When you are thinking of holidays with your family, you need to focus on how you can spend more quality time. Planning holidays with more outdoor activities would be a fun way to bring your family together. If you are not much into adventure activities, you can choose walking holidays and find the perfect balance of being outdoors without pushing your physical limits. In this article we will highlight a great example, the Hadrian’s Wall Path in England, UK.
If you are in the UK you would want to choose from a variety of walking trails that you can choose for your holidays. Not all walking holidays would offer you the same experiences because they all cover different terrain and parts of the UK. This also means that the level of expertise and experience you need would differ. If you are relatively new to the concept of walking holidays you can choose to walk Hadrian’s Wall which is an easy to moderate trail.
Here are 9 reasons to add Hadrian’s Wall walk to your bucket list.
1. Relatively Easier
Discovering Britain by foot is a great way to spend time alone or with family. Choosing a walking trail that can help you do it is essential. Hadrian’s Wall remains one of the most popular national trails in the UK. With relatively easier terrain, you can choose to walk Hadrian’s Wall even if you have never walked any of the national trails before. With regular intervals and minor fitness, preparation is all you need to ensure that you can cover this trail without pushing your physical stamina and endurance. However, you must pack right for the walking trip. Hadrian’s Wall path is also relatively flat but it would be essential that you have the right pair of shoes that would keep you comfortable throughout the trip.
2. Well-Marked
Being one of the popular national trails, Hadrian’s Wall is well-marked to provide first-time walkers with enough directions and instructions. When you are walking Hadrian’s Wall you will find an acorn symbol throughout the path combined with an arrow marking the direction in which you need to go. The signposts are visible even in poor visibility conditions so it should not be a problem at all if you are walking this during the dry season. This also makes it a perfect walking trail for solo travellers in Britain.
3. Follows a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Probably this is one of the few national trails in the UK that run parallel to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. When you are walking this route you follow northern Europe’s largest surviving Roman monument built by Emperor Hadrianus. This wall was made between 122 A.D. and 128 A.D. to protect the Roman Empire from northern attacks. If you are someone who loves to explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK you would not want to miss this one. Many of these sites can further provide you with information which would add to the overall experience of walking this unique national trail.
4. See Historic Monuments
Right from the moment you begin this national trail, you will find plenty of historic monuments that you can explore. If you are a history buff you can explore some of the popular monuments like the Sycamore Gap, Thirwall Castle, Birdoswald Fort, Housesteads Fort, Chesters Fort, Roman Vindolanda and many others. If you are interested in a walking holiday that offers you more than an escape into the world of nature then this is the one you should choose.
5. Walk Coast to Coast
Another reason why you should have Hadrian’s Wall walk on your bucket list is because it is one of the popular national trails that run coast to coast. The path begins in Wallsend near Newcastle and ends in Bowness-on-Solway on Solway Coast. This ensures that you can cut through Northern England and explore all kinds of geographies and terrain. Since this path cuts northern England in half most people prefer to walk from east to west. This is mainly because Bownes-on-Solway is far more beautiful than Wallsend. However, if you take into consideration the weather you would want to walk from west to east along with the winds that blow the same way. Walking east to west would mean that you would be walking against the cold winds and occasional rains which is quite common in the UK even during the summer months.
6. Accommodation Choices
Considering that Hadrian’s Wall remains one of the popular national trails you can find ample accommodation along the route. This means that you can find affordable and luxurious hotels and bed and breakfast properties that would allow you to settle in for the night and also provide you with exceptional meals. Finding good accommodation would ensure that you can have a great breakfast for that perfect start to the day. Horsley is one of the main towns where you can find a variety of cafes, restaurants and accommodations which would ensure a pleasant stay before you continue your walk ahead.
7. Meet People
If you are someone who loves to connect with people you can choose Hadrian’s Wall trail. When you walk this trail you will come across many local establishments, cafes, restaurants, and bed and breakfast accommodations where you will have the opportunity to interact with the locals. This can be an insightful experience as they can share their knowledge and stories that you can carry along with you on your journey forward.
8. Natural Landscape
If you are a nature person walking Hadrian’s Wall must be on your list. When you begin walking Wallsend might not be the most beautiful scenery you would see but halfway through the journey the landscape changes dramatically offering you stunning views of the Northumberland countryside. This is where the landscape is dotted with moors, forts, mountains and hills. As you proceed from east to west you come across the beautiful plains of the Solway Coast. This is also a great place for those who want to explore the local flora and fauna. In this part of the journey, you also get to view a variety of birds if you know how to step outside and watch birds.
9. Tick Off a Trail
Walking is a great way to explore the countryside. If you have plans to cover various trails in the UK, this can be a great trail to begin the journey. Being one of the easy-to-walk trails you can tick off a trail on your list. This would provide you with the right beginning you need for your experience. Also, when you are choosing Hadrian’s Wall you will enjoy the experiences and learn from it. You can take this journey as a learning experience and use that in many other national trails that you will cover someday in the future.
