Hiking England's Hadrian's Wall Path

During the second century, The Roman Empire extended into what we now call England. The Romans were there about 400 years! In 122 A.D., the Emperor Hadrian paid Brittania a visit. He found that the three legions of soldiers stationed there had little to do.

Hadrian was no fool. Tribes from what is now Scotland would raid Roman settlements periodically. A fortified wall would protect the settlements, give control over immigration, and allow collection of customs taxes. Bored soldiers cause trouble, so he gave them something to do- build a wall across the island.

Construction took six years. Hadrian's Wall was occupied until the late fourth century, when all Roman troops were recalled for what proved to be the last defense of Rome.

Looking north past the wall, toward Scotland.

Once the Romans left, the locals realized they had an excellent source of building material, both for structures and roads. The Wall began to disappear.

During the 1800s a man named John Clayton, the classic eccentric Englishman, became enthusiastic about preserving the Wall. He bought large portions of land along which the Wall ran, and restored what he could.

Susan looks happy to be in the ruins of a Roman barracks. How many Legionnaires slept here over the course of 400 years?

The path doesn’t always follow the Wall.

The Wall was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987. It is in fact the longest, best-preserved example of Roman fortifications anywhere. In 2003 the National Footpath was opened, running the length of the Wall.

Susan and I hiked this path, starting in Newcastle and going west to Carlisle. When I tell people we walked across England, they "ooh" and "ahh" like it's a big deal. It's only 80 miles, folks! England is a fairly small island! We took ten days, taking it easy, stopping at pubs and tea rooms for lunch and staying at bed and breakfasts at night.

We passed many fields. The poppy fields were the best!

England has lots of sheep!

The path passes through communities.

We would leave the B&B in the morning carrying some water, some snacks, a first aid kit, raincoats, and cameras. A company called MACS Adventure would come to the B&B some time later and pick up the rest of our luggage, then transport it to our destination for that evening. When we arrived at the next B&B, our things would already be in our rooms. It was all very civilized!