I have always wanted to walk Hadrian`s wall but the thought of walking 87miles always seemed quite daunting. Both my Husband and myself enjoy walking but have always gone on manageable walks, whether it be locally or across to the lakes, almost pretending that we were in the same league as hard core Ramblers. However when we looked into walking Hadrian`s Wall a bit further, we realised that we could do this in stages and return at a later date to finish the walk. So, we decided to walk three legs of the journey: Wallsend to Heddon on the Wall, then on day two, to walk to Wall, then day three, to Steel Rigg. How hard could it be?!?!
As we had to get the train to Newcastle we decided to just walk from there to Heddon on the wall. Yes it was cutting out approximately 4 miles but was easier for us and we could walk that stretch on another day. We walked from the Train Station down to the Quayside where we found our first Acorn.
Yes, it was actually that easy. It was like dot to dot, you just follow the Acorns. Unfortunately it was raining and I shortly realised that my old, trusty, supposedly waterproof walking shoes were letting water in and my feet were drenched. Did it really matter? It`s only water, Right?! Yes, it most definitely did matter, my feet had that, "been in the bath too long" look. What was I to do? Well, just call me..... Girl Guide of the century. I utilised those small nylon bags that carried my waterproof jacket and trousers and put them over my socks. I felt so proud, convincing myself that this is exactly what Bear Grylls would have done in the wilderness. I have to inform you at this point that we were only one mile into our walk and still in Newcastle.
Walking along the river Tyne we saw areas of Newcastle that we never knew existed. Every so often there were placards to read with interesting, historical facts about the area`s industry. Evidence that this area had a vast history of international Ship building.
How fantastic, a history lesson en route! Once over the A1 the scenery and sounds changed, swapping the sounds of engines for the tweeting of birds.
Even in the rain it was perfect. The sense of freedom is my favourite thing, no dancing to anyone else`s tune. Well, not for a few days anyway.
A little further on and we had another issue, my Husband stated that he thought that one of his boots were rubbing on his heel. I suppose they were relatively new boots but was certain that he had worn them in adequately before our walk. Obviously not! Well........... this just exposed us as the Rookies we were. Christ! He was starting to limp! I had stupidly not packed any dressings of any description, thinking that we would travel as light as possible. How heavy would these have been? Really?!?! We stopped at a village called Newburn to see if we could buy something to dress his heel. Finding probably the only pharmacy on that stretch of the walk, it broke my heart to pay extortionate money for one small dressing. I have already mentioned in a previous blog that I work as a Nurse, consequently seeing many different wounds on a daily basis but there is something quite stomach churning to treat a family member with a wound. Never the less, I got it into perspective, it was only a scraped heel, it was dressed, he said it felt much better and we went on our merry way.
I really enjoyed this walk. You seem to forget that you are still relatively close to Newcastle but are walking through the ever changing scenery of woods, fields and parks. Just heaven! I like walking with a purpose to get to a certain destination, it seems more of an adventure and a challenge. We arrived earlier than expected at Heddon on the Wall and what a pretty village this was. We headed straight for one of the two pubs - "The three Tuns". We were greeted by a very friendly and welcoming lady. Wasn`t quite sure if she was the land lady or not but you can tell when a person genuinely likes people and she certainly seemed to, as nothing was too much trouble. After a day of constant rain, the food and drink that were served was a delight. Just what was needed and before we left, directions were provided on the quickest route to our 1st night accommodation.
Hadrians Barn was just perfect from arriving to leaving.
The very accommodating owner, Lesley, lived in the adjacent cottage and we were taken to what appeared to be a purpose built detached cabin, decorated in a very tasteful french style, comprising of; a large living room/diner, a bedroom with twin beds and a shower room all set in beautiful timeless gardens.
I pictured myself sitting outside with a glass of wine enjoying this garden but the rain continued.
Breakfast was in the fridge and we had decided to accept the offer of an evening meal at £12.50 per head.
What a quality stay; a night of Netflix, Scrabble and the delivery of our lovely tasty evening meal by Lesley at our requested time. The rain actually made it more cosy, pit pattering on the velux windows. Relaxation at its best. We felt that it had been more of an experience rather than a quick hotel stay.
The next day it was NOT raining! YEY!!! But it was forecast therefore I donned the waterproofs once more, had the ingenious idea of lining my shoes with bin liners and I was ready for the day. We visited the Garage to get supplies for our walk. Sandwiches, Crisps, and water and of course a supply of small dressings for my Husband`s Heel which was still causing him some pain.
Day two`s walk was longer and I can honestly say that it was not as interesting as the day before. You literally pass through fields and woods parallel to the Military road.
Our day felt like it consisted of field, stile, field, stile, ANOTHER field, ANOTHER stile. Mmmmmm. This did seem worsened by the fact that my Husband was walking slower and slower because of his sores, now on both feet. We stopped at this nature reserve to check these over. Oh God! He now had a blister on the other heel and three of his toes, consequently I used most of the plasters we had bought. Oh poor thing! There are not many places to stop along this route for refreshment, but arrived very thankfully, at a pub called Robin Hood Inn. We both sat for a while, enjoying a pint of lager. Maybe my Husband should have ordered a couple of whiskeys to numb the pain. We thought at that point we must have about nine mile to walk to our next destination, a little village called Wall. We both felt ok and continued through more fields, over more stiles, meandering through areas of woodland. I noticed that my Husband was severely limping. I found myself surging on, at times way ahead of my Husband and feeling a little sadistic when having a chuckle to myself, thinking, "if only my Daughter could see the state of the two of us now", me with my bin bags and my Husband looking almost crippled.
Well we did eventually arrive at our day two destination, Hadrians Hotel in Wall. Our room was on the top floor in the attic rooms. I thought I would have to push my Husband up the stairs as his walking had significantly deteriorated and he was now complaining of painful knees. I feel that he must have been compensating, attempting to relieve pressure from his feet. Our room, obviously newly decorated, (although a little bland) had everything that you would need in a room. On arrival the room was very cold and damp as it was raining outside and both Velux windows were open. The heating was not on and I was very cold. Therefore I thought that I would have a shower to warm myself up. Yes, this was doing the trick! Oh, to have a hot shower when you are cold through is just bliss. I then heard what sounded like a siren. OMG what was it!!!!! I would have to get out of the Shower QUICK! We thought it was the fire alarm therefore I put on my trousers in a state of panic. My Husband said that he would go and check it out. "Don`t forget i`m here if there is a fire" I said to him. He came back soon after and informed me, (still standing in just my now, soaking wet trousers) that I had caused the fire alarm to go off, as I had left the door of the bathroom open and the steam had set off the alarm. OMG you could not write this! Well, I thought, this had obviously happened before as they knew what the cause had been and must be a fault in the design of the room, however, when thinking, it was probably due to the fact that the room was so cold causing an increase in steam!!!!! Who left the window open?!!!! We did laugh about if afterwards, me running around the room grabbing any item of clothing.
AT night we were ushered to a table by the fire. It was warm, cosy and just idyllic. I enjoyed the best fish and chips I have had in a long time. Interestingly on the other table there was a party of 4 ladies and a man. From what we could determine, they had walked from the west coast and were talking about their journey the next day. They were certainly seasoned walkers and obviously much older and much fitter than us. We decided that we would have to abandon the next leg of our journey and make our way home tomorrow. We were stiff as boards and when leaving the dining room heard laughter from the other table. "Do you think they were laughing at us?" I asked, amused. "They definitely were" said my Husband. Can you believe it?
Getting home was easier than I thought. A bus from outside the hotel and a train from Hexham. It certainly was a memorable trip and one we both want to continue. Till the next time Hadrian`s wall.
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