England from Coast to Coast: Hadrian’s Wall

Notice: This web page is designed so that you can only put yourself on the waiting list. Once I verify that you satisfy the registration requirements I will move you to the list of participants. See registration requirements below.

Hadrian’s Wall Path was opened in 2002 and proved an immediate success with walkers from both the UK and abroad. The route follows the line of Hadrian’s Wall which was constructed by Roman emperor Hadrianus between AD120 and AD128 to protect the northern extreme of the Roman Empire.

The path crosses the country from coast to coast – from Wallsend, near Newcastle, through the rolling border countryside of Northumberland, continuing on to the historic city of Carlisle and finally to the flat plains of the Solway Coast. At every mile along the Wall there is a milecastle with two watchtowers in-between. Although parts of the wall have been plundered for local houses, the central section is very well preserved, as are the various forts and milecastles on the way. For more information have a look at https://www.mickledore.co.uk/walking-holidays/hadrians-wall/

The following is a bare bones description of the hike. For details see https://www.mickledore.co.uk/walking-holiday/wallsend-to-bowness-in-7-days-walking/

Day 1 (Saturday, June 15). Travel to Tynemouth for our first night's accommodation

Day 2. (Sunday, June 16). Metro rail to Wallsend then walk to Newburn (11 miles).

Day 3 (Monday, June 17). Newburn to Corbridge (14 miles).

Day 4. (Tuesday, June 18). Corbridge to Humshaugh (6 miles).

Day 5. (Wednesday, June 19). Humshaugh to Twice Brewed (13 miles).

Day 6. (Thursday, June 20). Twice Brewed to Banks/Lanercost (15 miles).

Day 7. (Friday, June 21). Banks/ Lanercost to Carlisle (14 miles).

Day 8. (Saturday, June 22). Carlisle to Bowness on Solway (16 miles)

Day 9. (Sunday, June 23). Depart from Bowness on Solway after breakfast 

By Air: Newcastle International Airport (NCL) has its own Metro station (you will need some change for the ticket machine) the journey time from the airport to Newcastle Central Station is around 20 minutes, change at Monument for Tynemouth.
By Public Transport: take the East Coast Main Line to Newcastle. From Newcastle Central Station take the Metro to Tynemouth (you will need some change for the ticket machine), then follow the instructions on the accommodation map in your holiday pack.
By Road: From The South, head north through the Tyne Tunnel (A19) follow the A19 up to the A1058 coast road, head towards Tynemouth. From Newcastle, head towards the coast on the Coast Road (A1058).
To get to the start of the route at Wallsend to begin your walk:
Take the metro from Tynemouth to Wallsend (approx 7 min). Exit the station and follow Station Road to Buddle Street where you will find Segedunum Museum.

Returning from Bowness on Solway:
Take the bus from Bowness on Solway to Carlisle (approx 45 min) there is a bus at 07:34 and 10:12. There is a train station at Carlisle for onwards travel.

To view train times please visit qjump where you can also purchase tickets in advance. For information on bus timetables please visit traveline

After booking, the tour operator offers a 15% discount code for use at Cotswold Outdoors. This can be used in stores or online at www.cotswoldoutdoor.com.

Registration Requirements.
TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT:
1. You must be an AOC Trip Leader or an active AOC member recommended by an AOC trip leader. This requirement is in place to verify that you have the necessary level of fitness and, most important, that you are a sociable person that will get along with the rest of the group and will not engage in disruptive behavior. This event is intended for bona fide AOC members and not for persons that join the club just to participate in this event. If you are not a Trip Leader, it is your responsibility to find a Trip Leader that will send me a recommendation on your behalf. Please put yourself on the waiting list. As soon as registration opens I will check whether you qualify, and, if you do, will move you to the list of participants, provided the maximum number of participants has not been reached.  (I will go through the list of participants in the order they are listed on the waiting list). If you do not qualify you will remain on the waiting list until you do, or the maximum number of participants has been reached. 

 2. After I move you to the list of participants please send me your deposit by PayPal to zalikri@gmail.com. If I don't receive your deposit by February 10 I will move you back to the waiting list.

WEATHER: We may be lucky enough to encounter warm, dry weather over the whole route and enjoy dry paths and tremendous views, but we must be prepared because the weather can change quickly. Remember we may be spending time on higher ground, where it will be colder than in the valleys. Good clothing and waterproofs are essential!

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORTATION: Cell phone service in this area may be spotty. Although I will carry a satellite phone, satellite signal is not guaranteed either. If for any reason you cannot walk on a given day transportation may be available to transport you to your next destination at additional cost, but this service is not guaranteed.

DISCLAIMER: The Trip Leader for this event has elected either to personally collect the funds that event participants are required to pay, or to require participants to pay funds directly to a third party. No funds will be paid to the Atlanta Outdoor Club for this event, except for the $25.00 user fee. Therefore, by registering for this event, you acknowledge and agree to the following: (1) the monies paid by registrants will not be monitored, managed, or otherwise accounted for by the Atlanta Outdoor Club; (2) that the Atlanta Outdoor Club bears no financial responsibility for this event; and (3) you waive any and all claims against the Atlanta Outdoor Club, and hold the Atlanta Outdoor Club harmless for the loss of any monies you paid for this event.

Accomodations for seven nights in a shared room, English or Continental breakfast included, in either hotels, farmhouses, village inns, guest houses or family B&B's.

Luggage transfer between overnight stops. We leave our luggage at our lodging in the morning and we pick it up at our next lodging upon arrival. We only carry a small pack with the day's necessities.This service is limited to one bag per person, with a weight limit of 20 kg or 44 lbs.

Packed lunches will be provided for each day's walking, since there will not always be a handy shop or cafe on the route. No packed lunches will be provided on the days where we will be visiting distilleries.

A nonrefundable $25.00 AOC user fee.

Cost does NOT include anything not explicitly mentioned above, in particular:

Meals, except for seven breakfasts and seven packed lunches. In particular, our evening meals are not included in the package, but we will have full details and recommendations for each evening meal in our itinerary. We will normally be within walking distance of a pub and/or restaurant; or, where there is good food available at the accommodation, the service provider will book that for us. Allow about 20 pounds per night (without drinks).

Airfare to and from the United Kingdom and local transportation in the United Kingdom, including transportation to/from the starting and end points of the event.

Schedule and method of Payment:  The trip leader must receive a deposit of $230.00 by 2/10/19. The balance must be received by the Trip Leader no later than 4/15/19. Please send your payments by PayPal to zalikri@gmail.com.  Your registration is not complete, and your participation in the event is not ensured, until your deposit is received.

Important: The exchange rate right now is approximately 1.27 USD to 1 GBP. As a buffer against exchange rate fluctuations and to account for credit card fees, the cost of this event has been estimated based on a rate of exchange of $1.40 USD to 1 GBP. Any surplus of at least 10 USD per person will be returned to the participants, otherwise it will be transferred to AOC.

The cost of this event has been estimated using the worst possible case scenario, which would be when there are seven participants and two single rooms are necessary (which could happen if two persons of opposite sex are unwilling to share a room), thus incurring aditional expenses. 

In the event of cancellation, any money that has not been sent to the service provider will be refunded in full (except for the AOC user fee) but once it has been transferred no refund is possible. However if there is another person on the waiting list that is qualified to participate in the event, and the person you were supposed to share a room with does not object, you may switch with her or him. The Trip Leader will not be involved in your private financial arrangements.