Hadrian’s Wall Walk: 15 Essential Tips To Know Before You Set Off

Are you a history nerd, a Hadrian fanboy, and a hiking enthusiast? If so, Hadrian’s Wall Walk might just be the adventure you’re looking for.

Hadrian’s Wall Path is a long-distance, multi-day walking trail stretching 84 miles from Wallsend in Northeast England to Bowness-on-Solway in the Northwest. It became England’s 15th national walking trail in 2003, but its history stretches back approx. 2000 years earlier to 122AD. Roman Emperor Hadrian built the wall to separate the part of the land they controlled (most of England) from the part they didn’t (a bit of present-day England and all of Scotland).

Today, only 10% of the wall remains. But as you walk along Hadrian’s Wall Path, you’ll also walk through tiny Roman villages, plenty of fields, and past many Roman ruins and forts.

I walked in September 2021 with a pal and we mainly stayed in B&Bs with only a handful of exceptions. We had an amazing experience and hopefully, you will, too. I did a lot of research before embarking on this adventure, both online and offline, so this list of essential Hadrian’s Wall tips mostly includes information and advice I didn’t know (or couldn’t find) before I set off.

As I said, hiking Hadrian’s Wall was an amazing experience but I want yours to be even better because you’ll be armed with this info!

Hadrian’s Wall Walk Essential Tips

1. Buy This Guidebook and Read It Cover To Cover

I’ve only completed the Hadrian’s Wall hike once. I’m far from an expert and can only speak from my own experience. That’s why I wholeheartedly recommend buying the Trailblazer Hadrian’s Wall Path guidebook and reading every single page. Its author, Henry Stedman, has walked Hadrian’s Wall dozens of times and he offers advice on how long it will take you to walk the trail, where to stay, things to do, and how much to budget.

He even includes hand-drawn maps of every single stage of the Hadrian’s Wall route in this guidebook. It is the Hadrian’s Wall bible and the only guidebook you will need. Don’t forget to take it on the walk with you!

2. And While You’re at it, Buy Hadrian’s Wall Passports Too

If you’ve walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain or know anything about it, you will be aware that every pilgrim/walker carries a passport. Pilgrims get their passports stamped along the route and it provides evidence that they’ve completed the walk so that when they reach Santiago de Compostela, they can get a certificate.

Hadrian’s Wall hike has passports too. They’re a little less special and not as necessary, but I loved the novelty. Plus, the £5 you spend buying the passports goes towards the maintenance of Hadrian’s Wall. There are six stamping stations along the way, with one at the beginning and one at the end of the trail.

You can buy your passport (along with other Hadrian’s Wall trail memorabilia) from The Trail Gift Shop before you go.

3. Don’t Miss the Museums and Roman Forts on Hadrian’s Wall Walk

As we walked along Hadrian’s Wall, we realised that other people weren’t visiting any of the museums and forts on Hadrian’s Wall. This seemed like a real shame and a missed opportunity because the forts and museums are literally right there. And they’re bloody cool. Like, there’s a Roman bathroom over there that had underfloor heating for crying out loud!

We visited Chesters Roman Fort in Chollerford, Housesteads Roman Fort near Hexham, Birdoswald Roman Fort in Gisland, and Carlisle Castle in Carlisle.

Carlisle Castle is obviously not a roman structure, but it is an English Heritage site. In fact, most of the forts and museums are English Heritage. To save us headaches (and hopefully money in the long run!), we bought annual memberships for £64. Considering most of the sites and Roman Forts on Hadrian’s Wall were around £12 to enter, you won’t have to visit many sites to make your money back.

Buying English Heritage memberships also offers another benefit. Because we walked during the COVID-19 pandemic, most sites recommended booking time slots to visit. Obviously, since we were walking Hadrian’s Wall path, this would be impossible to plan. But because we were walkers and had memberships, we found that staff members were very happy to let us in at any time (even right before closing!). I’m sure in peak seasons it’s a bit different, but that was our experience.

You could also visit Segedunum Roman Fort & Hadrian’s Wall Museum in Wallsend and Vindolanda Fort in Hexham. Sadly, we just didn’t have time to hang around at the start of our walk and no time at all to make the detour to Vindolanda because it’s 30-minutes off the wall.

4. Should You Walk West or East? There are Pros and Cons to Both

Oh, boy. This is the big conundrum all walkers have. Should you start walking in Bowness-on-Solway and head east or start walking in Wallsend and head west?

For background, the Roman milecastles (which are numbered 1-80) start at Wallsend. So, walking west is the “traditional” direction of the Hadrian’s Wall walk and this is the direction we chose. But many, including the author of the guidebook, Henry Stedman, prefer walking east.

The main advantage to walking east is the wind direction. The winds in this part of England generally blow from west to east. So, if you’re walking Hadrian’s Wall Path in the shoulder season (April or October), you’re far more likely to get windy and rainy weather. You don’t want that blowing in your face and fighting against you.

Totally understandable!

But when you’re walking during the summer months (or a September heatwave, like we did), the wind blowing in your face is a blessing. And we much preferred getting the ugly city part of the trail out of the way first so we could finish the walk on the beautiful Solway Firth coastline.

You need to weigh up the pros and cons for yourself but I ask you this: does it really matter?

5. Book Accommodation as Far in Advance as Possible

I met my walking buddy less than three months before we tackled Hadrian’s Wall Path together, so I only booked our accommodation around two months beforehand.

Do I recommend booking accommodation way further in advance? Abso-effing-lutely. Book as far in advance as possible. Honestly, six to seven months is ideal to give yourself the most choice.

Because despite the popularity of the trail (7,000 people walk the entire path every year), it’s very seasonal. There are campsites, hotels, and B&Bs dotted along the entire stretch of Hadrian’s Wall but not many. While I loved all of our accommodation, I had to book two places around 30 minutes walk from the trail and you do NOT want to do that. Even tacking on 15-minutes can seem like a lifetime when you’ve already walked for six hours.

Read next: Hadrian’s Wall Accommodation Guide: B&Bs, Bunkhouses, and Campsites

6. Don’t Worry Too Much About Getting Fit for Hadrian’s Wall Walk

This is really hard to judge because everyone has varying levels of fitness and experience. Personally, I am a 28-year-old able woman with no chronic pain or previous injuries. My only consistent form of exercise is walking the 3-mile loop around my nearest coastline every day.

Most of the people we saw walking Hadrian’s Wall were over 40, easily. In fact, two women who can’t have been 10 years older than my walking pal and I called us “youngsters.” A father and son duo from Texas we bumped into looked like they were in their 70s and 50s. And a woman who returned our passports to us after I dropped them looked like she was in her late 40s.

The first day and the last two days (walking west) aren’t very exerting at all because there aren’t a lot of inclines. But the middle three days do involve walking up and down a fair few small hills and a bit of scrambling. So yes, it’s challenging, but not impossible for most.

I’ve read other blogs by people (fitter than me) who recommend walking tons of 14-mile practice walks. And while this is obviously beneficial, it’s unnecessary. I walked two 5/6 mile practice walks to test my gear and that’s it. Don’t psych yourself out of walking because you’re likely very capable.

7. But Having the Right, Well-Fitting Gear Will Make All the Difference

It isn’t your fitness level that will make you drop out of finishing Hadrian’s Wall walk. If anything, your gear or hiking boots will be your downfall.

I won’t ramble on too long about gear because I’ve written an entire Hadrian’s Wall packing post where I recommend gear, clothes, and brands. I’ve also included how much weight you should carry and advice for all seasons, too.

Most of my gear was brand new including my backpack and my hiking boots. I wore my hiking boots on dozens of morning walks and I still got blisters (I think it was my thick socks). But my backpack fit perfectly and didn’t cause me any issues, thank goodness.

It’s difficult to walk 14-miles every day as it is, don’t make it harder by being in pain while you do it!

Read next: Hadrian’s Wall Path Packing List for Women

8. Leave Your Camera at Home, But Get a Good Smartphone

This was hard for me because I love taking photos on my Canon M50 and editing them afterwards. But it’s a bulky camera and an expensive bit of gear to jerk around in my backpack.

In the end, I’m pleased I only took my smartphone and you should do the same. I have a Google Pixel 5, so the quality of the photos is still pretty great.

9. Eat Big Breakfasts and Dinners But Pack Lots of Snacks

As well as a lack of accommodation options by the Wall, there also aren’t a lot of infrastructures in general, including food. Whereas one leg of the journey might provide three pubs, the next might have no pubs or cafes at all. There’s no consistency. And you won’t see any supermarkets between Newcastle and Carlisle, either.

So, the best way to ensure you have enough food to sustain you is to book BnBs with pubs as your accommodation. Eat a large fry-up every morning (yes, you’ll be sick of them by the end of the week!) and a pub dinner when you get back. Some pubs prepare lunches for walkers and even though they are wildly overpriced, they might be worth it for the convenience.

For snacks, stock up on lots of healthy but calorific snacks to see you through to the next city before you set off. That means lots of cereal bars, protein bars, dried fruit, jerky, and even cheese.

10. Bring Enough Water Bottles to Carry Your Daily Water Supply

Like food, some legs on the trail might offer you tons of places to fill up your water bottles and some won’t have any. So, have enough water bottles and bladders to fill up your entire day’s supply of water before you leave your accommodation.

I had a 2L water bladder and a 750ml water bottle and it was the perfect set-up for me. Even during a heatwave!

11. Yes, You Will Have to Pee in Nature’s Bathroom

Funnily enough, Henry Stedman’s book doesn’t really mention going to the bathroom on the Wall. Considering you have to do it multiple times a day, it seems like a silly thing to not include.

As with food and water, there are not many public bathrooms on the trail. At least, not on every leg. It’s inevitable that you will have to pee behind a bush at some point. Just warning you.

The trail can be quite “open” at times, which means you’re walking through empty fields and not through thick woodland. So when you are walking through a dense, built-up spot and there’s no one else around, make the most of it. And make the most of those public bathrooms when you see them, too.

12. Stop for a Pint in a Pub Whenever You Pass One

Drinking in pubs along the Hadrian’s Wall Walk was my second favourite thing about the whole trip. There really is nothing like a pint after a few hours of sweaty walking, is there?

Even if you think you don’t have time for a quick one, trust me, you do. My favourite pubs were The Keelman & Big Lamp Brewery in Newburn, Robin Hood Inn in East Wallhouses, and Twice Brewed Inn & Brewery in Once Brewed. Greyhound Inn in Burgh by Sands is a nice one if you can sit outside.

A few of the pubs sold beer by Hadrian Border Brewery and Twice Brewed Brewery name their beers after Roman emperors and landmarks on Hadrian’s Wall. Just a nice touch, you know?

13. Always Close the Gates and Be Mindful of Cows

I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in Cumbria but apparently, there are people that don’t understand that you need to close gates after you’ve opened them. Animals can cause havoc if they go through gates that they shouldn’t. And part of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk is so close to the Military Road, they could cause serious traffic collisions.

Plus, you have to walk through a lot of fields with cows in them. We even walked past bulls. Cows are particularly wary of people if there are calves about so do your best to walk around them if possible. But sheep? Some will get scared and run away and some won’t give a sh*t. Don’t worry about sheep.

14. Download the AllTrails App (The Paid Version)

This is one Hadrian’s Wall Path tip I really wished I’d known before walking for two reasons. First, you cannot trust Google Map’s estimations of how long you have left to walk that day, in time or in miles. It doesn’t recognize the trail so it will provide zero help.

Second, while the acorn signposts are 99% spot-on (acorns mark the way for national trails) they are not 100% foolproof. We accidentally found ourselves walking the Pennine Way twice, though we realised pretty quickly because we had the free version of the AllTrails App to follow.

But had I paid a measly £2.50 to get the paid version, I could have worked out exactly how many miles we had left to walk and how much time it would take us. We all know that walking three miles takes approximately one hour to walk. But with hills and rough terrain along the way, it’s good to know exactly what pace you’re keeping.

15. Find a Hiking Pal for Your Hadrian’s Wall Walk Adventure

I am a firm believer that doing something alone is better than not doing it at all. If you always wait for other people to join you on your adventures, you might be waiting forever. When Ben asked me about my plans for the rest of the year when we serendipitously reconnected in an Inverness hostel back in July, I told him I wanted to walk the Hadrian’s Wall Path. I didn’t know he also really wanted to walk the Wall Path, and I was planning on walking alone.

I would have still had an amazing time.

But unlike other popular, longer trails like the Camino de Santiago, there are very few solo hikers on the Hadrian’s Wall Path, and most tackle it in pairs. You also don’t mingle that much with other walkers (which is a shame) so there aren’t as many opportunities to make friends. It was nice to have someone to chat to at night and take the burden of making some of the decisions.

So, find a pal to walk with if you can. But if you can’t, do not let that stop you. Bring another book, download some podcasts, and enjoy your own company.

And those are all my top Hadrian’s Wall Walk tips to prepare you for your trip and to make it even better! Are you planning on walking the Hadrian’s Wall Path or have you already completed it? Let me know in the comments below!

Read next: Hadrian’s Wall Accommodation Guide: BnBs, Bunkhouses and Campsites