Hadrian's Wall Coast to Coast Trek

After dinner, there will be an important safety briefing with your leaders to discuss the challenge ahead. This will be a good time to double check your kit, especially boots, waterproofs, water bottles, and blister treatment to go in your day pack.

Dinner and overnight at the Crown Hotel, Wetheral.

The trail begins just outside St Michael’s church, which appropriately has its foundations incorporating stones from nearby Roman forts. We will be eased into our trek with a relatively gentle first day that follows the old remains of the canal and railway, which hint at the previous importance of this stretch of coastline. The mountains of the Lake District will be visible only a few miles south as we head towards the city of Carlisle.

Following the southern bank of the river Eden as it meanders through the ancient city of Carlisle, we soon pass by the village of Rickerby and continue a couple of miles to the village of Low Crosby, set in meadows that already seem far removed from Carlisle and the coast. Here we meet up with our transport to take us back to the Crown Hotel in Wetheral for dinner and overnight.

Distance 29.4km | Height gain 135m

From today onwards, the terrain will become more demanding and hilly as we start to pick up on our first real indication of Hadrian’s Wall itself. Halfway through the day we will reach the junction with the trail to Lanercost Priory, an impressive ruined abbey that was built from stone plundered from the wall. The Priory is famous as being the seat of government in England for 6 months in 1306 whilst Edward I recovered from dysentery nearby.

Shortly after the priory we come across the first significant stretch of Hadrian’s Wall on the approach to Banna Roman fort. From here we descend down to the village of Gilsland before a steep climb that takes us to Cawfields Quarry and our finishing point for the day.

There will be time to rest at Milecastle Inn before our transport collects us and takes us to tonight’s hotel, Derwent Manor, in the hamlet of Allensford.

Dinner and overnight at Derwent Manor, Allensford.

Distance 31.4km | Height gain 568m

At 25km, today may be the shortest day of the trek, but with over 700m of ascent it is the equivalent of climbing some of the Lake District’s highest peaks! The reward for our efforts will be views of some of the most iconic sights of the wall, as it stretches along the escarpment and into the distance. Indeed, the escarpment provides the real challenge for this day with its relentlessly undulating nature. We will pass iconic Sycamore Gap, with its famous sharp descent and ascent on either side.

Before long we will reach the remarkable remains of Housesteads fort, one of Hadrian’s Wall’s best-preserved Roman sites, perched on the edge of the escarpment itself. From Housesteads the terrain begins to ease as we start to descend to the religious site of Brocolitia fort.

Our trek ends in the village of Wall where we will be able to rest in the Hadrian’s Hotel before our transport returns us to Derwent Manor for dinner and overnight.

Distance 25.4km | Height gain 719m

Today's route follows a gun-barrel straight section of track that was formerly Roman road. This is a gentle trail through typical English countryside and farmlands until after 24km we reach the Three Tuns pub on the edge of Heddon-on-the-Wall. From here, a descending trail passes through the suburbs of Heddon and then down to the banks of the River Tyne.

Our end point today is adjacent to Tyne Country Park on the borders of Newcastle. From here, our transport will take us to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in the centre of Newcastle.

Dinner and overnight at the Crowne Plaza, Newcastle.

Distance 29km | Height gain 396m

We will follow the Hadrian’s Wall path before it reaches its terminus at Wallsend. Whilst the Roman remains may end here, our challenge still has a few final miles to go. From Wallsend, we follow the River Tyne Trail through this historic shipbuilding area. Soon our finish will be in sight as the North Sea will appear in front of us. Upon reaching North Shields we will have a short ferry crossing across to the finish of our challenge in South Shields. We disembark the ferry and then have a few final kms to reach the North Sea and complete our challenge! After celebrating our achievement of crossing from coast to coast, our transport will return us to Newcastle for our final nights’ meal.

Distance 28.5km | Height gain 362m