Walking the Hadrian Way / Hadrian Wall Trail - Tranche 1 / Day 3 - Corbridge - Cholleford / Chester Fort

The following morning I decided – after taking advice from the locals – that I could walk the 15-20 minutes to Port Gate. Also decided to make it more scenic by following part of a local walk (Milkway Lane) and then finishing by walking along the A68 – which unfortunately has a verge that is not for walking.  Local knowledge didn’t seem to be accurate as it took me 1.5hr to reach Port Gate, even accounting for the slow pace once I reached the A68, this was definitively more than a 15-20 minutes' walk and it was closer to 3 miles! Be warned! If I were to do it again, I would follow the local walk through small lanes and footpath back to the wall and then retrace my steps to Port Gate walking along the Wall’s path. Much safer and pleasant.

From Port Gate I picked up Hadrian Wall Path was again faced with climbs up and down the stone walls that divided the fields. These were more like ‘deer styles’ whereby you climb steps over the top of the wall and then you soon climb back down.

Three miles on (some of which in a pine wood) and I reached Oswald’s tea place. Along the route it was saying that it is closed on Mondays, fortunately being a BH Monday it was open!! Stopped for a restoring pot of tea and biscuits (they had lots of appetising things) and when I started walking again with a better spring in my step!

Three and a bit more miles and I was to reach Chollerford and Chester Fort (the end of my day's walking before returning to Newcastle (NC) for my train home).

3rd day

Towards Chollerford the signposted route went different from my guide book. I got directed first on a small narrow pretty lane, but then I was sent onto a main road and basically end up walking all the way to Chester Fort along the main road. If I’d known I would have taken the shorter and more direct route along the ‘military road’ and at least I would have saved myself time and miles. As you get to Chollerford Bridge you get the option to take a detour to see where the old roman Chester Bridge was. As I was tired I didn’t go to see it. Might do it when returning for the next tranche of 3 days walking. Certainly the actual bridge and the site are very pretty and worth seeing.

I had planned to eat at the café at Chester Fort. It turned out to be on the roundabout not connected with Chester Fort National Trust site, so decided to catch my AD122 bus to Hexham, get the train connection to NC and have a combined lunch/dinner in NC at a pizzeria I had seen when sightseeing in NC on the Saturday.

The place is called the Herb Garden and it was open at 4.30pm when I got there! Yeahhh! And what a good decision it was… see pictures and comments on Trip Advisor.  I think my 2^nd trance of walking will end up in exactly the same place before catching my train back home!!!

Walking the Hadrian Way / Hadrian Wall Trail - Tranche 1 / Day 2 - Heddon on the Wall - Corbridge

Sun 4.5.14 - Tranche 1 - day 2 – Heddon on the Wall - Port Gate (A68).
(Walked from 10.00-16.00 incl. 1hr stops)

After spending the night in Wylam, in the morning I had a very filling breakfast with all you can ask and dream of.  Had a lift from Dad Craven to Heddon on the Wall and here had my first view of the wall's remains.

Remains of Hadrian Wall at Heddon on the Wall

Not long after starting the day’s walk I crossed paths with the other guests from the B&B – they were walking West to East.  The day’s walk was really nice, with spectacular views. 

The path is very well signposted and I had a read from my guide book (Hadrian's Wall Path, Anthony Burton) here and then to make sure I missed nothing from the point of view of sightseeing. Today the path started being dotted by stonewalls which you have to climb (over steps made of stone sticking out the wall itself) sometimes hard to negotiate if you have to balance it with a backpack on your shoulders. There were also some ‘deer stiles’ as I call them. These are tall wooden steps (like step ladders) going over the stonewalls and stepping down on the other side. Again a little giggling act when negotiating them with a backpack on your back. Also slowing you down considerably in your progress.

After reaching the Robin Hood (nice to know that they also have rooms to sleep and serve food every day till 9pm!*) the path turns quite hard underfoot with some crashed stones which feel hard and pointy under the boots soles!

I crossed the reservoir, popped in the hide but there was no sign of any birds. Kept on walking and lots of fishermen on the other side of the road.  From now on the path is on the ditch of the wall. Effectively you are walking below the road level and the view is not always there. Back in the old day’s ca.1700 or before, the old roman wall (Hadrian wall) was used as a base foundation for the military road as the wall was so straight it provided a perfect path. Therefore even though you cannot really see the wall you are walking next to it, in the ditch! Here the path was rather wet and fortunately on some stretches you are walking on some flagstones which make it easier and less wet to walk. One of the benefits was that the vegetation was sheltered and provided a good habitat for what I believe being the Early-purple Orchid (see picture below and feel free to correct me if you know better). Once you emerge from the ditch the views open up again and they are fantastic. 

Early-purple Orchid

Walking on flagstones

Once you get to Maften Piers nr B6321 you walk mostly on soft ground, close to sheet and newly born lambs and you have the most spectaculars views down south towards Corbridge and Hexham.

You also get the opportunity to ‘see’ where the old wall (Vallum) was. You go by some large boulders/stones and b4/ after you see fields all knobbly that clearly are covering something larger once underneath.

Here you can see the long wide line of what once was Hadrian Wall. From Wall Houses the path is also filled with kissing gates and then later there become stone steps over the stone walls. Some are pretty steep and hard to negotiate if you are carrying a backpack and are short-ish.  They also make the walking slower and a bit harder. [I’m told after Chollerford/Chester Fort the walking really becomes harder and full of ups/downs!]. Something to look forward for the next tranche!!

I got to Port Gate and the Ellington Arms and decided I had enough of walking for the day. This was my end of day walking on the wall, but I still had to get to Corbridge. Did not fancy the walk, so after entering the pub and being advised there was no public transport on the Sunday (not sure there are any day…!) I was offered a phone and telephone number for a friendly cab company. (Barrasford Taxis - 01434 689 399 or 07760 625 488). The Taxi came and delivered me and backpack to my B&B for the night.

I will avoid talking about the B&B in Corbridge. Just avoid the Hayes (see Travel Advisor for comments and make your mind up). Retrospectively I really regretted not taking the train from Corbridge to Wylam and stay an extra night at the (Wormald House) that way I could have also left my backpack and spent the night in a lovely B&B. Never mind.