iKnow Lake District
- Alston
- Appleby in Westmorland
- Carlisle
- Hadrians Wall
- Kirkby Stephen
- Near Carlisle
- Near Penrith
- Around Shap
Walking Hadrians Wall Cumbria England Tourist Information
Truly a national treasure, Hadrian's Wall is rather old. With a view to consolidating his boundaries the Emperor Hadrian visited Britain in AD 122and ordered the building of the Wall from the Solway Firth in the West to the River Tyne in the east. The point of it was to essentially mark the northern boundary of Roman Britain and of course to separate Romans from Barbarians! The building of the wall certainly kept a few Roman Legionaries fit and busy, who otherwise might have been rather bored at this lonely outpost.
Hadrian's Wall was fortified, and it served to 'contain' warring tribes behind it for well over 350 years. Fortunately much of it has been preserved, and parts of Hadrian's Wall are still visible on the line of it stretching from Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. A top tip is to follow the best road, the B6318 as well as the A68 which follows the main original Roman supply road route from the south to Edinburgh.
Hadrian's Wall and Hadrian's Wall Path
Hadrian's Wall was built in six years by Roman Legionaries who were from all over the Roman Empire. The building of the wall must have been welcome activity in this edge of the world outpost. The Romans had the best craftsmen working on this Wall, from architects to carpenters to masonries. The wall is mostly built of stone, and in parts is 10 Roman Feet wide, and later 8. It was started in the east and reached the river Irthing near what is now Carlisle. It then weaves west to the Solway Firth but is built of 18" by 12" by 6" regulation turf blocks. Milecastles were placed at regular intervals, with each pair of Milecastles having two Turrets between them. A Milecastle could garrison between 8 and 32 men and the Turrets could also shelter some soldiers but acted primarily as look-out vantage points. As Hadrian's Wall developed more legionaries were moved up to the wall and then large Forts like Birdoswald were built which straddled it. These Forts had gates to allow traffic to pass north and south through the wall.
Hadrian's Wall is usually broken up into four distinct stretches, with each area taking you through different terrains. If you begin in the east you'll discover the South Shields stretch to Chollerford. This line passes through Newcastle, then out into into Northumberland countryside, mostly farmland and through market towns like Prudhoe, Corbridge and Hexham.
The western stretch is perhaps the most notable, as In the west the line runs from Chollerford and Gilsland and takes you through some stunning countryside within the Northumberland National Park. It is here that you will find the most visible remains of the wall.
Hadrian's Wall is definitely the most important edifice that the Romans erected in Britain. It represents a frontier to a Roman Empire which stretched across Europe, into Africa and beyond. The wall now stretches for 73 miles from Wallsend to Bowness and in 1987, the Wall was designated a World Heritage Site, alongside monuments such as the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China.
Walking Hadrian's Wall
Walking Hadrian's Wall couldn't be easier now with the opening of the Hadrian's Wall Path in May 2003, starting at Bowness on Solway and Wallsend. The choice of walks around the wall is immense, and there are now over 40 self-guided circular and linear walks, all specially designed to provide attractive alternative routes all year round.
The most spectacular section of the Wall to walk is the 20km (12 miles) in Northumberland National Park between Sewingshields and Greenhead. Much of this is owned by The National Trust, and all Public footpaths are well signed, with lots of guided walks with lots of guided walks in this striking part of the country.
Cumbria Blue Badge Guides: Stephen Barnes, 8 Albemarle Street, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 0BG. Tel/Fax: 01900 824872
Penrith Temple Sowerby Cumbria CA10 1RZ Tel: 01768 362201 / 07949 149759 Fax: 01768 362211
