Hadrian's Wall 2011
Looking Back
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this walk. We were all upset and disappointed that Jess’s injury prevented her from finishing the trail, but at least she got to see most of the best bits. Her ankle has taken some time to heal, but she has been able to return to doing long walks. I would strongly recommend anyone doing this walk do so in proper walking boots with good ankle support as the trail can become dangerously slippery.
If I were to do it again, I think I would only change the itinerary slightly. I think I would stop the 7th day at Walton, making it a few miles shorter, and lengthen the 8th day making it Walton to Boustead Hill. This would allow for some time to take in either Birdoswald Fort or Lanercost Priory. If we had the option of extending the trip another day, I would have done a diversion to Corbridge to check out the fort there.
One of the best things about this trail is that it is so much more than a long walk. The sites are really well done and offer insight into life on the Wall during Roman times and later. It’s worth taking in as many as possible. If you do plan to visit a number of the sites, it might be to your advantage to get an English Heritage membership - it gets you in to Corbridge, Chesters, Housesteads, Birdoswald and Lanercost Priory.
To finish, I’d like to thank my husband for his support of my making a hobby out of walking and Stuart at Walkingplaces for the great website on which to tell you all about it.
Happy Walking.