Hadrian's Wall

Understand

Established emperors can skip this bit, but newbies start here: in order to protect your homeland, power base and own sweet self, you have to subdue the surrounding territories. Exploit them for the benefit of self and homeland (for dammit, you are the homeland) as ruthlessly as you dare without provoking rebellion. Recruit their young men into your army with steady pay, fine uniforms and tales of glory; send them to occupy a different territory where they've no local loyalty, will brutally do your bidding, and are politically expendable. Transition the military territory into a civic province dotted with your noble statue. But in order to protect it, you have to subdue the surrounding territories. Such was the game of imperial dominoes that led Rome to conquer surrounding areas of Italy, then Greece, North Africa, and France which brought them within sight of the shores of Britain. Julius Caesar made brief expeditions in 55 and 54 BC, but the first invasion with a view to settlement began in 43 AD under Claudius. The Roman Empire quickly secured Kent, the Thames crossing at Londinium, and the English lowlands. They advanced up the lowland corridor along the east coast of Scotland, where in 84 AD Agricola fought the battle of Mons Graupius against the Caledonians, probably somewhere near Stonehaven. He won, but Rome was preoccupied by threats elsewhere, and couldn't spare troops to garrison and colonise Scotland. They fell back to a line of control between the Tyne and the Solway, where the emperor Hadrian built a defensive wall from 122 AD. After a few years they were again ready to advance, and the Antonine Wall was built between the Forth and the Clyde from 142 AD. But this was only a turf embankment and was abandoned in 162 AD; they retrenched to Hadrian's Wall and held it until Rome abandoned Britain early in the 5th century. It's likely that allied British tribes continued to defend it for another century. So Hadrian's Wall was occupied for over 300 years al

Getting there

Newcastle has an airport and is on the A1 and London—York—Edinburgh railway, while Carlisle is on the M6 and London—Preston—Glasgow railway. Trains run every 30 min between Newcastle and Carlisle, stopping at Gateshead, Prudhoe, Corbridge, Hexham, Haydon Bridge, Bardon Mill, Haltwhistle and Brampton. They're every 30 min M-Sa and hourly on Sunday. Stagecoach Bus 685 runs hourly from Newcastle to Hexham, Brampton and Carlisle. The A69 links cross-country and is mostly a fast dual-carriageway with no sidewalk. Cyclists and walkers are not prohibited but should instead use the loops of the former highway. The valley transport corridor is five miles or so south of Hadrian's Wall, which hews to the higher ground, so you need wheels for the last stage. Car or bike-on-train would work.

Getting around

Bus AD122 parallels the wall between Hexham and Haltwhistle, ideal for one-way hikes then a ride back to your vehicle or lodging. It runs a few times a day, daily mid-Apr to Oct, weekends mid-Feb to mid-Apr and Nov to mid-Dec. The main stops from Hexham are Chesters, Housesteads, The Sill, Vindolanda, Walltown, Greenhead and Haltwhistle. The price is £2.50.

See

South Shields has the Roman supply depot of Arbeia: stuff was brought in by sea then carted inland, a never-ending logistic grind. The fort's western gatehouse and commander's quarters have been reconstructed. Wallsend is actually its beginning, as construction started here in 122 AD and worked west. The Roman fort of Segedunum is next to Mile Zero of the wall and Wallsend's main metro station. (Don't get off at Hadrian Road, a nondescript burb. Some Metro signage is in Latin: have your ticket ready for the vomitorium.) Hadrian's Wall Path follows the north bank of the Tyne but is entirely modern for 14 miles west, as through Newcastle the ancient route and structures are obliterated. Wallsend has places to stay and eat but is only 12 min ride from Newcastle city centre and you'll do better to base there. Newcastle upon Tyne is the best base for the east end of the wall, with Roman exhibits in the Great North Museum. The wall is lost beneath A187 coming in from Wallsend then A186 heading out west. A few courses of masonry of the wall and Turret 7B at West Denton (junction with A1) are the most easterly surviving stonework, but not worth seeking out. Its route becomes visible on B6528 towards Throckley and Heddon-on-the-Wall, where the path leaves the riverbank to rejoin it. Another short stretch of masonry outside Heddon, and it's then a path and low earthwork parallel to the road, here called Military Road and usually busy and ratty. Vindobala fort is barely visible. Use OS Landranger Map 88 from the outset at Wallsend until 4 miles west of Heddon, then switch to Map 87. Corbridge is 3 miles south of the wall at the junction of A69 and A68 the Darlington—Jedburgh—Edinburgh road. There are remains of the fortified Roman town of Corstopitum, illustrating the transition between military garrison and civilian settlement. Corbridge is a pleasant small place to stay or visit. The wall is a well-defined vallum parallel to B6318. (The otherwise excellent OS Map 87 here lab

Do

Hike as long or as short as you like. Best for an afternoon stroll is the section from Vindolanda west onto the scarp; for a longer hike continue to "Robin Hood's Tree". You can do the whole wall from Bowness-on-Solway to Wallsend or vice versa, but you ought to book your accommodation a couple of months in advance, which does mean committing to each day's distance come fair or foul weather. But the lowland western sections are frankly no great shakes, and there's better hiking elsewhere. Moan about the cold to show solidarity. Squaddies are always mumping about something, so while their colleagues-in-arms in the Med groused about heat, dust and flies, this woeful lot complained about the cold. They'd been recruited from even colder regions, but endured long hours on sentry duty in the biting wind, with clothing and lodging on which every military expense had been spared. They wore sheepskin cloaks and boots, so muster resembled a mass parade of Uggs. Squeak! Learn Latin with Minimus, a series of textbooks for primary-school children, based around Minimus the Mouse who scurries beneath the feet of a Vindolanda army family.

Sleep

As above, this only describes places a short walk from the central section of the wall, and excludes self-catering, which typically lets by the week.

Hadrian Hotel, in Wall is a mile south of Chollerford. George Hotel is at the bridge in Chollerford, junction of B6318 and B6320. Walwick Hall is a plush place with spa, a mile west of Chollerford. Greencarts Farm has camping and a bunkhouse. It's quarter of a mile north of Black Carts Turret. Carraw B&B is quarter of a mile west of the Mithras Temple. 1 The Old Repeater Station, Military Road, Grindon NE47 6NQ (near Mile 34), ☏ +44 1434 689857. Comfy B&B close to the middle section of the wall. B&B double £100. (updated Jun 2021)

2 YHA The Sill (Once