Hadrian's Wall Path - 9 Days & 8 Nights

Tour Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

Activity Level & Terrain

This tour is graded anywhere between easy to moderate and strenuous, depending on which itinerary you choose. It is most suited for those walkers with previous long distance experience. The route is a mixture of paths, tracks and minor roads. Some of the paths can become very muddy and boggy and negotiating this terrain can be slow-going at times. Please read the Hadrian's Wall Code of Respect in your guidebook, which gives guidelines as to how to care for the natural environment for this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Navigation

The Hadrian's Wall is well waymarked and easy to follow. Navigation is straightforward as you can use the Macs Adventure Smartphone App which has maps, GPS tracks and daily route information. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that navigation on this tour will be made simple and you cannot get lost.

You will find more information on downloading the app in your Macs Adventure Account.

• Overnights in B&B’s, small hotels and guesthouses
• Breakfasts
• Luggage transfers
• Access to maps, GPX tracks and daily route information with the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
• All your trip documents provided digitally through your online Macs “My Account”
• Hadrian’s Wall Passport (for those travelling between May and October)
• 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our UK office

• Travel insurance (required)
• Travel to Newcastle/Corbridge
• Travel from Bowness/Gilsland/Brampton or Carlisle
• Lunches & Dinners
• Drinks and snacks
• Personal equipment

• Extra night(s)

When To Go

You can begin this long-distance walk anytime between March and October. Between these dates, the weather can be vastly different, from rain to wind to glorious days of sunshine. Please come prepared for walking in rain or shine.

Please note there are various events on throughout the year that may make availability difficult in the city of Newcastle (large concert events and the Great North Run). During these periods we recommend booking our "Best of" or Short Break Itineraries.  Your adventure specialist will advise you of any difficulty in booking on particular dates.

Getting to the Start

Newcastle is a major transport hub in the northeast of England and has excellent rail, road and air links from both Scotland and the South of England. All public transport information may be found on the Traveline or Trainline websites.

By Rail

Newcastle is on the main East Coast rail line. A direct train from London takes approx 3 hours, or from Edinburgh takes around 1h 30m. 

By Air

From outside the UK you can fly to Newcastle with several airlines including Easyjet, KLM and Airfrance. 

By Road

You can easily reach Newcastle by road too. It is a 2hr drive from Edinburgh via the East coast of Scotland or approx 3hrs from London. Car parking is quite limited but it is available at the main hotel we use in Newcastle which is £12 per night. Parking there is on a first-come, first-served basis and unfortunately cannot be reserved.  You can also find a list of off-street parking locations here - https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/parking-and-permits/car-parks-and-street-parking/street-parking-places-order-city-centre 

Getting to Corbridge

Our 'Best Of'’ itineraries all start in Corbridge, which is easily accessible by train from Newcastle. Trains run approximately every half an hour and the journey can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on if they are direct or not. If you wish to drive to Corbridge, we can ask your accommodation if you can leave your car there whilst you are walking, but this will be on a request basis and subject to availability. 

Getting from the End

Local bus and taxi services connect to Carlisle from where there are excellent transport links from both Scotland and the south of England. Again you can check the Traveline website for more information. You can also check the National Rail website. If you wish to return to Newcastle there are direct trains departing from Carlisle approximately every hour and the journey time is about 1h 40m. 

Bowness has limited accommodation and transport links so many walkers choose to finish the last day's walk in Bowness and then catch the bus back to Carlisle that afternoon for a second night in Carlisle, ready for the journey home from Carlisle the following morning. Just let us know at the time of booking if you would prefer this option.

Getting from Bowness/Gilsland/Brampton and Carlisle 

Our 'Best Of' itineraries either finish in Gilsland, Brampton or Carlisle. From Gilsland you can take a local taxi to Haltwhistle and catch a train from here to Corbridge/Newcastle. The trains are every hour. Or if you want to travel onwards via Carlisle you can take a local taxi from Gilsland to Brampton. From there, catch a train or bus to Carlisle. The 685 bus leaves from the centre of Brampton every hour.

If you are getting the train from Brampton please be aware that the station is approximately 2.5 miles from the centre of the town along a country road (there is a safe path to walk along). The trains from Brampton are almost every two hours. On Sundays, the train services are less frequent and the bus services only run a few times per day on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

All public transport information may be found on the Traveline or Trainline websites.

If you want to take advantage of the AD122, the Hadrian’s Wall bus in order to see extra sights, or perhaps have a non-walking day, please check out the information on the Hadrian’s Wall website. It is possible to download a timetable which you may then carry with you.

Luggage Transfer

Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. 

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

General Information

The distances listed are an approximation of daily walk lengths.

You may also notice that the total overall distance varies on our different itineraries - this is due to where you overnight along the way. Some examples of this - on our shortest (full) Hadrian's Wall Path itinerary (7 Day / 6 Night) you will remain on the Hadrian's Wall path for large sections meaning you will not detour off to overnight in places such as Once Brewed (which means you don't add in the extra mileages of coming off and back onto the Hadrian's Wall Path). Or on our longest (full) Hadrian's Wall Path itinerary (10-day / 9 Night), there is a 3-mile (out and back) detour to overnight in Corbridge that you would otherwise skip on our other itineraries. 

Equipment

Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen etc. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walk boots, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a daypack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.