Tymon Burghy

This is going to be the first of my posts regarding my favourite solo trek that I have made. For five days in late Spring of 2021, I embarked on a trek that became a British favourite during the lockdown. With my week off and travel heavily restricted I decided that I would walk the way of the Romans and trek the 73 miles of Hadrian’s Wall and then some. 

Hadrian’s Wall was built over 5 years starting in 122AD under orders of Emperor Hadrian of Rome. Where the wall sits was the northernmost expanse of the Roman Empire. Rome had pushed into the frontiers of Great Brittain and then were faced with constant attacks from barbarian raiders from Scotland, then known as Caledonia. The Romans launched multiple attacks against the Caledonian rebels led by a warrior queen by the name of Boudicca. The 9th Legion, consisting of 6,000 soldiers, was lost in its entirety in the campaign against Boudicca’s army. Rome cut their losses and pulled all of their armies to their northern border. There they built the fortification Callis Hadriani, Hadrian’s Wall.

Hadrian’s Wall began in the east near Newcastle at a Roman fort that would come to be known as Segedunum, or Wallsend. Sededunum is either the starting point or the ending point of adventurers who take on the full length of the wall. From Segedunum the wall runs west along the border of the once-great empire. The wall runs along the River Tyne through Newcastle and continues to trace the river further west until the river disappears. The wall continues across to its most famous and best-preserved section in the Northumberland National Park. From the park, it continues to head west staying near various rivers until it reaches and goes through Carlisle. The final stretch of the wall lands you in a village known as Bowness on Solway where the wall ends. Along the wall, sit 17 forts, 80 mile castles, and 240 small observation towers. When it was completed, the wall stood at 15 feet high and the north side was painted white. It would’ve been impressive to see on the horizon with Roman legionaries weaving in and out of sight behind the battlements. The wall was occupied by the legions for 300 years until Rome had to pull as many troops as it could muster to fight for the preservation of the empire. Hadrian’s Wall was abandoned by the Romans and would never again be fully occupied by a standing army. 

Hadrian’s Wall today stands around 5 feet at its highest point, the best-preserved section of the wall sits among the hills and crags of Northumberland National Park. However, much of the wall has been lost to history and is no longer visible today. This is in part due to the fact that when the Romans abandoned Hadrian’s Wall, the stones were used in some villages for the construction of churches and houses. The main reason that much of the wall has been destroyed is due to the construction of the Military Road, now known as B6318. The Military Road was built under orders of General Wade in the wake of the Jacobite Rebellion in Carlisle. In rushing troops to Carlisle from Newcastle, General Wade noticed the difficulty and asked Parliament to grant him permission to construct a road with pieces of the wall that conveniently ran between the two cities. Once he had permission, ancient bricks from the wall were ground to a powder and used to make the Military Road. When General Wade reached the area within Northumberland National Park, the terrain was too difficult to build a road on so the road was built away from the wall, and the stones were left alone. This is why the part of the wall within the park is so well preserved.

Hadrian’s Wall was an inspirational and educational adventure that I am so glad I went on and I hope that the stories that I tell do it justice and can inspire and educate you.