We will be in Newcastle in late July...hoping to see some of Hadrian's (without having a car)...any suggestions about the best part to see & how to see it (tours, public transportation)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated...cheers!
Contact Peter Carney. Truly fabulous Hadrian’s Wall Guide. We took train from Newcastle out to a stop nearer the wall. He picked us up, tailored the tour to our interests and we had an incredible day.
There are various tours as well as the AD122 bus. I'm not really a guided tour person and the AD122 bus schedule wasn't convenient for me, so I ended up taking the train to Bardon Mill and walking from there. It was a lot of walking and I only recommend it for people who are used to hiking and long walks. The best part to see is generally considered to be the section around Housesteads Roman Fort and walking slightly west through Sycamore Gap and over to the Twice Brewed Inn. Not technically part of the wall but try not to miss Vindolanda as well.
By public transport, you'll need to take a bus or the train to Hexham or Haltwhistle then get the AD122 bus that goes to the Wall
From Haltwhistle, there is a lovely walk up Haltwhistle Burn to the Roman Wall at Cawfield Crags.
Map here. Depending on the size of magnification, the footpath along the burn is either marked as a red dotted line or gree(highest magnification). The side of each square represents Ikm.
From Cawfirelds picnic site follow the footpath round the lake and through a gate to reach the wall and a mile castle. There is a lovely walk east to the next road junction at Shield on the wall. There are 360
views. Return tbe same way.
Use the AD 122 bus to reach places like Housesteads. `
I’m sitting at Housesteads and wishing I had arranged a tour. The trip from Alnwick was a nightmare which ended in us missing a train because a bus was late, a quick march through Newcastle from the bus station to the train station, getting in the He ham train at the last minute and getting an Uber to The Sill.
We did walk up to the Sycamore Gap last night with a just risen full moon which was spectacular. The walk along the wall was quite enjoyable. Getting left in the dust by a couple of pensioners was not. I believe they were former Olympians!
It’s not really very far from Alnwick to the Sill but any journey on public transport from one rural location to another is going to be long and convoluted because every bus and train route is designed to take passengers from the rural area to the nearest town or city.
Luckily there are lots of trains to Hexham so it doesn’t really matter if you miss one. I hope you get over your journey and enjoy the beauty and history of the area.
The much faster route from Alnwick to Newcastle is actually to bus or taxi to Alnmouth Station then the high speed rail dash from Alnmouth to Newcastle, especially if connecting on to Hexham by train.
Arriving by bus into Newcastle from Alnwick you can also catch the Tyne and Wear Metro from the adjacent Haymarket station to Central Station- far preferable to the walk across the City.
Or connect into the half hourly bus 10 to Hexham from the next door Eldon Square Bus Station- a high spec double deck bus route.
The bus we took was the fastest option. The bus to Alnmouth didn’t show.
Getting out of The Sill was another nightmare. The Hadrian's Wall bus didn't coincide with any trains. I should have gone to Carlisle and then London but had Newcastle on my mind. It all worked out because we scored some sneakers we had been combing the internet for.
All to say, I wish I had bit the bullet and rented a car for our Edinburgh to Alnwick to The Sill portion. A lot of time spent on public transport for 1-2 hour drives. Not wasted because I quite enjoyed being able to watch the scenery instead of white knuckling down country roads.
All to say, I wish I had bit the bullet and rented a car for our Edinburgh to Alnwick to The Sill portion. A lot of time spent on public transport for 1-2 hour drives. Not wasted because I quite enjoyed being able to watch the scenery instead of white knuckling down country roads.
As someone who recently spend 6 days in Northumberland (Seahorses and Haltwhistle) with a rental car, I can safely say that driving in that area is stress-free and quite nice. The scenery is lovely, the roads are good, and it makes it so easy to get to the various sites.