Walking & Cycling Information

Hadrian's Wall Country is a walker's paradise! The scenery is stunning and immensely varied, there are routes for all abilities and the history, sights and facilities on the way are superb.

Follow in the footsteps of the Roman patrols alongside the famous Wall using the Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail. The 84 mile (135km) Trail provides a continuous path from Wallsend on the River Tyne to Bowness on Solway in Cumbria. The Trail provides access to some of the best sections of the Wall remains, whilst taking advantage of the rich variety of public paths that already exist. The National Trail website provides a massive amount of information for all Trail walkers.

However, if hardy long distance walking is not quite your thing - then there are many more walks, well over 100, to help you explore all aspects of the World Heritage Site. You can explore the city centres of Carlisle or Newcastle and Gateshead; discover the industrial heritage, historic sites, churches and castles. In the countryside there are delightful walks that help you discover Northumberland National Park or further west find forts, ports and nature reserves. Many of the shorter walks take in a pub or a tearoom so that you can break up your activity with a good lunch or delicious home baked cake!

To ensure that Hadrian's Wall remains as well preserved for our future generations, it is important for walkers and visitors to understand how they can help to protect this historic monument. Please read the World Heritage Site's own code of conduct "Every Footstep Counts" for more details.

Cycling Information

If bicycles had been invented centuries before, then surely the clever Romans would have made good use of them for moving between the widely spread forts, milecastles, turrets, towns and villages that made up this northern frontier of the Roman Empire.

Now its not only Roman sites that are there for you to discover by bicycle, but a diverse range of other historic and modern attractions all set amidst some of Britain's most stunning and varied natural scenery. To pedal through this landscape in a leisurely but active way makes the experience all the more memorable.  Hadrian's Cycleway is a new long distance National Cycle Network Route (72) opened in July 2006.  For more details visit the following website, www.cycle-routes.org/hadrianscycleway.

(Cycle maps have been reproduced under licence from Ordance Survey number 100044728)