Travel to Newcastle and then onto Whitley Bay. Stretch your legs and take the time to visit St Mary's Island, Lighthouse and Visitor Centre where you will experience spectacular coastal views. This evening you will meet your fellow walkers and guide for a trip briefing. Accommodation: We use different accommodations near the Promenade, both are 4* properties.

Meals:  Nil

Today we take the 20-min train from Whitley Bay to Wallsend; the start of guided Hadrian's Wall walk. If we have time before setting off, take a close look at the remains of the Roman fort of Segedunum which marks the beginning of the route today. This is a multi award-winning site, with reconstructions of a Roman Bath House and an excellent interactive museum. From the fort, by the site of the former Swan Hunter Ship Yard, the trail heads out following close to the Tyne and passes the excavated Roman baths. Take the old Tyne to Blyth railway line, now a footpath through to Walker where you join the River Tyne at the Riverside Park and pass Byker. You come into the riverside area of downtown Newcastle upon Tyne with vistas of the elegant Tyne Bridges and of the Newcastle skyline including St. Nicholas Cathedral. There should be time to climb up to Newcastle Keep. Walk out of the city alongside the river. There is plenty of evidence of present and former industrial activity. As you get to the old village of Newburn, the countryside really begins to open up. You are now in the county of Northumberland. Just before you would head up to Heddon on the Wall, on the trail, we turn off for Wylam and our overnight stop at the end of this long but flattish day. Accommodation: You will be split between accommodation in the small village of Wylam

Meals:  B

Returning to the route from Wylam, we have our first steep ascent up to Heddon on the Wall, where there are some wall remains. To beyond Chollerford now, the National Trail follows beside the roads that have been built over part of the Wall. The Wall itself became a source of material for the foundations of General Wade’s military road, the trail often follows along the Vallum, the ancient ditch line created as a defensive feature when the Wall was built. Look out for remains of Vindobala Fort and the reservoirs around Welton. There is a pub at East Wall Houses after about 6 miles. The walk passing Heavenfield, site of a major Anglo-Saxon battle from AD635, between Christian King Oswald and Cadwallon, heathen leader of the British tribes. The walk drops steeply into the Tyne valley passing the substantial Brunton turret and arrives at the small village of Chollerford with its beautiful bridge. If you have time there is a 25 minute each way walk to the remains of the Roman bridge in a beautiful shady setting. Accommodation: The George Hotel is situated close to Hadrian’s Wall route and the Tyne. This hotel is an ideal spot for walkers to relax.

Meals:  B

The route follows beside the road as far as Fozy Moss, where the road veers off the wall as it reaches the crags of the Whin Sill Escarpment at Limestone Corner where you can see where the stone masons gave up cutting stone as the sill dolerite was too hard! This stage of Hadrian's Wall roller coasters to Housesteads, with its famed fort and National Trust Museum. There are excellent views over the “Northward Tynescape” to the Bellingham and Simonside Hills. You now follow arguably the most scenic section of the trip; over Highshield Crags and then down via Peel Crags to Steel Rigg. From here you can walk out, off the wall, to Once Brewed. This place they have been brewing beer for centuries, and it may have got its other name Twice Brewed, from having to re ferment a batch of beer to make it stronger. Accommodation: Twice Brewed Inn is situated a km from the Wall. The Inn is a firm favourite with our clients.

Meals:  B

After breakfast, enjoy a relaxed start to the day as your guide will lead a short optional scenic morning walk via the Stanegate Roman road to Vindolanda. On the way look out for the remains of a Roman milepost. This is a remarkable Roman frontier fort and settlement where archaeologists are still unearthing new discoveries to this day. This award-winning museum offers a rare glimpse into life on the edge of the Roman Empire and is well worth exploring at length. Alternatively, you may want to make use of the local AD122 bus service to visit nearby sites such as Housesteads Roman Fort, Chesters Fort, or the Roman Army Museum. Alternatively, stay local to rest your legs or stroll over to The Sill, the UK’s National Landscape Discovery Centre, with its immersive exhibits and rooftop views across Northumberland National Park. As night falls, you’ll have a special stargazing experience. This area of Northumberland lies within Europe’s largest Dark Sky Park, and with expert guidance and telescopes on hand, you'll have the chance to spot constellations, planets, and maybe even the Milky Way. A fitting end to a day that blends ancient history with the wonder of the cosmos. if the weather is bad then time is spent in the site's planetarium with a 360 degree immersive dome Accommodation: Your second night is spent at Twice Brewed Inn.

Meals:  B

The wall climbs to its highest point over Windshields Crags, before descending to the delightfully named Bogle Hole. Then down steps through Thorny Doors and up Cawfields Crags with excellent views onto the Pennines. The way passes by Great Chesters and Magnis (Roman forts), passing Greenhead, the ruin of medieval Thirlwall castle and in another mile or so crosses the Cumbria / Northumberland border on the River Irthing at Gilsand. There are interesting Roman defences to visit at Birdoswald, and eventually after a trek to Banks. From here there are few signs of Hadrian's Wall remaining so enjoy the last significant portion maintained by English Heritage at Hare Hill. You will be transferred to Carlisle from Banks, but if you are going well you might continue another 3 miles into Walton . it is a small village with an interesting church in the centre beside the village green. This is a long day tiring day, make sure you have enough snacks! We now miss out the relatively bland walking section into Calrlisle. Accommodation: Your accommodation tonight is the Crown and Mitre Hotel. An Edwardian hotel with quite old fashioned rooms. It has a small pool and a nice bar and restaurant that has a relaxed atmosphere. US President Woodrow Wilson and his wife, Edith, stayed here in 1918.

Meals:  B

The final walk from Carlisle follows at first the southern side of the River Eden. The trail follows the Eden once again, more or less parallel with the line of the Wall and Vallum, through Grinsdale and Beaumont where you at last veer away from the Eden. You get good views from just north of the village to the peaks of Skiddaw and High Pike to the south and across the Solway Firth to the West. Through Burgh by Sands, near where Edward I died in 1307. In the vicinity of Dykesfield House, the trail joins an old railway embankment for a couple of miles before rejoining the line of “The Wall” near Glasson. From here the route follows the minor road to Bowness on Solway, the site of the Roman fort of Maia and our journey’s end. There is a small museum and cafe as well as the pub and a small Portico by the sea where the route officially ends. Accommodation: We use the attractive B&Bs in the village, the group may be split between the accommodations.

Meals:  B

Trip concludes after breakfast. Take the morning bus or order a taxi to Carlisle which has good mainline train connections with the rest of the UK.

Meals:  B