)!

You’ll need to stay hydrated so at some point you’ll just have to go. Therefore keep an eye out for wooded areas and high hedges, check for fellow walkers, and remember the leave no trace rules of the countryside.

All the gates you have to pass through

Hiking is one thing, but all the gates that you have to pass through while walking Hadrian’s Wall are what really get old quick. Most fields have cows or sheep and farmers obviously want to keep them there. So you’ll have to move from field to field through a series of obstacles.

There are gates that open every which way, turnstiles, precariously placed ladders and wooden stiles over stone walls and everything in between. You’ll have seen it all by the end of your hike.

The days are longer than you think

15-miles/24km is a long way. There’s no sugar-coating it. But it can sometimes feel like even longer when walking Hadrian’s Wall. The ever-changing weather, the ups and downs, and all the poop-dodging cross-field trails.

If you’re a slow hiker (guilty!) then mid-summer might be the best time for you to tackle this epic hike. Longer days really help with…well, longer days.

The days where there is little change in scenery (I’m looking at you Day 5), and the first and last day which are largely flat and in the open (not ideal for extreme weather days) can make it feel much further than it is.

It can be a bit of a pub crawl if you want it to be

If there’s one thing that England is good for, it’s a friendly pub. There are no shortage of them while walking Hadrian’s Wall – for better or for worse. Pubs are a great place for an easy, light and relatively cheap lunch. Also for a toilet breaks.

But the sheer number of them bang smack in the middle of the English countryside means you can have a half pint of local beer midday to keep you going. And even more at the end of the day to celebrate (or commiserate) your day.

As someone who has done most of my hiking in Canada, pubs aren’t usually found in the middle of a 6 day hike. Which is why this might be my new favorite trail. The best pub along the way has to be the Twice Brewed Inn. Incidentally also a great place to stay or for a slap up meal.

Walking Hadrian’s Wall for 84-miles

Undertaking such a long hike is a feat in itself, but there’s nothing worse than being underprepared. Make sure you do your research. Not only where to lay your head, but where to get food along the way, which farms have snacks and most importantly? Where the next bathroom is – especially important for girls, because peeing against a tree isn’t as easy.

If you’re prepared and know what to expect you shouldn’t have any problems hiking this fantastic historic trail. As hikes go, it’s relatively easygoing. Not without its challenges, but not overly technical either. The positives far outweigh the negatives here, and I would not hesitate to hike Hadrian’s Wall again.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you hiked this trail? What were the biggest surprises for you when walking Hadrian’s Wall?