Kaiserslautern American
Page 12
February 16, 2024
The GREATest BRITAIN road trip, Part 5: Hadrian’s Wall
Hadrian’s Wall at Northumberland National Park.
Story and photo by Leonie Milde contributing writer for MilitaryInGermany.com
sive in itself. You can also find the remains of Roman houses and forts along the way.
We continue north to Hadrian’s Wall. The former Roman frontier, and perhaps the most famous of them all, ‘protected’ the Roman empire for 300 years starting in AD 122 when the emperor Hadrian (no need to explain the wall’s name now, is there?) was reigning over it. The very popular long distance walking trail stretches across 84 miles from coast to coast but there are plenty of opportunities for short or day hikes along the way, all of which come with breathtaking views.
Hiking The full hike starts at Wallsend on the east coast of England and ends in Bowness-on-Solway on the west coast. Of course you can also start in the west and head east. Some hikers skip a few miles by starting in Carlisle. The amount of days it will take varies on how many miles you are looking to hike in a day but the average is about 8 with 4-6 hours of walking in a day. Hillwalktours has a handy potential itinerary to help you plan your adventure. There is even an option to have your baggage transported to your accommodations so you only need to bring a small backpack on your hike without the stress of packing as lightly as possible for your trip. Hadrianshaul starts at £7 per bag per daily transfer. There are a few stretches where you can actually walk on the wall.
The wall used to be 10 feet wide and 16 to 20 feet tall but in many places there is not much more than a foot or less left. Nonetheless, just the thought of this massive construction having stood where you are standing all those years ago is quite impres-
Coast of Solway in Northern England between Burgh By Sands and Port Carlisle.
Leonie and Maggie visiting ruins of Roman houses.
Since we only had 2 days in the area, we didn’t hike the wall but went on a circa 3-hour walk from our hostel to Housesteads and took a bus with the number AD 122 back to the hostel.
Birdoswald Roman Fort This visitor center has an insightful exhibition on the wall’s history and exhibits the longest standing stretch of the wall as well as other Roman artefacts.
Birdoswald is one of 16 forts along the wall, though this is the best-preserved one. The familyfriendly site is owned by English Heritage, admission costs £8.30 per adult.
